2 reasons Atlanta Braves should trade for Kris Bryant
Now that Kris Bryant has lost his grievance, will the Atlanta Braves look into acquiring the former MVP?
Throughout the offseason, the Atlanta Braves have been mentioned as one of the teams who could look into acquiring Kris Bryant from the Chicago Cubs.
Bryant, who won the NL MVP in 2016, hit 31 home runs and had 77 RBI last season, while also playing a well below-average third base (-7 DRS, -1.4 UZR).
Much of the holdup, however, was how many years of control Bryant would have on his contract. If Bryant won his grievance against the Cubs, he would have just a year left before free agency. He lost, so he still has two years of team control.
It was reported Tuesday that Bryant lost that grievance, which more than likely signals the end of his time in Chicago—whether that be before the season or in July.
The Cubs have not been particularly active this offseason, mainly due to wanting to cut payroll and Bryant’s name has been at the forefront of those who could be moved.
At this point, the Braves options at third base are Johan Camargo and Austin Riley, so Bryant would definitely be an upgrade. More on that later…
Even though the Braves signed Marcell Ozuna to be the power bat in their lineup, there is still a way for them to acquire Bryant and his $18 million dollar contract.
It would obviously involve cutting money, either via trade or non-tenders, but the Braves could easily find $18 million.
In the following slides, there are two significant reasons why the Braves should be aggressive in trying to trade for Bryant, who would firmly cement the Braves as a World Series contender.
Win-Now Mode
Freddie Freeman spoke very candidly at Chop Fest (paywall) about the pain he and the Braves felt when watching the Nationals get to and win the World Series.
He mentioned that the “hunger is real” for the Braves to bring a championship to Atlanta for the first time in 25 years.
Trading for Kris Bryant would help this significantly.
Consider this: Bryant has been a three-win player four times in his career and a SIX-win player three times.
In comparison, Camargo was a three-win player in 2018 and nothing else. Riley, though full of potential, was a 0.1-win player last year.
But potential means nothing right now. It needs to be all about production.
Earlier in the week, I conducted a fun exercise about what the Braves would look like if they held on to all of their prospects and they all panned out, which is unrealistic.
The more realistic approach is to trade prospects now before they pan out or not.
So what would a trade package look like for Bryant? That’s a difficult question to answer because the Cubs’ dreams will have a hard time becoming reality.
It was reported by NBC Sports Chicago in late December that the Cubs would want three of the following: Drew Waters, Ian Anderson, Austin Riley, and Kyle Wright.
Those are some lofty dreams, huh?
According to Baseball Trade Values, Bryant has a value of 38.
Here are the values of the players the Cubs are reportedly interested in: Waters (50.6), Anderson (35.6), Riley (34.2), and Wright (21).
So one of those players would assuredly be the headliner, but asking for three is insane.
A fair and maybe even minor overpay trade proposal would look like this:
By moving Inciarte, the Braves free up $7.7 million. They could then non-tender Shane Greene and Adam Duvall and save an additional $10-ish million.
There’s $18 million.
With the addition of Bryant to the lineup, it would lengthen an already potent offensive attack.
CF-Acuna
2B-Albies
1B-Freeman
3B-Bryant
LF-Ozuna
C-D’Arnuad
SS-Swanson
RF-Markakis/Riley
L-O-A-D-E-D
Not Worth the Chance
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When a team is in the position the Braves are, they can’t take a chance with potential unknowns.
Look at the rest of the team—there are no other question marks. The rotation is set (perhaps the fifth spot is a question, but still), the bullpen is stacked, and seven other spots of the lineup are locked in.
The only position that is unsure is third base, where Johan Camargo and Austin Riley are expected to compete in the spring for the job.
It seems irresponsible to throw Camargo out there, who struggled mightily in 2018 for a variety of reasons. Or Riley, who has unlimited power, but has not proven he is capable of making adjustments.
Camargo was supposed to be the super-utility guy for the Braves last season, but he came into camp overweight and was subsequently demoted to Triple-A.
Before his demotion, Camargo hit .222 with just 16 extra-base hits in 221 at-bats. Camargo’s defense even suffered, as his defensive WAR was -0.3.
It has been well known how impressive Riley was when he came up in early May, but then dramatically tailed off once the league began to figure him out.
Bryant is a sure thing. The Braves would not have to wonder if he will bounce back or if he will make adjustments — they know they will get production.
Next. Time to take off the kid gloves. dark
It makes all the sense in the world for the Braves to make this deal happen. Not let’s see if Alex Anthopoulos can actually get it done.