Atlanta Braves mailbag: Fans ask about the bench and other moves

What are other moves might the Atlanta Braves make?

Trey wrote in, asking what else might be on the GM’s agenda after Donaldson signs.

And Jdawg asks what Donaldson’s indecision is holding up.

Everything that happens after Josh Donaldson signs depends on where he signs. As Jdawg says, rumors suggest that the Pirates aren’t trying hard to move Starling Marte because they have designs on William Contreras and one of the young pitchers.

The same might be true of other teams who have players that may fit the Atlanta Braves needs but want a clear picture which needs still exist after Donaldson signs, wherever he signs.

If Donaldson signs back in Atlanta, I’d start by trying to add Marte. He fits the Braves’ current and future needs well, and his contract is team-friendly. However, as noted in my arbitration post linked above, adding Donaldson at $23M takes the Braves’ payroll over $150M. Marte would mean clearing the 160 level, and that’s not in the cards.

Any addition after Donaldson would require trading payroll as well, and the only everyday players contracts of significant size are Duvall’s $3.2M  – he becomes excess if Marte or another right-hand hitting outfielder is signed – or Ender Inciarte’s $7M.  It’s conceivable that the Braves could include one or the other in a trade for Marte.

We’ve discussed alternatives if Donaldson signs elsewhere to death. If that happens, the question becomes, how does the GM replace that production; who hits fourth behind Freeman?

In theory, deals bringing Kyle Seager and Marte are possible and might produce better results in the long-term by making the lineup deeper without blocking Austin Riley. Seager’s a perennial 20+ homer bat playing in AL West with pitcher-friendly ballparks including his home field, Safeco, Oakland, and Anaheim.

I believe Alex Anthopoulos would prefer to add another starter, but that could happen at the deadline as well.

That’s a wrap

That’s the mailbag for this week. There are 30 days or so before pitchers and catchers report, and the Atlanta Braves seem frozen, unable to act, even if they want to, without movement from Donaldson.

Pitchers and catchers report in 30 days. It’s time for this staredown to end. It’s annoying, and at this point, even the winners lose.