Atlanta Braves offseason ahead according to Alex Anthopoulos
The Atlanta Braves are looking for a top of the rotation starter, but the market’s pretty thin and prices are going up. That kind of market calls for strategic thinking, something Alex Anthopoulos does well.
In a busy trading/signing week, the Atlanta Braves made little news. Others did, so let’s start with a quick recap of the action so far.
Last Friday the Nationals added Yan Gomes from the Indians for a double-A outfielder, a relief pitcher of sorts, and the ubiquitous PTBNL.
After a weekend of “will they – won’t they,” Monday saw the Mets and Mariners finally consummate their deal with a news conference introducing Robinson Cano and Edwin Rodriguez.
Not to be outdone by an ex-agent, Mike Rizzo added Patrick Corbin to Max Scherzer and Steven Strasburg creating one of MLB’s best rotations since the Phillies could send Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee out on consecutive nights.
Later that day the Mets new GM suggested they were looking at A.J. Pollock. Tuesday reporters asked, “how will the Braves respond?” Yesterday the Atlanta Braves GM gave a few hints.
Atlanta Braves plans according to the GM
Anthopoulos told reporters that the signing of Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann took a bite out of this year’s projected spending.
“We spent a good chunk of our offseason dollars on Donaldson and McCann, and we still have money to work with, but we have to be a little more selective now because we made those moves . . .”
Adding McCann’s name to that sentence borders on laughable; most one year $2M deals go unnoticed. The GM probably regrets saying that though he’ll never admit it. No one believes the McCann signing seriously damaged spending limits and O’Brien said as much. So let’s call this limiting expectation and move on.
The GM says Donaldson may bat second, not fourth. The Jays used Donaldson in the two-hole in 2015. He responded with a .297/.371/.568/.939 line, 154 wRC+, a .398 wOBA and 8.7 fWAR.
“If we end up starting off the game with Acuña, Donaldson and Freeman, the guy on the other side is not feeling good. But Snit will make that decision.”
Snitker might make the official decision, but the GM saying it publicly should tell you how he feels about it. It could also indicate the focus of the corner outfield search.
That also makes find a true cleanup hitter important; I really don’t want to see McCann and Tyler Flowers floundering in that spot.
The search for missing pieces
Anthopoulos sings the same song all the time, aren’t close on anything. They made a serious run at Diaz but Seattle wanted multiple starters, and the Braves walked away. They called back about Mitch Haniger, but Gabe Burns, writing for the AJC, reported that Seattle wasn’t interested.
The Diamondbacks said thanks but no thanks when asked about David Peralta, and Michael Brantley’s wants three years and $60M. I like Brantley – not that much, but I do like him. At that price, I prefer Andrew McCutchen. According to O’Brien in the Athletic, team Anthopoulos remains in the outfield market, but not at the Brantley price.
Starting pitching is expensive – who knew? The Reds are hard in on Keuchel and Pollock, that should be fun.
The Indians extended Carlos Carrasco, and would rather trade Trevor Bauer who upset the word when he told the truth about excess values, then got in a Twitter war trying to explain what he meant people who didn’t want to understand what he said.
Burns piece suggests the Braves see Bauer as a clubhouse problem. He reminds me of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, he’s smart but never majored in diplomacy.
Nate Eovaldi agreed to a deal to return to the Red Sox – no surprise there – so the pitching market is thinning rapidly.
Summing up everything said by Burns and O’Brien is pretty simple. They see things they like, but the ask is too high no matter if it’s money or prospects. Teams seem to think if they wait long enough, they can squeeze prospects from Atlanta. As an old state trooper friend used to say, “That answer just won’t work son; try again.”
Atlanta Braves Payroll
The Atlanta Braves made a point of telling everyone that Liberty Media had no say at all in payroll issues. As I’ve noted here on many occasions, Terry McGuirk makes the final payroll decision based on input from his baseball brain trust and income projections for the year.
O’Brien suggests $135M as an upper limit. His numbers suggest about $20M left to spend; more if they can move Teheran.
They seem unlikely to spend big on the bullpen; the GM told O’Brien the Braves would “probably” piece it together as they did last year. If they bring in a closer, they want a proven closer. Applying the GM’s previously stated wants of control and relatively low-cost, Kirby Yates fits the description as does Will Smith and maybe one or two others.
A starter will come via trade and if possible, their corner outfielder as well.
Pacifying the masses
The Atlanta Braves say they aren’t close to a deal – of course not. By the time we find out they’re close, the deal is done. What I read and heard today seemed like a team lowering fan expectations.
Nick Markakis’s name surfaced in questioning because, I suppose, reporters see no outfielder signing and wonder if the Braves are prepared to settle for leftovers. Carlos Gonzalez popped up as well. He left his best days in Denver on both sides of the ball.
This afternoon Mark Bowman told fans that the Atlanta Braves might solve their closer issues from within. This sounded like last year’s postseason when A.J. Minter and a returning Arodys Vizcaino were the answer while confirming that Chad Sobotka wasn’t ready for the role.
Under the radar – a rumor on its way to you
Here’s a rumor you’ll hear today or tomorrow, maybe from Jon Heyman or Nick Cafardo. The Atlanta Braves have Marcus Stroman (and or Aaron Sanchez) in their sights/on their wish list, etc.
The genesis of the soon to be rumor comes from a post by Shi Davidi on Sportsnet Canada where Jay’s GM Ross Atkins discusses the potential of a trade for one or both of their young starters. Both are free agents after 2020, and both arrived courtesy of our GM.
Aaron Sanchez & Marcus Stroman are both drawing trade interest per Atkins. “I think there’s a lot of teams that would love to have either guy.” Possible that rival teams could realistically tempt #BlueJays with an offer? “Yes. Absolutely.”
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) December 5, 2018
Both pitchers had rough seasons but picked things up towards the end. Toronto isn’t actively shopping either pitcher, but Atkins did nothing to discourage phone calls. So, are they available?
“That’s a great question. . . “First, (it’s) having a process . . .being systematic and collaborative . . . weighing objective, subjective, medical, all the information you have. But, . . . not with Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez alone, you’re constantly understanding how the industry values players that you have and that are comparable. We’ll continue to do both of those things simultaneously.”
Eh? That’s a lot of words amounting to nothing. Davidi called it a “lack of commitment in Atkins” reply.
When asked directly if “he could envision . . . offer that would really make him think of trading Stroman and Sanchez” Atkins replied:
“Absolutely. . .”
He could have said that in the first place.
Anthopoulos brought them to Toronto, so someone will surely say he’s going to bring one of them to Atlanta.
That’s a wrap
. . . It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
– Macbeth, Act 5 scene 2
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Though I would never call Anthopoulos an idiot, much of the press briefing rehashed what we knew and confirmed what we expected. The Atlanta Braves did their due diligence and when they felt an unfamiliar hand on their checkbook, went home.
I don’t believe for one instant Anthopoulos won’t be making a big deal after the meetings. For instance, the Dodgers look like a lovely landing spot for Bryce Harper. His arrival intensifies a growing outfield logjam.
They’ve already tried to move Yasiel Puig unsuccessfully but could consider moving Joc Pederson to make space if no one bites on Puig. Whatever happens, teams adding players must adjust rosters, and good players become available.
dark. Next. By the 15th we should know. . .
Anthopoulos wants the dust to settle before he makes his move. That’s when unexpected bargains show up.