- Braves third base coach Ron Washington can’t interview with other teams about managerial openings until Atlanta’s postseason run is over, so Washington told reporters (including The Athletic’s David O’Brien) that he has yet to hear from the Padres or Mets. Washington is happy in his current position but admitted he would like to “get back in the room” for a second stint managing a big league club. It’s possible Atlanta’s playoff run could interfere with Washington’s job prospects, as if the Braves were to advance deep into the World Series, the Padres and Mets might potentially hire new managers before Washington becomes available to talk.
Braves Rumors
Stephen Vogt Undergoes Sports Hernia Surgery
The Braves announced that veteran catcher Stephen Vogt recently underwent a sports hernia surgery (relayed by David O’Brien of the Athletic). He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2022.
News of the injury adds a little more clarity to Atlanta’s decision to designate Vogt for assignment last week. The 36-year-old cleared outright waivers and technically remains in the organization, although he is slated to hit free agency this offseason anyways. There was little reason at that point for the Braves’ front office not to bump him from the roster once the need for a 40-man spot arose.
Vogt will hit the open market coming off a disappointing campaign. While he’s generally been a decent offensive catcher — offering some power from the lefty batters box — Vogt didn’t have a productive 2021. Between the D-Backs and Braves, he tallied 238 plate appearances of .195/.283/.333 hitting. His .212/.307/.386 line with Arizona was playable, but Vogt slumped to a .167/.241/.244 mark in 87 plate appearances with the Braves.
It’s possible Vogt will be limited to minor league offers with Spring Training invitations given this year’s struggles, although teams won’t have a whole lot in the way of free agent catching options to choose from. Yan Gomes is set to top the class, with Tucker Barnhart and Roberto Pérez potentially coming available if their respective clubs (Reds and Indians) decline 2022 club options.
Jorge Soler Tests Positive For COVID-19; Cristian Pache Added To Braves’ NLDS Roster
Braves outfielder Jorge Soler has been removed from his team’s NLDS roster due to a positive test for COVID-19, the league announced. Cristian Pache has been approved as a substitute to take Soler’s spot on the roster. Soler will be allowed to return the club once he clears COVID protocols.
The news comes less than two hours before the Braves look to close out the Brewers in Game 4 of their NLDS series. Soler had been announced as Atlanta’s starting right fielder and leadoff hitter in the game, but the revised lineup now sees Joc Pederson slide from left field to right, Adam Duvall from center to left field, and Guillermo Heredia (batting eighth) added as the new starter in center.
Soler will be quarantined for at least five days, as per David O’Brien of The Athletic (Twitter link), and he has to cleared as non-infectious by a four-person joint health and safety committee (two doctors, and one representative each from the league and the players’ union). If he is able to return after only that five-day minimum, Soler would possibly be in line to play by Game 2 of the National League Championship Series if the Braves advance past Milwaukee.
It has been a tough postseason for Soler, who has only one hit in 13 NLDS plate appearances. Nonetheless, the veteran was a big reason why Atlanta won the NL East in the first place, as Soler hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs over 242 PA after being acquired from the Royals in a trade deadline deal. Soler had struggled over the first four months of the season, so his re-emergence with the Braves will surely help the 29-year-old’s case in free agency this winter.
The bigger issue at hand for the moment, however, is that the Braves now have a significant hole in their lineup. The trio of Pederson, Duvall, and Eddie Rosario (along with Soler, all midseason pickups) now projects as Atlanta’s first-choice outfield, with Heredia, Pache, Terrance Gore, and utilitymen Ehire Adrianza and Orlando Arcia all providing additional depth.
Braves Designate Stephen Vogt For Assignment
The Braves have designated catcher Stephen Vogt for assignment, per Atlanta’s transaction log at MLB.com. The move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for Terrance Gore, allowing the speedy outfielder to join the Braves’ NLDS team off the bench.
