The Braves pulled off a somewhat surprising pair of moves early this postseason by nabbing starters Drew Smyly and Charlie Morton on one-year deals. That the deals were surprising, however, was not surprising. The Braves keep their internal conversations about players internal, according to the Athletic’s David O’Brien, who writes, “Atlanta is as leak-free as any organization in sports regarding rumors of potential trades and free-agent signings, and if the player and his agent are equally private, which is how the Braves like it and something that agents are aware of, there could and often are discussions and deals completed before anything is leaked.”
Hence, the dearth of news about re-signing, say, Mark Melancon, O’Brien notes, doesn’t equate to a lack of movement or interest. Simply, if the Braves do bring Melancon back, the public isn’t likely to hear about it until the deal is done.
In the meantime, Braves’ fans can content themselves with the additions they’ve already made this winter. After all, while neither the Smyly nor Morton contracts were big deals financially, they are big deals in terms of potential impact. The Morton acquisition bumped Fangraphs’ valuation of Atlanta’s rotation from the 16th-ranked rotation in the game to 11th, writes Jay Jaffe. Morton brings 1.5 more projected WAR than the Braves’ in-house alternative, per Steamer.
But for Morton, the decision to sign on the dotted line had as much to do with the personalities involved as it did the strength of the rotation. Familiarity with catching coach Sal Fasano, pitching coach Rick Kranitz, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud helped Morton commit to the switch from Tampa to Atlanta, according to a piece by O’Brien from just before Thanksgiving.
The already-established clubhouse culture in Atlanta also made the Braves an intriguing destination. Chemistry may not be the metric du jour for statisticians, but it was a consideration for Morton. Per O’Brien, Morton said, “Most good teams, they can outplay their talent level just by being close and having good attitudes and having fun. From everything that I know and what I’ve seen, the Braves have both. It looks like they’re really loose, fun-loving, but they’re also really talented. So I’m looking forward to being part of a group where you’re looking forward to getting to the park every day and you just want to hang out, being excited to play together.”
“Atlanta is as leak-free as any organization in sports regarding rumors of potential trades and free-agent signings, and if the player and his agent are equally private, which is how the Braves like it and something that agents are aware of, there could and often are discussions and deals completed before anything is leaked.”
This coming a year after AA’s leaks lol.
What does this even mean?
I think they’re referring to this: mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/mlbpa-investigation-bra…
Angels are the same way. Almost all their signings without exception have been as a mystery team.
Except the Angels are irrelevant… No one cares.
I wonder if there is a team that’s the polar opposite ?. Not a team thats necessarily toxic in the clubhouse. But the chemistry is not what it should be.
As a Blue Jays fan, AA’s preference to conduct business so secretly always annoyed me when he was the Jays’ GM. I enjoy hearing the rumors about who teams are after, even if they don’t always pan out. You don’t get much of that with AA. It probably is the best way to conduct business, but it’s less fun for the fans.
Agreed, but that makes his interviews intriguing because while he remains diplomatic in his statements, he’ll divulge interesting tidbits and information that really notches intrigue within the fanbase up.
Baseball is a business from AA seat, from yours and mine it is something we watch to pass time. Americas greatest past time. We the fans buy tickets to see the game played by the players the GM has assembled for us. I don’t find rumors fun. For 3 straight off season Nolan Arenado was going to be traded to St Louis or else where. Francisco Lindor has left Cleveland 3 years ago by saying “enjoy him” ehhh, baseball is what I like, not the media.
Think it’s time to go on a 3 peat! No more snake bites.
Totally agree with the above, AA is the opposite of schuerholz and coppy were for good or bad. The rumors and hopes are the fun of the offseason and you definitely do not get that with this regime.
More times than not the leaks come from the agents and their staffs, allowing them to drum up more interest for their client. Sometimes teams will throw out a smoke screen to take attention away from a target who is actually the player(s) they want.
i like it when teams can keep the rumors quiet. makes signings a bigger surprise.
