Atlanta Braves hold an extended #AskCoppy session
The Team
THE BULLPEN – Any plans to improve the bullpen? Seems like we’d be over .500 if they were better.
You're right. We have had a lot of close losses. We are looking to improve the bullpen. Ideally those answers come from our farm system. https://t.co/xPclPeQBn0
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 19, 2017
TRANSLATION: A.J. Minter, Mauricio Cabrera, perhaps some others. Right now – as you can easily see from Washington – bullpens around the league are struggling with a vast divide between good pens (Indians: 1.85 ERA!!) and bad ones (Nats, Mariners: 5.44).
Currently, the Braves relievers sport a 4.38 ERA… just 20th best, but they’ve clearly had their ‘moments’ despite being very good lately.
My conclusion from this? Good relief pitchers are going to be a hot commodity at the July trade deadline.
ABOUT THE CURRENT TEAM – Do you not have any money to spend or [do you] prefer not being good?
Ouch… but the answer is forthright… and perhaps a little surprising:
We have money to spend. Need to be smart about how we spend it, for both short- and long-term ramifications. https://t.co/sEgYhvQMJM
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 19, 2017
REACTION: This will be another reason to pay close attention this Summer… and into the off-season.
I had personally been operating under the belief that the bench upgrades were not coming simply because the payroll budget was tight – perhaps even overspent. Here Coppy says that this is not the case, and perhaps he has been withholding some funds for targeted purposes.
ALSO: While Chase d’Arnaud was DFA’d from Boston today, Coppy specifically said that he won’t be putting in a waiver claim for the former Brave… though would not rule out a minor league deal if he clears waivers and remains available.