Atlanta acquired the former All-Star catcher from the Diamondbacks in the middle of the season to shore up their catching depth. While the veteran wasn’t able to match his modest 87 OPS+ production from Arizona, posting only a slash line of .167/.241/.244 (good for a 28 OPS+) with the Braves, his impact was felt elsewhere on the roster. After all, the Braves traded from their catching trove when they shipped young catcher Alex Jackson to the Marlins for Adam Duvall, a move that may have been harder to make without a veteran like Vogt on the roster. Duvall in turn slugged 16 home runs down the stretch for Atlanta en route to their division title.
Now, the 36-year-old Vogt is all but certain to clear waivers and enter free agency. While his offense has waned the past two seasons, netting a 59 OPS+, Vogt’s defense still checks in at about average. With teams always on the lookout for veteran catching depth, it’s possible Vogt will latch on somewhere this offseason via a minor league deal.
Gore meanwhile is selected from Triple-A to take on a role in which he is all too familiar. Despite never eclipsing 58 plate appearances in a single Major League season, Gore has often been picked up by contenders looking to add some speed and defensive prowess to their pool of outfielders. While Gore did post a solid .361 OBP in Triple-A this year, continuing a trend of strong walk rates and next to no power, it’s unlikely he will see much opportunity for the Braves beyond as a pinch runner and late-game defensive sub.
Richard Rodriguez, Chris Martin Not On Braves’ NLDS Roster
The Braves announced their 26-man roster for a National League Division Series faceoff with the Brewers, notably omitting right-handers Richard Rodriguez and Chris Martin from the group. They’ll carry some extra speed in the form of Terrance Gore, and rookie left-hander Dylan Lee is a somewhat surprising choice for an southpaw in the bullpen. Here’s how the roster breaks down…
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Ian Anderson
- Jesse Chavez
- Luke Jackson
- Charlie Morton (Game 1 starter)
- Jacob Webb
- Huascar Ynoa
Left-Handed Pitchers
- Max Fried (Game 2 starter)
- Dylan Lee
- Tyler Matzek
- A.J. Minter
- Will Smith
- Drew Smyly
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Rodriguez was one of the Braves’ most notable acquisitions prior to the trade deadline, and he posted a strong 3.12 ERA in 26 innings with Atlanta. However, he’s also surrendered five home runs in his past 10 appearances and, more concerning, has seen his strikeout rate absolutely crater with the Braves. Rodriguez had a 22.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.7 percent swinging-strike rate in Pittsburgh, but he’s fanned just 8.5 percent of his opponents and posted a diminished 8.2 percent swinging-strike rate since the trade. He’s still managed a solid ERA due to a .200 average on balls in play and a 97.1 percent strand rate, but neither of those is sustainable in the long run and the Braves apparently didn’t want to chance it in a short postseason series.
Martin, 35, is in the second season of a two-year, $14MM contract, making his omission something of a surprise as well. He’s pitched to a 3.95 ERA in 43 1/3 innings, but the right-hander has also seen his strikeout rate fall from 30.1 percent in 2019-20 to 18.2 percent this season. Martin has done well to keep runs off the board despite becoming more hittable, but he’s yielded a .312/.347/.447 batting line since June 1.
The 27-year-old Lee only made his Major League debut a week ago, but he’ll now be penciled in as a part of manager Brian Snitker’s relief corps for at least this round of play. Lee allowed a pair of runs in two innings at the end of the regular season, but he dominated in 46 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level in 2021: 1.54 ERA, 30.9 percent strikeout rate, 3.4 percent walk rate. The Braves signed Lee to a minor league contract after he was released by the Marlins late in Spring Training, and his rapid ascension to the Majors with a division-rival undoubtedly stings for Miami. Fellow rookie Spencer Strider was surely considered for a spot as well, but the Braves ultimately opted for an additional lefty.
Gore finds himself in a familiar role as a postseason pinch-running/defensive specialist. He won’t find himself in the starting lineup for any of the upcoming games, but he’ll give Snitker and the Braves one of the game’s fastest baserunners if they need some speed later in a game. Some fans may have preferred to see longtime top prospect Cristian Pache in this role, but Gore was more prolific and more efficient in terms of stolen bases this season.