I think more talk stirs up more trades, the possibilities and one’s imagination stir the pot of “what could be” if we had this player or that player, there are no surprises anymore, too much money and too many lawyers involved, everybody wants to take credit for the greatest deal or signing its how they promote their trade
I really didn’t think much Melancon as a Giant and was thrilled when he was pawned off to ATL. He looked pretty fallible in the playoffs with ATL, too. I’d be a bit wary of resigning him.
@Scott. Melancon was lights out in the 2020 playoffs 6.1 innings pitched no walks 1 unearned run. Braves need him back or someone comparable to close. I don’t believe Will Smith is the answer he was meh in the regular season and got rocked in the NLCS. Need a power bat to place behind Freddie in the lineup too.
Yes, Will Smith looked totally different, but he didn’t get much work and never looked like himself after the late-start (missing the summer training period) because of C19 issues, which makes Freeman’s crazy season all that more impressive, imho.
I wouldn’t mind giving Chris Martin a chance closing if will Smith starts the way he did in 2020
Will Smith didn’t get the call as often as he did with the Giants, no, but he did appear in 18 games out of 60. He was bad, never pitched more than 1 inning and gave up an earned run in almost 40% of his appearances. Not what you’re looking for at $13M/yr. Really need him to step it up…a lot….in 2021.
I didn’t watch Will Smith this year, but he was nails during his Giants years. I’d trust him with the ball over Melancon all day long. Smith may have had a down year, but he’s a great pitcher and I’d expect better results from him than Melancon next year.
Craig Kimbrel would be the answer for a closer. Send Ender to Chicago for Kimbrel. I think both have 1 yr. left on the current contract. The Cubs need a CF. If the NL has the DH, I say they sign Ozona back. You could still bring Melancon back if the price is right.
I agree with you that Melancon was shaky for SF, but i’m not sure which playoffs (or 2020 season in general) you were watching. Melancon was statistically one of the best closers in the game this season.
Sour grapes for Scott.
Haha, don’t dog me, guys, I had no problem with the playoffs or WS. 🙂 The thing for me is that when Melancon pitched (both in SF and in the latest playoffs), I thought he looked really shaky. There was nothing of the dominance he had as a Pirate back in his prime. Tell me you weren’t watching him pitch in the playoffs with clenched cheeks. He always seems to me like he’s one pitch away from getting blown up. When he left SF, his numbers looked good enough for some hapless team to take a chance on. But he never passed the eye test. It’s just a matter of time before he gets annihilated, and that’s more likely to happen in this next contract than ever.
Atlanta’s two big additions to the rotation could pay off in a big way or could be a disaster….its still 26 million that is a chunk of money for their payroll
It’s one year contracts very little real risk
Hate to state the obvious, but it’s 2 pieces rather than 1 expensive piece (coming off injury) in Hamels. Sure, it’s all a risk, but they love their scouting report for Smyly and everything on Morton.
Any particular year could be bad for any player. If you have a player on a 6 year contract making $15 million a year and one of those years is wasted, is that $15 million less impactful? Of course not. It’s the same loss. The big difference is, if a lost year is because of regression than it’s the 1 year deal that is better off because you aren’t tied to that player for 6 years.
Additionally, AA should get the benefit of the doubt. He’s done well with one year contracts.
I like Charlie Morton and all that, but 15 million makes you feel good about a team’s chemistry…….
Based on Braves model over the years, wouldn’t be surprised to sign new players to 1 year deals. Don’t see ozuna coming back at his price point, similarly with donaldson. We be interested to see how AA makes all these moving pieces work but I’m sure he will make the best decision for the team ahead.
Replacing Melancon/Hamels with Smyly/Morton saves the Braves about $7M.
Braves already tossed O Day aside out of the bullpen. Who do you suggest as the closer Smyly or Morton? We can have all the starting pitching in the world still need someone to slam the door. I thought that would be Will Smith in 2020. He failed miserably.
Still could be Melancon – as the article brought up. Will Smith should have more of a normalized season, hopefully. There’s enough closing options they could wait to find a good deal. Internally, Snit loves the matchups, so I don’t see a LH closer against most teams. I’d say Chris Martin has the upper hand, but don’t rule out a re-sign of Melancon/Shane Greene.
any of Smith, Martin, or Minter could reasonably close
I’d want one more elite season from minter before giving him that extra pressure again.
