House That Hank Built
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Atlanta Braves Shouldn’t Feel Pressure to Counter NL East Moves

By Jake Mastroianni

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: General manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager Brian Snitker #43 of the Atlanta Braves talk during batting practice prior to Game One of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: General manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager Brian Snitker #43 of the Atlanta Braves talk during batting practice prior to Game One of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 4, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 26: Kyle Wright #73 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after giving up a solo home run to Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets in the eighth inning on September 26, 2018 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Not a Flash in the Pan

Yes, the Atlanta Braves probably made the playoffs ahead of schedule in 2018, and that’s something the front office has to consider when building the team for 2019.

This was most likely the season many thought the Braves would compete for a playoff spot. But instead, I’m already seeing a lot of predictions for the Braves to reach the NLCS this year.

While I certainly love my Braves and want to see that happen this year, we still need to pump the brakes with our expectations.

Anthopoulos still needs to take a slow approach when thinking about the future of this club. And I think he’s already shown that by signing Donaldson to a one-year deal.

More from Tomahawk Take

This rebuild that we went through (for what felt like forever) can’t come down to just the 2019 season. I want to get back to a place where the Braves are fighting to be in the postseason for a decade or more.

The Braves have a lot of young talent already at the big league level and more to come. Not all of them will pan out, but odds are some of them will. And eventually, those players will need to get paid.

We cannot get caught up this offseason in a battle of free agents. If we start giving six or seven-year deals to players like Corbin, it could handcuff the future of this team.

I would much rather that money be invested in extending some of our young players to make sure we have them through their peak seasons.

Next. Atlanta Braves free agent profile: David Robertson. dark

I still think AA will make some big moves this offseason, but it won’t be in reaction to what the rest of the division is doing. They will be moves that help this team win in 2019 and beyond.

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