There will be pressure on the Atlanta Braves Front Office to figure out how to deliver a better result in 2020 than they saw in 2019… but any rumors involving these players should scare them away.
“Well hello, boys and girls! What do we have for you tonight?” That might be an October 31st greeting your kids might receive as they ring neighborhood doorbells, but those dressed in Atlanta Braves garb might want to check their bags carefully.
Alex Anthopoulos did an admirable job of collecting treats and avoiding tricks this Summer in assembling an improved roster – all the way up until the September 1st post-season roster eligibility deadline, but every year is different and there are lots of possible rotten apples littering the path.
The Braves will need catching… at least one catcher and maybe two, depending on how they wish to proceed with Tyler Flowers.
They will almost certainly need a frontline starting pitcher.
Outfield? That has the potential to be optional. Nick Markakis could be called upon for one last rodeo while Adam Duvall, Ender Inciarte, and some kid named Acuna might be sufficient.
3rd base? Yeah – There’s a scary concern.
So there’s big production needs at 2 positions (3rd and the mound) that will be costly, plus another position (catcher) that could be a high-dollar item as well.
Beware… your financial flexibility could vanish faster than a magician’s assistant if you aren’t careful.
So with that… here are five names to avoid along with the Candy Corn, the re-wrapped ‘goodies’ in your children’s bags and the seasonal movies that are featured on the ‘off’ cable channels at this time of the year.
Be careful out there!