I’ve always liked Minter but 2019 made me lose all faith in him. I hope he’s back to his old self now.
Wee you aware that he suffered a shoulder injury in an automobile wreck before spring training that year ??
@FredMcGriff- Minter had a really good 2020 which didn’t restore your faith but Smith and a really bad one but THAT destroyed your faith in Smith? You’re views are not consistent.
Braves need to bring back Melancon tho. That pen needs help.
Shouldn’t it say “this offseason” and not postseason? Seems like a typo
This is not surprising since the Braves free agent moves always come out of nowhere via team announcement
I’m just not sure how important “team chemistry” really is.
My favorite squads of all time were those Bronx Zoo teams, man.
That was not a harmonious group of fellas!
“Loose” & “fun” are fine or whatever. But it’s wins that matter.
There are different kinds of energy. Some teams are lifted by tension and adversity, like in some rock bands. For the Braves, their energy was bolstered by the camaraderie and closeness. Different strokes.
Stroke me, stroke me.. STROKE, STROKE say you’re a winner, but man you’re just a sinner now..
The only real relevant thing is ender Inciarte should and will play out the remainder of his contract with the Atlanta braves! There isn’t any non stupid reason anyone could argue any other team should trade for him ! Soon his contract will expire and braves fans can stop trying/lying to make him a tradable player
Whether it’s Julio Teheran or Ender Inciarte, Braves Nation needs a rostered player to be the proverbial pig to put the lipstick on.
Lol no lie
The Cubs need a center-fielder and they don’t seem to be thrilled with Craig Kimbrel. I think Kimbrel has 1 year left on his contract. The Braves could use Kimbrel, he may be making 1-2 million more than Ender. Contract swap that could help both clubs. Both players might get it together next year.
“Hence, the dearth of news about re-signing, say, Mark Melancon, O’Brien notes, doesn’t equate to a lack of movement or interest.”
memegenerator.net/img/instances/38099627.jpg
Waiting for the Chemistry Above Replacement stats to come out. Give the annual Bunsen Burner Award to the highest valued player. See who gets elected to the Hall of Flame.
I got a good laugh out of Chemistry Above Replacement. Thanks buddy
Like PC%.
This is a new metric called “positive cheer percentage”. It measures a players effectiveness in rooting on his teammates.
This should not be confused with EH5, or “effective high fives” (which are a counting stat).
Or UUBR; “ultimate umpire baiting rate” (self explanatory).
Just a few new metrics that’ll help quantify intangibles. The nerds are going crazy with this stuff already, man.
You don’t think Chemistry is important? Greatest player I have ever seen play the game never one a WS and rumor was he was a royal pain to be with. After he moved on, the same team wins multiple WS with most of the same player still involved. Baseball is a long season and it’s important to want to go to the park every day. It’s not always about the money!
Notagain you’ve got my interest. Last name of the player at least?
Bonds
Yup.
Has to be.
Don’t know if it’s Bonds, but he retired in 2007 and last full season was 2004. Hard to say when Giants won in 2010 it was with “same guys.” Posey, Lincecum, Bumgarner … uh, pretty significant additions.
I like melancon last year for the Braves. If they can get him for a decent price I’d say go for it. If he’s hoping for the same deal he got in SF then bye.
And no to Luke Jackson or minter closing.
I guess it kind of depends on their faith in Will Smith as a closer. Melancon, Treinen, and plenty of others could fill the role. I liked Melancon a lot last year and would be happy to see him re-signed, but I don’t think they have to have him
Once the Mets sign Bauer, Realmuto, Melancon and others and trade for Lindor the braves will be playing for second place at best
Only thing the Mets are good for is loosing.
I like the AA approach of one year contracts. Melancon for a year with an option year or possibly even two would be money well spent.
If they don’t spend big on Ozuna, I suppose they could pursue a trade for Josh Hader. They certainly have the prospects to get something done. Hader’s price tag has risen with arbitration, but he would heal up that closer situation in a REAL hurry.
A big bat should be priority #1 though, to be clear.