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The passage of some time combined with an off-day makes this a good time to discuss a couple of eyebrow-raising comments from Mark Bowman’s mailbag.
Maybe it was because it was April Fools Day. Maybe it’s because MLB.com’s Mark Bowman like to prank people on just about any day of the year. Or maybe he’s caught wind of some ideas that the Atlanta Braves are hatching and he used forum his reader mailbag forum to discuss the issue.
What it may have been, there was definitely something worth reading twice from his April 1 column about Luiz Gohara and a 2020 rotation projection.
That was the question: somebody wanted his take on the Braves’ rotation for that season. Here’s two portions of his answer:
"At some point within the next calendar year, I anticipate the Braves to utilize some of their organizational pitching depth to acquire a proven frontline starting pitcher who is under team control for a few seasons. The Tigers’ Michael Fulmer was on Atlanta’s radar this past winter, but he is just one of a few targets Atlanta could pursue."
…
"While Luiz Gohara has tremendous potential, I think there is a strong possibility the Braves will try to sell high on him when given a chance over the course of the next year."
Bowman also went on to suggest that Sean Newcomb could also be a trade chip, but that was phrased in more of a speculative fashion.
Let’s take these other items in succession, though: