House That Hank Built
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What If the Atlanta Braves Decided to… BUY?

By Alan Carpenter

Jul 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Chase d'Arnaud (23, center) celebrates with teammates after he hit the game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning of their win against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. The Braves won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 17, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Chase d'Arnaud (23, center) celebrates with teammates after he hit the game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning of their win against the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. The Braves won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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We’ve heard it for a year:  once the Braves get into position to be a winner, the prospects would be used to assemble *that* team.  What if that opportunity window was open… now?

Yes, I know – we are all in a holding pattern… 12 days from the trade deadline and things are as quiet as Erick Aybar‘s bat out there.  No chatter.  No rumors.  Only the sound of the Dodgers’ transaction wire as they continue to move pitchers onto the Disabled List.

– Okay, right after I started typing, the Cubs and Mariners got together on a deal to shore up the Cubbies’ bullpen.  Good move for them.  Still pretty quiet.

That’s a problem when you give a Braves’ fan too much time to think.  Strange thoughts begin to well up inside.  Bizarre dreams are born from short-circuited synapses, the result of trying to determine exactly how John Coppolella works.

So here’s the thinking that came of this:

  • Normally, ‘team building’ trades are conducted during the off-season.
  • However, several productive assets are on the trading block right now.
  • Many of these are still under team control for some time after this season, so the acquiring team will have no incentive to relinquish those assets come November.
  • The free agent market this Winter is amazingly weak, and what there is available will be very expensive.

But here’s the kickers:

  • If you truly are intending to keep Julio Teheran, then it only makes sense to build around him and use his value for something positive.
  • Also, do you really want other clubs to go out and grab the best upgrades while you sit on your prospects?

Ergo, I have hatched a plan for the Braves to become trade deadline buyers over the next two weeks… or possibly going into the off-season… to build the club with sufficient assets to make Atlanta a contender the moment we all set foot in SunTrust Park next April.

Sure:  this is farfetched.  It probably has very little to do with Coppy’s plans.  But in the absence of any real news (yet), just walk this path with me and let’s see where it leads, for there are rational reasons to try this.

Next: Trade 1 - Pitching and Hitting

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