Atlanta Braves Podcast S2E1: reactions to the Lindor trade

The Atlanta Braves would never “respond” to such a deal… but they should.

The first blockbuster trade deal of the new year is now on the board — the Mets have one-upped the Atlanta Braves in one decisive move by grabbing Francisco Lindor and Carlos “Cooke” Carrasco from Cleveland.

As we’ve discussed, the Mets now have a “Big 3” to anchor their rotation and a marquee name to help them both at the plate and in the field.  It now vaults them up near (or at) the top of NL East projections…

… depending on what the Atlanta Braves choose to do in response.  And yes:  a response is needed.

Now sure:  you can argue that the Braves had some additional work to do anyway, and that’s certainly true.  Left field is up for grabs, a backup catcher is essential, and there’s probably a couple of bullpen seats still open. along with a bench bat or two.

Yep… all of that and it’s already January 9th.

But merely filling those holes isn’t enough.  Right now, the elite of the National League can be counted on one hand:  it’s the Dodgers, Padres, Mets, and Braves… and there’s a reasonable argument to be made that the Braves are third or fourth in this list.

So what’s it gonna be?  Who could be that big name — the “Fred McGriff Deal” — that Atlanta could go get to keep pace?

• Marcell Ozuna.  The belief here is that if the NL Designated Hitter is adopted for 2021, then he is the Braves’ preference.  But that’s a big “if”.
• Kris Bryant.  Mark Bowman tells us that this just won’t happen.
• Nolan Arenado.  Far too expensive unless the Rockies get serious — and there’s truly been no “buzz” whatsoever about any such deal… to any team.
• Michael Brantley.  Might be a viable backup option, but here’s another player who could benefit from having a DH position available in the NL.
• Yasiel Puig.  Maybe as a bench bat, but likely not an everyday option.
• Jose Ramirez.  Given Cleveland’s fire sale, you might think so, but since he’s cheap and cost-controlled, the Indians have every right to demand a small fortune for him.

But there might be a crazy wild card as an option… though for now I’ll simply tease that and defer that topic for another day to come soon.

Here’s that podcast, then, and you can do a direct download from this link to listen later at your leisure as well.

Thanks for listening — we appreciate every attempt you make to see/hear the words we have to say about Atlanta Braves baseball on this site.

So for now… the Mets have made their move.  Let’s see what the Braves can do to keep up!