Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. MLBPA to regroup following Tony Clark’s departure:
Yesterday, the baseball world was rocked when MLBPA chief Tony Clark abruptly resigned from his position atop the union amid a scandal involving an “inappropriate relationship” with his sister-in-law, whom he hired to work for the union back in 2023. Clark’s departure comes less than a year before the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 1. Rather than go through a lengthy search for a new executive director, there have been indications that the players will look to find a temporary replacement in the short-term. Deputy director Bruce Meyer is the most likely candidate, and reporting has suggested there could be a vote on promoting him to interim director as soon as today.
2. Lingering free agents on the market:
As Spring Training gets fully underway, a swath of veterans have begun to take minor league deals in order to get into camp and get to work with a club in hopes of securing a roster spot coming into Opening Day. Right-hander Walker Buehler, outfielder Mike Tauchman, and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe are among the more notable players to sign minor league pacts in the past week. It’s fair to wonder which other veterans might be working on similar deals over the next few days. Of course, not every player left in free agency will settle for a minor league pact. Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, and Max Scherzer are among the players likely to hold out for big league offers even as Spring Training gets into full swing.
3. Will the Braves do anything with their rotation?
It’s long been assumed that the Braves would make an addition to their rotation this offseason, and that seemingly became all the more likely when Atlanta lost Spencer Schwellenbach for the foreseeable future due to bone spurs in his elbow. Right-hander Hurston Waldrep, meanwhile, is dealing with elbow concerns of his own.
Despite that uncertainty, recent reporting has indicated that the club’s interest in players they’ve been connected to like Giolito and Chris Bassitt has been overstated. (Bassitt, of course, already signed with the Orioles.) Perhaps a team deep in starting pitching (e.g. Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers) would be willing to give up one of the arms lower on their depth chart to fill out Atlanta’s rotation at the right price, but could the Braves simply stand pat?
Scherzer?? Too expensive for so little
MLBTR is just trolling us now with SP articles. They know it gets us Braves fans all worked up for click bait…and its working lol
Braves better served calling the Yankees for their starter surplus. Signing arms that barely stay healthy in this expensive market is an easy pass. If all the names they listed were asking for 10 – 12 mill they would likely all be signed by now
I do not believe the Yankees feel that they have a starter surplus at the moment (their most neurotic fans certainly don’t seem to think so). Once Rodon and Cole come back from injury, maybe, but even then, the idea will probably be to shift some starters to beef up the bullpen.
I meant on the insane deep sp prospect pool: Hampton, Carr, Hess, Cunningham and even Lalane dont have a line in with Lagrange and Rodriguez in front. But i understand your point.
Dont forget Schmidt.
AA refuses to move on from out of option pitchers whether they are better or not than someone he could get. He has become the master of blowing smoke when it comes to his lines of filling needs or spending money and then making excuses. He’ll probably do something which is wait for the wave of releases from camp and pick up another washed up 6 era pitcher.
Sounds accurate. Don’t ever let the AA worshipers convince you different.
In all seriousness do you think things would change if the Braves had a different general manager but still had owner Terry McGuirk in charge of the money?
That is a more efficient way to spend money.
yup and the rule is they have to be over the age of 37 to sign.
Braves have 3 years of Acuña left before he leaves for free agency and AA seems content to piss another year of that window away. They should be going all in now but nooooooooo!
I have come to appreciate Bryce Elder
Bryce Elder is a dude.
I complained a lot last year of having Elder in the rotation, but he goes out and he competes and he consistently will give you 6 to 7 innings even though he’s been inconsistent
I don’t see how Atlanta can afford to NOT sign at least one more starting pitcher. Unless the plan is to miss the postseason again, of course. The top 4 in that rotation won’t get them past May with their injury histories…
Of those listed Littell seems most like a Braves option. Fairly inexpensive and reliable innings. Has Giolito done a throwing session for teams to see he is healthy? Never expected him to be on the market this long. Maybe he is just over pricing himself.
I guess, I think Giolito was looking for 54-63 million. He still wants a good 20 million since he declined the option with the Red Sox.
I am guessing 1 year 10 mil
I think that’s Littell.
Like Gallen, Giolito overvalued himself this off-season.
Bruce Meyer is the obvious choice. With a contentious contract negotiation set to begin late this year, it makes sense to stick with a proven negotiator who knows all the parties involved. Too much is at stake to start a contentious internal selection process that leads into the start of another contentious negotiation.
The Braves need a starter with more upside than Elder this season.
Literally everyone knows the Braves need to add except the front office. They spent money on other needs but AA’s stubbornness is going to blow up in his face again if he doesn’t do something to address the rotation.
The Braves have a top 10 rotation.
In the division
Easter brunch at the Clark’s house should be fun this year
Slider, I think the “fun” has already begun.
Gio stands out as the most logical guy.
Maybe bump the SIL up to Executive Director.
as long as the new guy is pro salary cap, I am in
Do I have to explain that the players union would never vote for anyone that’s pro cap? And that that’s simple logic and not some sign of greed?
It is absolutely a sign of greed. They like themselves and not the fans.
As opposed to the owners, who are always looking for ways to cut prices to help out the average Joe Lunchpail?
The owners are a secondary concern. Fans want players on the their team as long as possible and not all this changing of teams. Who gets what money is very secondary to that concern.
It’s not secondary to the players.
Your displaced empathy is odd. I am a fan, not a player. I care about myself and my family, not a bunch of millionaire players, except guys on my team, during gametime.