Both Arcia and Johan Camargo had big seasons in Triple-A this year, but it’ll be Arcia who gets the nod for the Division Series as a versatile infield option off the bench. That seemed like the more probable outcome after Arcia received a September call-up, while Camargo remained in Gwinnett. Arcia, acquired from the Brewers early in the season, only received three starts in September but will provide some insurance at shortstop, second base and third base. The Braves also gave him a look in left field down the stretch.
Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos Discusses Deadline Moves
In a chat with Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Atlanta’s general manager Alex Anthopoulos discussed the moves that he and his club made before this year’s trade deadline. In particular, they focus on the Adam Duvall trade and how, although the discussions with the Marlins and general manager Kim Ng had been going on for over a week, the final deal came together in the last 24 hours.
“We had been talking to them about Duvall for at least 10 days and it just wasn’t going anywhere,” Anthopoulos said. “That [late-night] call was a breakthrough conversation, but there would still have to be discussions the next day. Then finally around 12:30 or 1 o’clock, we got that deal done.” Presumably, it was during this late-night call that Anthopoulos put catcher Alex Jackson on the table, as he was the only other player involved in the deal. It is perhaps not a coincidence that, three weeks later, the club and catcher Travis d’Arnaud signed a two-year extension to make up for the subtracted depth at the position.
“After that call, it felt like this was going to happen… We wanted to talk about it internally, and [the Marlins] were going to do the same thing.” Bowman then goes on to detail the acquisitions of Eddie Rosario, Richard Rodriguez and, finally, Jorge Soler. As Bowman writes, “Around 3:30 p.m. ET, assistant general manager Jason Paré suggested the Braves call Kansas City one more time.”
These details give some insight into the collaborative nature of front offices and the different factors at play. As much as Alex Anthopoulos, or other GMs, might occasionally seem like rogue traders, a baseball front office is a multicellular organism that requires good rapport, within itself and to other clubs.
Of course, the other factor that is always present is the budget. Anthopoulos and his team got a midseason boost in that regard, as he told Bowman that Atlanta’s chairman Terry McGuirk offered an increase based on their good early-season revenues. “He basically gave me a large amount of money to work with. I was ecstatic. That’s a credit to those fans who came out and supported this club and put us in this position.”
Due to the ability to take on these contracts, the club upgraded their bullpen and totally remade their outfield, propelling them to a strong finish to the season. On the day of the deadline, July 31st, Atlanta was actually below .500, sitting on a record of 52-54, five games behind the Mets in the NL East. But from August 1st onwards, they went 36-19, leapfrogged the Mets, cruised to a fourth-consecutive division crown and now find themselves preparing for an NLDS matchup with the Brewers that begins on Friday.
Poll: Who’s Going To Win The World Series?
It took 162 games to decide things, but given all of the uncertainty heading into the final day of the regular season, it is perhaps an upset that a 163rd game (or even a 164th) wasn’t required. However, the field for the 2021 postseason has now been decided.
The Giants outpaced the Dodgers in a stunning NL West pennant race. San Francisco shocked the baseball world by winning 107 games, the most victories in the franchise’s 139 seasons. As a reward, the Giants will get a few days to rest and prepare for the NL Division Series opener on Friday, while Los Angeles (with a whopping 106 wins) will now have to sweat out a single-game eliminator against the hottest team in the sport.
The Cardinals roared into the NL wild card game thanks to a 35-16 record over their last 51 games, including a franchise-record 17-game winning streak. The Dodgers will host the Cards on Wednesday, and while the two clubs are postseason regulars, this will be their first meeting in the playoffs since 2014.
After a season of tributes to the late Henry Aaron, perhaps it was destiny that Milwaukee and Atlanta would do battle in the postseason for the very first time. The 95-67 Brewers will host the 88-73 Braves in Game One of their NLDS meeting, which begins on Friday.
The Brewers caught fire in midseason and ran away with the NL Central, topping St. Louis by five games even despite the Cards’ late surge. Despite a few shaky moments along the way, the Braves nonetheless overcame the loss of injured superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. to capture their fourth straight NL East title.
