Back-up outfield options for the Braves
Josh Reddick is someone that makes a ton of sense as a bench bat for the Braves. And shoutout to Twitter follower Brandon Yates (@byates31) who brought Reddick to my attention as there hasn’t been much mention of him at all this offseason.
This past season was a weird one for Reddick, as it was for a lot of players, as he actually hit lefties better than righties. But over his career, the lefty has hit .270 against right-handed pitching with a wRC+ of 110.
He’s also somebody with plenty of postseason experience playing 74 games in October, and would bring a veteran leadership presence to the clubhouse.
Reddick is also from the Atlanta area and would most likely jump at the opportunity to play for his home team — and do so at a low cost.
Some might argue you could get the same from bringing back Nick Markakis, and that’s true. I’d actually be fine with the Braves bringing Markakis back IF they use him strictly off the bench.
But I’d still prefer the added power potential of Reddick off the bench over Markakis.
Speaking of left-handed thunder off the bench Nomar Mazara could be an option. But he’s young enough that he’ll likely seek the opportunity at a starting job somewhere.
Matt Joyce, Jay Bruce, Shin-Soo Choo, and Ben Gamel are other left-haded options I wouldn’t mind.
What I would prefer is that the Braves trade Ender and sign Adam Duvall and Reddick giving you a good righty and lefty outfield bat on the bench — that’s my dream scenario for this offseason.