Atlanta Braves Afternoon Chop: Golden… Together
MLB Rumor Central: Braves don’t intend to trade outfielders
Despite being in the midst of a rebuild, the Atlanta Braves aren’t looking to trade any of their veteran outfielders this offseason.
“We really like what Matt Kemp, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis did this year,” Braves GM John Coppolella told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We feel like we’ve got one of the best outfields in all of baseball, and we don’t want to break that outfield up. Now, if somebody offers something crazy, do you have to listen? Sure. But we’re not out there shopping guys.”
According to Coppolella, the team is focused on improving its starting pitching this offseason. O’Brien writes that the Braves are looking to add at least two starting pitchers on short-term deals.
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[ Ed. note: we had started to get a flavor of this as all three regular outfielders started to blossom offensively… and defensively, in at least one case… over the second half of the season.
Coppolella has essentially just made that impression official now. If all continues on the current trajectory, the Braves will head into Orlando with Kemp, Inciarte, Markakis, Mallex Smith, and perhaps Jeff Francoeur as their outfield contingent.
The good news is that this allows Coppy to focus entirely on his pursuit of improved starting pitching this Fall… and that’s good news ]