There are bargains to be had in free agency… you just have to know where to shop to get them.
The Atlanta Braves have a few things on the shopping list for this Winter, and it’s fair to say that newly minted GM Alex Anthopoulos has his hands full between jetting about the country, getting to know his Front Office personnel, and just the “life” bits of dealing with a family still out on the West Coast.
So in the interest of trying to assist him on this, the biggest shopping day of the year, we have some ideas that might help simplify the process… and the price.
Starting Pitching
- RHP Tyler Chatwood
- 3.48 Road ERA in 2017 with a 1.23 WHIP
- MLB Trade Rumors thinks 3 years, $20 million will do it
Right away, you’ll have to accept that bargains are bargains for a reason. You aren’t going to see the top-of-the-line laptop going for $300 today at Staples or Office Depot. There will be flaws, missing features, and cosmetic issues.
For Chatwood, that’s his injury history – never getting above 160 innings and having had two Tommy John pocedures. But when he’s ‘on’, he’s not that bad.. and he survived pitching in Denver.
Now it’s exactly for that reason that I wouldn’t offer him more than 2 years: perhaps 2 x $7.5/$15 million total.
Would that get it done? Hard to say… that third year will be the part that gives pause. If a third year option (with $1m buyout) gets it done, then that still qualifies as a possible bargain.
Other options:
- LHP Jaime Garcia… yep – a reunion tour for the southpaw: at an estimated price of 2 years and $16 million, that’s a far cry less than the $12 million he got in 2017. On a per-inning basis… that’s still a bargain.
- RHP Miles Mikolas. MLBTR put him at the bottom of their ‘top free agents‘ list, and he could be one of those break-out bargain guys that we talk about in June or July. Good call from that site.
Mikolas might be had for a couple of years at $10-12 million after spending 3 seasons in Japan refining his craft.
Relief Pitching
Maybe not so much of a bargain on these, but the Braves could use some better performance numbers from their bullpen… so this is a place to spend a bit more.
- Tommy Hunter. MLBTR not only suggests 2 years/$12 million for him, but that the Braves might be the right fit for him as well. He scored a nearly 5:1 K/BB ratio in 2017, and not giving bases away definitely a bullpen requirement.
- Pat Neshek. Another 2 year/$12 million suggested list price… and even better K/BB rates. Since he’s already 37, that second year might be sketchy… perhaps an option?
- Steve Cishek. Up a notch at 2 years, $14m, but given his closer experience, Cishek provides another end-of-game option should Vizzy falter (or be traded).
- Anthony Swarzak. Same estimated price as Cishek, but could handle ‘long man’ duty, which might be important for a team filled with young starters.
Third Base
Looking for some stop-gap options before Austin Riley gets ready to go? How about one of these… not named Frazier, Cozart, or Moustakas:
More from Tomahawk Take
- Atlanta Braves 2012 Prospect Review: Joey Terdoslavich
- Braves News: Braves sign Fuentes, Andruw’s HOF candidacy, more
- The Weakest Braves Homers Since 2015
- Atlanta Braves Sign Joshua Fuentes to Minor League Deal
- Braves News: New Year’s Eve comes with several questions about the 2023 Braves
- Yunel Escobar. Here’s another former Brave, though it’s been since 2010 since we’ve seen him behind a Tomahawk. Made $7 million last season, and at his age 35 season, 6-7 million more might be sufficient. Near league average defense and steady at the plate (.314, .304, and .274 in the last 3 years).
- Trevor Plouffe. His 2017 was a disaster at the plate… about 50 points below his career hitting. If you believe there’s a rebound in sight, a flyer contract for 1 year and $3 million will likely be enough to give him a shot.
- Brandon Phillips. He’ll be 37 in June, so it’s hard to imagine anything beyond about $5 million, but he can still hit a bit – plus he can pick it. Still, third base is essentially a new position for him. No my first choice, but he should be cheap.
Next: FanSided MLB Winter Meetings are Coming Monday
You can’t always get what you want, but at these prices, you might get enough of what you’re looking for anyway.