House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: that escalated quickly

By Alan Carpenter

DETROIT, MI - JULY 05: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI single in the first inning in front of catcher James McCann #34 of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 5th 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JULY 05: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI single in the first inning in front of catcher James McCann #34 of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 5th 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
ATLANTA, GA – JULY 29: Sean Newcomb #15 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Ender Inciarte #11 as teammates line up to greet Newcomb after throwing a one-hit game through 8 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at SunTrust Park on July 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Now What’s Next?

FOR THE REST OF THE OFF-SEASON

  • Catching pursuits are almost certainly done for the time being, save for my notes on the prior page.
  • Additional bench upgrades are also not of any concern as a late pickup or Spring Non-Roster invitee could be added at any point from here.
  • No prospects were harmed in the acquisition of these free agent players on Monday.  So all trade chips are still on the table.
  • Now it’s just (a) corner outfielder; (b) pitching.  The chance of acquiring a frontline ‘ace’ starter has now improved.  The chance of acquiring a premium reliever has improved.
  • Payroll.  Since Boggie (Braves Options Guy) bothered to do the math already, I decided to avoid the additional effort.  Thanks buddy.
  • Now that’s $104 million obligated with Julio Teheran and Darren O’Day still on the roster.  They might stay, too, but if there’s any place to save a few bucks ($20 million combined), those are the spots… if there’s a taker.
  • I still believe there’s room for at least a $130 million payroll… so there’s space for a quality corner OF and more.  Alex Anthopoulos has given himself a lot of flexibility going forward.
  • It’s quite reasonable to project firepower from this new Braves lineup that hasn’t been seen for a while.
    • In 2003, the Braves hit 235 homers and averaged .284 as a team.
    • 2006 and 1998 both had clubs over 200 homers.
    • Heck, the 2018 team hit 175 … without a full year of Acuña or a power 3B bat.
    • Donaldson could realistically hit 35, Freeman 30, Acuna 35, Albies 15, ‘McFlowers’ 15, Swanson/Camargo/Inciarte 10 apiece… there’s 160 without including the next RF or making unrealistic guesses.

More from Tomahawk Take

There will undoubtedly be more thoughts on this week’s events (and please: chime in with your own via the comments section), but overall, there seem to be few downsides and a lot of upside potential.  The Braves got the big RH bat they needed.

But now they might only be another player or two from being ‘all in’.  That’s the most interesting part of today’s moves.

If they want an additional LH bat for the outfield, then Michael Brantley would seem to be a logical fit.

He would essentially be the next Markakis, though with durability questions that could lead you in a different direction if there’s any concerns about Donaldson’s health at all… you wouldn’t want two question marks on the roster.

Next. Was this all part of a grand plan?. dark

But we have a lot of time to speculate about the next move… right?

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