Atlanta Braves: Offseason grades for every signing
With pitchers and catchers having already reported to Spring Training, let’s take a look back at what the Atlanta Braves did this offseason and determine if it was a success.
The moves that were made by the Atlanta Braves in the offseason were a mixed bag of brilliance and reliance that ultimately led to a decent but not great grade.
Addressing the bullpen was the primary need for the Braves over the winter and they certainly addressed that adding over $50 million to Will Smith, Chris Martin, and Darren O’Day.
Maintaining or adding a middle of the order bat to protect Freddie Freeman was a lesser, yet important need and the jury is still out on this one.
Josh Donaldson signed with the Twins, which left the Braves scrambling to find a thumper in the cleanup spot. They added Marcell Ozuna on a one-year deal to replace Donaldson and it is too be determined how this will play out.
With the emergence of Mike Soroka and Max Fried and counting on a full healthy season of Mike Foltynewicz, the rotation wasn’t as glaring a need as the other two, but the Braves did want a veteran stabilizer and they thought they got that with the signing of Cole Hamels.
But now Hamels is out three weeks and likely won’t make his debut until late April, per Mark Bowman.
Figuring out who is going to play third base, as well as who fills out the remaining spots in the rotation, are the only glaring question marks as the season gets closer.
Let’s take a look at the individual moves the Braves made over the winter and hand out grades.
Bullpen Grades
Arodys Vizcaino and A.J. Minter were the backend of the bullpen this time last year, so, yeah; the grade for the bullpen upgrades/returnees is fairly high.
Will Smith signed a 3-year, $40 million dollar deal with the Braves early in the hot stove season, which instantly gave the Braves the star closer they have lacked since Craig Kimbrel was traded five years ago; although, the Braves are saying Mark Melancon will start the year as the team’s closer. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Smith had 34 saves with a 2.76 ERA last season for the Giants, while making his first All-Star team. He struck out 13 batters per nine innings and made 63 appearances.
Will Smith grade: A+
When the Braves traded for Chris Martin at last year’s trade deadline, it was one of the more underrated moves of the summer.
Martin had a 3.08 ERA in 38 innings with the Rangers before being dealt to Atlanta. In 20 appearances for the Braves, he had a 4.08 ERA. And of course, his injury in the NLDS played a huge part in the Braves not advancing to the NCLS.
He signed a 2-year, $14 million deal this offseason.
Chris Martin grade: A
Darren O’Day spent most of last season on the injured list before making his debut in September.
In eight appearances, O’Day had an ERA of 1.69 and a 0.765 WHIP.
The Braves lengthened their bullpen even more by signing O’Day, which now gives them so many options in the later innings.
Darren O’Day grade: A-
The offense
The further the offseason went, the more and more likely it seemed that Josh Donaldson would resign with the Braves.
But that wasn’t a case, so it left the Braves scrambling to find a power bat for the middle of their lineup.
Marcell Ozuna hit 29 home runs for the Cardinals last season, and let us not forget his 1.135 OPS in the NLDS against the Braves.
But now he is Freddie Freeman’s protection and those awful memories of last October can be a thing of the past.
If Ozuna can indeed hit 30-ish home runs again, while also playing okay defense, then this move is a win, because it’s just a one-year deal.
Marcell Ozuna grade: B
The Braves have two promising catchers on the way in prospects Shea Langeliers and William Contreras, but those two are still at least a year away, so the Braves needed to find someone to pair with Tyler Flowers.
There were maybe one or two better options on the free-agent market, but the Braves were hard-pressed to do much better than Travis d’Arnaud.
He obviously needs to stay healthy, but if he can, d’Arnaud has some decent thump in his bat as he hit 16 home runs in 103 games last season.
Back to the health — in his seven-year career, the most games d’Arnaud has played is 112 and he missed nearly the entire 2018 season.
Travis d’Arnaud grade: B+
What would a Braves offseason recap be without talking about Nick Markakis, who was brought back on a 1-year, $4 million dollar deal.
Before the Ozuna signing, Markakis was going to platoon in left field with Adam Duvall, but now he appears destined to a pinch-hit role, as well as a leader on the bench.
Nick Markakis grade: Originally: C After the Ozuna signing: B+
Starting Rotation
The rotation was never a huge need for the Braves over the winter, but they always were on the lookout for a veteran who could fill out the No. 4 or No. 5 spot.
It seemed like Cole Hamels was going to be a perfect guy for that, as he was 6-3 with a 2.98 ERA before he hurt his oblique in late June.
But it took just one day of Spring Training for Hamels to get bit by the injury bug. He will be shelved for three weeks while recovering from shoulder discomfort.
Related Story. That didn't take long. light
At this point, late April looks like the approximate time when Hamels will make his debut.
Cole Hamels grade: Initially: B, Currently: Incomplete
Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos also seems to bring in guys who could be bounceback guys, like Anibal Sanchez two years ago.
This year it’s former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez, who signed a minor-league contract with the intention of competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation with youngsters Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson.
From 2009-2016, Hernandez went 115-73 with a 2.92 ERA, but since has gone 15-27 with a 5.42 ERA, while dealing with various injuries.
If the Braves can get anything from Hernandez, whether that’s a month or six months, it’s a win. And with Hamels out for the first month of the season, Hernandez might be counted more than originally thought.
At the very least, he brings a load of experience to the young guys and will be a great clubhouse presence during spring training.
Felix Hernandez grade: B-
Next. PECOTA, pecata. dark
As you can see, this was a really good offseason for Alex Anthopoulos. He may not have made the big move we all were hoping for, but he made several really good moves to build a World Series contending team in 2020.