Many discussions have revolved around this particular subject, but as the 2021 season approaches, the Atlanta Braves need to decide if they’re still building up to something in the future or if they’re truly one big move away from winning it all.
Over the past few years, the Braves have shown that they are a formidable force within the NL East as well as in the National League as a whole after their performance in the 2020 season.
This Braves team was constructed to be competitive in the future, but were way ahead of schedule and are back to back to back division champions. But that is not enough!
It has seemed as if the Braves have always been one move away from possibly “doing something more” each of the past few seasons when it came to the playoffs.
The Man Calling the Shots for the Atlanta Braves
In his tenure as GM, Alex Anthopoulos has shown that his value of the prospects within the organization is very high and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But, at some point, these prospects need to play a role.
Anthopoulos has also shown that he is not very keen on signing free agents to multi-year contracts… unless those free agents happen to be bullpen arms (i.e. Will Smith).
This is in no way a complaint on how Anthopoulos runs things at the top as he has more positives than negatives when it has come to prospect control and free-agent signings. I only say this because I believe Anthopoulos can truly boost this team with a little more investment and a little less possession.
So what could be done?
Prospects
The Braves have had one of the best farm systems in baseball for the majority of the past decade and now have some of the most sought-after trade targets within that very system, but Anthopoulos has refused to give in to those deals (which I am thankful for a majority of the time).
There are, of course, a few names that I would not mind dealing prospects for: names such as Nolan Arenado, Jose Ramirez, and Kris Bryant… all of which may be available this season.
Do I believe every prospect will pan out? No, they cannot all pan out the way they were intended to in my personal opinion. As of now, the Braves’ most valuable prospect is either Drew Waters or Cristian Pache depending on who you ask.
In order for the Braves to acquire names like those listed above, guys like Waters will have to be one of the first to be put on the table for negotiations. Obviously, Waters would not be the only Braves player involved in a trade for either one of the players mentioned above.
Will it hurt to give up a guy like Waters? Maybe, but the Braves could receive a huge name in exchange. A huge name that, as of right now, they desperately need in this lineup.
Free Agents
When it comes to free agent signings, Anthopoulos has made it clear he loves the one year deals. Both Josh Donaldson and Marcell Ozuna paid off tremendously for the Braves, but left a lot of us fans wanting more (Also, let’s just not mention Cole Hamels).
Both Donaldson and Ozuna played their parts differently, but were signed for pretty much the same reason: Anthopoulos wanted a big bat in the lineup to protect Freddie Freeman.
As much as it somewhat makes sense financially to give a one-year deal rather than stay locked in on a player for multiple years, realistically the process of constantly replacing a need after every season can begin to become stressful and annoying.
Again, I am not complaining about what Anthopoulos has done as GM, but rather wanting to know if the Braves are still building toward the future or if it is time to truly go for it. I just feel as if there needs to be more willingness to make the roster a little more stable.
Do the prospects hold too much value to trade? Also, at what point is a free agent valuable enough to sign to a multi-year deal?