Other needs
Based on the numbers we reviewed in the previous slide, we are going to give Alex Anthopoulos about $14 million to play with in this scenario.
Needs: 3B, OF, middle-order bat
Hypothetical Budget: $150 million
Current Payroll Estimate: $136 million
Fake Money to Spend: $14 million
Notes: Mets suck!
Outfield
Depending on how much we spend at third, the outfield could stay the same. That means if we pay up for third along with the $18 million we just handed over to Hamels, we are sticking with what we have in the outfield.
I know some of you are not excited about this prospect, but please give the article below a read for insightful statistics that I have generously provided for you.
Pitching
The Hamels signing still leaves a void at the fifth spot as my assumption is Sean Newcomb will provide long-relief and a much needed left-handed arm to the bullpen.
Here’s a look at three in-house candidates to round out the rotation in this scenario.
Kyle Wright entered the 2019 season as the #30 prospect according to MLB.com. He pitched in 19.2 innings with the big club last season and gave up four homers, 13 walks, and 19 earned runs.
Yes, that’s 13 walks and 19 earned runs in 19.2 innings. Luckily, he was much better over 112.1 innings in Triple-A with a 4.17 ERA.
Bryse Wilson was as awful as Wright last year in the Major Leagues. In 20 innings he gave up 10 walks and 16 earned runs. In 21 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett, he fared much better with a 3.42 ERA.
Ian Anderson is worth mentioning here, but he needs more seasoning. Anderson has only logged 24.2 innings in Triple-A thus far in his career.
His 130.1 innings in Double-A have left very good results. In that time, he has posted a 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 11.8 K/9.
If our mystery fifth starter struggles for the first couple of months of the season and Anderson continues to excel, the Braves may need to call him up.
Third Base
Currently, the Braves have Austin Riley and Johan Camargo manning the hot corner. Their goal is to NOT have them manning the hot corner.
We have tirelessly documented how bad these two were last season. We don’t need to beat a dead horse, that’s just morbid. Beat a dead cow, we eat cows, that makes it okay.
Hop in the Delorian and let’s take a look into how the Hamels signing has affected our future lineups.