Atlanta Braves Continuing to Check on Infielders
Trevor Plouffe
All right – back to the Boston Globe for this one as well: let’s see what he said this time:
"9. Trevor Plouffe, 3B, free agent — Plouffe’s career with the Twins went poof. He was released and now is an intriguing extra piece for a team that might be looking for a bargain and the potential for a high return. The Red Sox kicked the tires as a backup for Pablo Sandoval but may not have room on their roster. The Braves also expressed interest, and the Royals as well, if they’re thinking about moving Mike Moustakas."
Okay! This one actually comes out and states that the Atlanta Braves have positively expressed an interest. I honestly don’t know about the Royals, because the back end of that sentence is worded a little funny, but the Royals are not our concern here.
Plouffe is now 30 years old – 31 next June – and since breaking into the majors in 2010, he’s been a fairly average-ish player. In those 7 seasons,
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Righty-hitting third baseman, Plouffe has played the equivalent of 4.5 full 162-game seasons over those 7 years (22 games as a late call-up in 2010) and has been worth 5.2 fWAR with slightly below-average offensive and defensive metrics, including a 98 career wRC+, .247 average, and .728 OPS.
As a first-time free agent (though non-tendered to get here), Plouffe is probably thinking about teams with more full-time needs and the Braves are thinking more along the lines of ‘bench bat’ and ‘extra infielder.’
Some (including Cafardo) have suggested the Royals as a replacement if they trade Moustakas.
Moose himself would definitely be a better fit for Atlanta as he’s a lefty-hitter to balance Garcia’s RHH, a better defender than Plouffe, and he’s better on offense as well, though KC would argue for decent trade value in return. Plouffe would be a lot cheaper – costing ‘only’ cash.
Still, other than expressing ‘interest’ in Plouffe, there’s no word at all about how serious Atlanta might be.
Next: What Did the Braves Get in Jackson?
Regardless of the full story, this makes a third infielder that the Braves have been linked to this off-season. Some – like Dozier and Phillips – would definitely be starter candidates. Plouffe is less so, though clearly could compete for the role – much like Gordon Beckham did in 2016.
So as surmised before, the searches continue – and they continue in the infield, which certainly appears to be a consistent target for Coppy & Co.