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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Baseball’s Unfortunate Trend

By Alan Carpenter

Sep 27, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a two run single against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cubs won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a two run single against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cubs won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and second baseman Jace Peterson (8) and shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) pose for a photo after a game against the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Tigers 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and second baseman Jace Peterson (8) and shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) pose for a photo after a game against the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Tigers 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

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So now let’s look at our Atlanta Braves.  Do we truly expect any of the current crop to stick around for all of their playing days?

The John Trust (Schuerholz, Hart, and Coppolella) have collectively spoken of creating a “pipeline” of talent that would be continually filled with quality prospects that would be brought to the majors.

Unfortunately, pipes have two ends to them… one for inflow, the other for outflow.

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Currently, the timing looks like this for certain members of this team:

That’s quite a bit of serious turnover that might be happening in the 2020-2022 time period.

Quotes are on record:  Freeman would like to be a Brave for life and Coppolella has gone out of his way to not trade him during the rebuild.  Those are words, but not actions.

The Braves are building a habit… a reputation, even… of keeping players for their best and most productive years and then letting them go… sometimes even sooner.  McCann, Heyward, etc.

Freeman will undoubtedly be one of those interesting choices to deal with when 2019 or 2020 comes around. Given his hitting and his position, he could be one that can maintain his production deep into his 30’s.  He would be a good candidate.

Meanwhile, could Swanson be the next one to get “the offer” – could he get one of those ‘Longoria-esque’ extensions?  As with the Rays and Longoria, the risks are large.

Money Overcomes Risk… if you have it

For mid-market teams – where Atlanta seems to be stuck financially – it’s hard to justify keeping even 2 of your best players for their entire careers.  Hopefully SunTrust Park and Battery Atlanta can help with that.

Most teams seem to be focusing on just one premium player at a time… and even that’s hard to do since it isn’t exclusively their choice in the matter.

That’s truly unfortunate for fans who really want to embrace ‘their guys’ for life.  Life is about change… though there’s a definite comfort level that comes with stability and consistency.  Such helps us root for the player and the team.  We want our stars to stay lit – shining brightly for a long time.

Next: The Front Four... and ?

In the end, it comes down to the need for mutual agreements:  the team and a star player wanted to make it work together.

I think I know where the fans are on this.

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