“Champa Bay” has already collected two Stanley Cups and a Super Bowl within the last two years, and the 100-62 Rays will look to add a World Series title to the local trophy case. The Rays will start their journey in the AL Division Series on Thursday, and they’ll be facing off against a familiar AL East opponent, no matter who wins the AL wild card game.
That opponent will be decided on Tuesday, as the Yankees and Red Sox will add another chapter to their rivalry by meeting in the wild card game for the first time. Both New York and Boston won today to clinch their postseason berths, finishing with identical 92-70 records (and holding off the 91-win Blue Jays and the 90-win Mariners). Because the Sox won the season series by a 10-9 margin, Tuesday’s game will take place at Fenway Park.
The Astros and White Sox will square off in the other ALDS matchups, meeting for the first time in the postseason since Chicago defeated Houston in the 2005 World Series. The 95-67 Astros have the homefield advantage over the 93-69 White Sox, and this series will mark the first-ever postseason meeting between veteran managers Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa.
Now that we know which 10 teams will be continuing into October, the question remains….who do you think will be the last team standing at the end of October? (Link to poll for app users)
Braves Promote Spencer Strider
The Braves are set to promote right-handed pitching prospect Spencer Strider to the Majors this weekend, as first reported by Eric Cole of Talking Chop. He’ll work out of the Atlanta bullpen and give the Braves a highly intriguing postseason option. More specifically, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that he’ll be added to the big league roster today.
It’s the culmination of a remarkable, meteoric rise through the Braves’ farm system. Strider, 22, was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft and barely pitched in 2020 due to the NCAA shutdown and the canceled minor league season. He opened the 2021 season with the Braves’ Low-A affiliate but has skyrocketed to the Majors with outrageous strikeout numbers across four different minor league affiliates. The Clemson product pitched to a 0.59 ERA in Low-A, a 2.45 ERA in Class-A Advanced, a 4.71 ERA in Double-A and recently struck out the side in his Triple-A debut.
While the combined 3.64 ERA doesn’t necessarily jump out, Strider’s power arsenal certainly does. He’s punched out 153 batters in 94 innings this season — 39.3 percent of the 389 hitters he’s faced overall. David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets that Strider’s fastball was up to 101 mph in his recent Triple-A debut.
In the long run, the Braves will likely give Strider the opportunity to continue developing as a starting pitcher. That Triple-A debut this week was the lone relief appearance of the season, as all 21 of his other outings have been starts. That said, Baseball America noted when listing Strider sixth among Atlanta farmhands on their midseason rankings that because of his Tommy John surgery in college, a relatively slight size (six feet tall) and below-average command, he may ultimately settle in as a power reliever anyhow.
For now, Strider gives Braves fans even more to be excited for over the final weekend and gives manager Brian Snitker a potential relief weapon that postseason opponents won’t have had a first-hand look at. He’ll technically require commissioner approval to be added to the postseason roster as an injury replacement, because he wasn’t on the 40-man roster on Sept. 1. However, such replacements are reasonably common, and it seems unlikely the Braves would’ve called Strider up for the final three games if they weren’t at least contemplating him as an option for the looming NLDS.
MLB, MLBPA Extend Marcell Ozuna’s Administrative Leave Through End Of Postseason
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have agreed to extend the administrative leave period of Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna through the end of this postseason, reports Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Ozuna has been on administrative leave since September 10 as the league investigates domestic violence allegations made against him.
The league has the authority to unilaterally place players on administrative leave for up to seven days, per the MLB – MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. The leave can be extended thereafter by mutual agreement between MLB and the Players Association, and the parties have elected to formally rule Ozuna out for the remainder of this season rather than extending the leave on a weekly basis. Placement on administrative leave is not a disciplinary action and does not reflect any sort of finding in the league’s investigation. Players placed on administrative leave continue to be paid and to accumulate Major League service time.
Ozuna has not appeared in a game since bring arrested on May 29 after police responded to a domestic disturbance at his residence. Court filings at the time indicated that the responding officers saw Ozuna place his hands around his wife’s neck, throw her against a wall and strike her with a cast that was on his left hand. (He had fractured two fingers in a game the week before and was on the injured list at the time).
