Signing Marcell Ozuna was great for the Atlanta Braves, but their next task should be filling out the bench and adding veteran depth and leadership.
One thing that’s currently being overlooked about this Atlanta Braves team is their lack of depth in the lineup.
I feel pretty good about the starting pitching depth — although, we all know how volatile pitchers can be and how quickly that can fall apart.
But what has me most concerned right now after the Ozuna signing is the bench.
As it stands right now, the bench consists of either William Contreras or Alex Jackson as the back-up catcher — I’d go with Contreras and be happy with that decision. No need to waste another $2 million on someone like Tyler Flowers when there are bigger needs.
And then you have Johan Camargo as the infield utility guy and Ender Inciarte as the fourth outfielder and likely late-game defensive replacement for Ozuna.
If the season started today, those last two bench spots would likely go to Jack Mayfield and Abraham Almonte — and I only say them because they’re the only options left on the 40-man roster.
I would probably take Ehire Adrianza over Mayfield as another back-up infield option.
Either way, that bench is not great and needs a lot of upgrading.
You think back to how the Dodgers have beat us in the playoffs, it’s because of their depth.
Guys like Kike Hernandez coming off the bench to put together a great at-bat resulting in a game-tying home run in Game 7…
Especially with us likely getting a full season in 2021 without a DH, the bench will be a big part of the team’s success this year, and it needs a lot of work.