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Atlanta Braves off-season preview

By James Kunkle

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and Bryce Harper #34 shake hands during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Nationals Park on July 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and Bryce Harper #34 shake hands during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Nationals Park on July 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – MAY 13: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a double in the first inning during MLB game action against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on May 13, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MAY 13: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a double in the first inning during MLB game action against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre on May 13, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

High-Hopper to Third

First Base, Second Base, and Shortstop are all accounted for.

Third Base may very well be as well by either continuing to use Camargo and or giving the spot to Austin Riley if the Braves feel he is ready. That doesn’t mean the Braves can’t or won’t look at potential upgrades.

The Braves could dive into the market for Josh Donaldson or Manny Machado. Let’s get to Machado first. Whichever team signs Machado will be paying him a lot of money for many years (barring a trade or opt outs) For that reason alone, I don’t see the Braves getting into a major bidding war over his services.

Lastly on Machado, his recent comments did not do him any favors; however, at the end of the day some team will salivate for his talent and pay him a ton of money.

Next up is Josh Donaldson. The truth is I don’t know if anyone really knows what kind of contract Donaldson is going to end up with this off-season. We all know he has tons of talent and can be a game changer, but his health is now a real concern.

Obviously his past relationship with General Manager Alex Anthopoulos could come into play. If Donaldson would be willing to take a shorter higher annual salary deal, I could see the Braves trying to acquire his services. At his age (nearly 33) though, I don’t think the Braves would want to give him a 3-or-more year deal.

Depth is Vital

Let’s don’t forget the Bench though. I could easily see the Braves going into Free Agency trying to get a couple bench options. Some players they could look into include

  • Mark Reynolds– The Braves claimed Reynolds off waivers in August. I could see them being interested as he could be the backup first baseman and a DH option
  • Jordy Mercer– A better version of Ryan Flaherty is always useful from the bench
  • Neil Walker– Never bad to have power off the bench. Could play Second or Third
  • Daniel Descalso– Versatility is a welcome thing. Descalso is entering Free Agency coming off his two best years in the bigs.
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