Felony charges originally brought against Ozuna were dropped in early August, but prosecutors moved forward with a pair of misdemeanor charges. Earlier this month, Ozuna agreed to enter into a three-to-six month domestic violence intervention program that could see those charges dropped if he completes all the required measures.
The joint Domestic Violence policy authorizes MLB to impose discipline in the absence of criminal charges. Even if both misdemeanor charges against Ozuna are ultimately dropped, he could still face a suspension depending upon the results of the league’s investigation.
Ozuna signed a four-year, $65MM contract with the Braves last offseason. He remains under contract through 2024.
Braves, Brewers Made Pirates “Big-Time Offers” For Bryan Reynolds
You can add the Braves and Brewers to the list of teams who asked the Pirates about Bryan Reynolds prior to the trade deadline, as The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel hears from a source that Pittsburgh received “big-time offers” from the two clubs. Atlanta and Milwaukee join the Marlins, Indians, and Astros as teams known to have at least checked in on Reynolds’ availability, though it sounds as if the Braves and Brewers went a step further with their overtures.
Of course, Reynolds wasn’t dealt anywhere, as the Pirates value the outfielder as a cornerstone of their future plans. Biertempfel’s report comes within the context of a larger piece about which current Pittsburgh players are most likely to be on the roster come Opening Day, and Reynolds is seen as someone who is “not going anywhere.” Reynolds’ price tag will start rising this offseason in his first of four (as a Super Two player) arbitration-eligible years, the Bucs have him controlled through the 2025 season, and the team is surely hoping to be back in contention while Reynolds is still producing at a high level.
After a big 2019 rookie season and a sophomore slump in 2020, Reynolds has enjoyed a strong season as the Pirates’ everyday center fielder. The 26-year-old has hit .293/.382/.505 with 24 home runs over 628 plate appearances, resulting in a 136 wRC+ and 139 OPS+. While Reynolds’ hard-hit numbers are nothing special, his speed has allowed him to turn even moderate contact into base hits. As a center fielder, Reynolds’ glovework is either elite (+10 Outs Above Average, one of the higher totals of any player at any position) or slightly below average (-3.2 UZR/150, -2 Defensive Runs Saved) depending on your metric of choice, though the eye test would certainly seem to lean closer to OAA’s analysis.
There’s plenty to like about Reynolds as a contributor both now and in future seasons, which is why it was no surprise that so many teams were inquiring about trades. The Braves and Brewers stand out as particularly intriguing, considering that Milwaukee has already won the NL Central and Atlanta has a 2.5-game lead in the NL East with six games remaining, so the specter of a Reynolds trade will loom as an interesting “what-if” should either team fall short in October.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is no stranger to big deadline moves, and while a Reynolds trade would’ve counted as a blockbuster, Atlanta was hardly lacking in activity. With Ronald Acuna Jr. gone for the season, Anthopoulos reinvented his outfield by adding Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Adam Duvall. That quartet has all hit well, helping carry the Braves from a 52-55 mark on August 1 to the brink of a division title. It is worth wondering if Atlanta’s inquiries about Reynolds led to the notable trade that the Braves did make with the Pirates, landing Richard Rodriguez for Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito.
The Brewers had a relatively quieter July than the Braves in terms of sheer volume of moves, though the Brew Crew had the benefit of a much wider division lead, and the team certainly picked up some solid offensive contributors in Eduardo Escobar and Rowdy Tellez. Installing Reynolds in center field ahead of the Lorenzo Cain/Jackie Bradley Jr./Tyrone Taylor combination would’ve certainly been a huge upgrade for Milwaukee’s lineup, and perhaps solidified the Brewers as World Series favorites.
If the Pirates had been moved to deal Reynolds, it would’ve surely taken an enormous trade package from any team, and it is quite possible Pittsburgh might’ve demanded a premium to send Reynolds within the NL Central. While the Pirates and Brewers combined on a pair of minor trades earlier this season, swapping minor league depth pieces is a far different matter than sending a star player to a division rival.
