Atlanta Braves offseason review – Roster moves and needs
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves roster doesn’t require a lot of tweaking, but they’ll likely address a couple of things.
As Nick Markakis rides off into the sunset (please), the Atlanta Braves are left with starting outfielders, Acuña, Pache, and Duvall, with Inciarte and possibly Almonte as bench options.
The departure of Marcell Ozuna leaves a big hole in the lineup. At this point, we don’t know whether the DH will come to the NL next year or not. Steve Adams addressed this is in a recent MLBTR post.
There’s a widely held belief throughout the industry that even if the NL DH is stricken from the rulebook in 2021, it will be implemented as part of the 2021 collective bargaining talks. As such, the Braves or any other NL club might be willing to bet on using Ozuna in left field for a year and then moving him to DH in 2022 and beyond. . .
Adams didn’t speculate on Ozuna’s contract in that post, but rumors suggest he’ll get about $19M over four or more years. Would the Braves take that risk? The lineup needs more pop and better at-bats.
Call the maid.
Travis d’Arnaud did yeoman’s work in the four-hole this year, but the season wears catcher’s down; we saw TDA decline at the plate this season to prove it.
Unless they move Albies back to the two-slot and push Freeman and Ozuna down a notch, the club needs a cleanup hitter even if Ozuna returns. Moving Ozzie leaves a hole for a bat with power in the five or six-spot. Maybe that’s Duvall, but he’ll need a platoon partner.
Duvall’s 2019 return and postseason play made him a fan favorite, and his four homers in Boston were exciting, even though three of them came against relievers pitching well above their current skill set. His headlines gloss over the bottom line: Duvall is a platoon bat.
On the season, Duvall made 159 PA against RHP, batting .227/.299/.525/.824, hitting 13 homers and striking out 25.5% of the time. His line ranked 109th of 120 RHH with 80PA.
As the 2020 season matured, his struggles increased. In the last three weeks of the season, Duvall came to the plate 70 times against RHP, batting .183/.300/.483/783, with six homers, while his hard-hit rate dropped to 23%, 119th of 144 players with 40 PA.
The club has to find a platoon partner for Duvall. Potential answers include free agents like Joc Pederson or Michael Brantley or trading for a player like Eddie Rosario.