We root for teams, not players. The shirt, not the name on the shirt. That is why Yankee uniforms are the best.
Damn right Sandy. Players should have to play their whole contract on one team. Return the 1800’s rules!
Sandy you understand that a salary cap will lead will lead to *more* player transactions right? Players will not accept a cap without slashing team control years. Again this is just common sense, no rational party would accept long term team control *and* capped earnings potential. So your favorite home grown player will need a contract in, say, 4 years instead of 6. And when teams are cap strapped, who’s the first players to be moved? The big contract guys, aka the guys you want to stay long.
You say we have misplaced empathy and are crying for millionaire players, but you just lack understanding, and that leads you to shill for billionaire owners. Make it make sense Sandy
Also what is it, do fans want the players on the teams or are they rooting for the team and not the players? You’re talking yourself in circles here.
Sandy, while I agree with Ninja that the players aren’t going to pick anyone who’s pro salary cap, I agree that MLB needs a cap, a floor, and a guaranteed minimum percentage of revenue dedicated to player compensation. I think there is a deal out there to be had, but not likely in the next contract. All it takes is some statesmanship on both sides, but that’s tough when you have big personalities with big egos. I think Scherzer understands the business side and obviously the player side, and could be the one to broker a deal (as a player and player rep, not head of the MLBPA).
Salary cap of $300mm and floor of $140mm… accelerated revenue sharing so the Pirates, Marlins, etc can make the $140mm payroll. Minimum salary to $1mm. Done!
So a cap but teams just continue to bankroll the cheap owners so they don’t have to actually invest and just turn a profit based on revenue sharing? How does that fix anything beyond just taking money away from players?
1 and 5 should get Scherzer based on what Verlander got.
Can a Braves fan tell me why their team is ranked so high in projected WAR this year? Looking at the lineup and rotation, I’m not seeing a team why they’re projected to be better than the Mets and Phillies with a 40% chance of winning the division.
This is mostly because I don’t pay attention to the Braves so I’m not trying to throw shade. What is the reason for the expectations and how do these injuries impact or not these projections?
Most projections don’t account for injuries, they live in a nice world where everyone stays healthy forever.
Yeah, I think one of the things I am most surprised to see on the Braves as I look into their team is their lack of depth. They have some huge upside starters, obviously, but almost nothing to back them up when they get hurt or need rest.
I’m a Pirates fan and I wish we had some of these position players but I also like our team’s depth.
Maybe that’s assuming great outcomes for all players reaching their talent potentials? It’s happened before, more or less, but how often does *everything* go right for any team? Raaarely.
But with the rotation? Lotta work still to do as of right now.
When healthy, the team is really solid and a WS contender. The only thing that held them back recently is health. The majority of the roster has spent time on the DL the past two years and last year the entire starting 5 in the rotation to begin the year ended up on the 60 day DL.
There is still a chance Schwellenbach and Waldrep come back by middle of the year.
Yeah, there’s definite dudes on this team. A scary 1-5 at least but I don’t understand the lack the depth beyond those 5 or 6. Health killed them last year and I’m hoping for your sake that this turns the corner once the season starts and it’s a largely uneventful year, healthwise cause this would be a fun team to see in the playoffs. Anyone to give the Dodgers a scare.
Lots of denial swimming around these parts.
Everyone seems to project the Braves to their ceiling. Sure if EVERYTHING works in their favor they are a huge threat. But the list of things that needs to go right with increasing uncertainty is a mile long.
Best I can figure is all these high rankings and people stuck in denial about what’s probable is that they are thinking solely of the potential.
But yeah, if Albies, Harris, and Riley all bounce back…. If Murphy suddenly re-learn to hit the ball…. If Reynaldo Lopez, Kim and Profar all play to their career high seasons…. If no one gets injured in the rotation…. If Waldrep and/or AJSS step up…. Yeah this team is dangerous
Lol
Not saying you are wrong, but isnt all teams on the same “hope everyone stays healthy and play well” mode? Except ofc for the 1.3 B deferred salaries franchise
It reflects on the quality of baseball reporting that we are now on Day 2 and still do not know if it is the brother’s wife or the wife’s sister.
No man in American history has ever successfully pulled off the wife’s sister hookup and lived to tell the tale. We need to know if Tony has succeeded where so many have failed.
They ones who successfully have, we’d never know about it.
As growing up a Braves fan, I will always love the Braves however seeing someone so lazy as AA makes me sick that he has no desire to improve the team. I guess we’re about to go back to the losing seasons again.
What MLBPA needs now is a competent, knowledgable negotiator who knows the CBA and otherwise can manage his ego and stick to business. By virtue of his situation he’s going to get attention–you don’t want someone who craves the cameras.
Littell is exactly what a lot of teams need. Reliable source of quality innings. Would love to have him here.
Clark’s life was publicly destroyed on all fronts yesterday. Feel bad for his family but not him
Agree with your comment… his wife and children got crushed.
How come no post on Wasserman sellling the agency due to the Epstein Files?
Its not a rumor?
I knew Clark was gone as soon as they announced the players way and OneTeam investigations. It’s obvious Clark was stealing from the members he was supposed to represent, getting his mistress/sister in law is icing on the cake. Cheating, with family, nepotism in hiring, fake YouTube accounts to hide shell companies, this should be a movie.
Braves have to leave ample room in the rotation for one of Fuentes, Sinnard, Ritchie, or Murphy to win the rookie of the year this year.