1. Barring the Above, “Regular” Surprises
If there are no deals to be made then there are still things that could shake up the roster a bit. Here’s some predictions:
- Grant Dayton is cut. This would be a surprise in that he has no minor league options remaining and the Braves could lose him outright. That said, Nate Jones and Carl Edwards Jr. have been better this Spring and deserve to be given roster spots.
- Johan Camargo is optioned to AAA. This is really an easier call, as we’ve discussed on multiple podcasts. He does have two options remaining.
- Ehire Adrianza, Ryan Goins and Jake Lamb all make the team. Goins has made a late charge, Adrianza is hitting nearly .500, and even Lamb has started to figure things out. A bench with some offensive energy is necessary, and these are the guys most likely to deliver.
- Bryse Wilson wins the 5th spot in the rotation… and maybe even the 4th spot if Drew Smyly doesn’t start throwing a bit better. In recent days, Kyle Wright and Huascar Ynoa have fallen back a bit. One more solid Wilson outing should cement his spot.
All of these moves would require four changes to the 40-man roster. The casualties would be the aforementioned Almonte and Arano, plus Dayton and perhaps Guillermo Heredia.
As we were discussing at the top, losing players for nothing in return is not an ideal situation, and that’s exactly why moves such as these would qualify as a surprise.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to argue that these changes wouldn’t be best for the 2021 team at this stage, and therefore would justify the shake-up involved — definitely akin to the “breaking eggs to make an omelet” axiom.
The Atlanta Braves made a point to declare that they will take their best 26 players back to Truist Park next month. It will take at least one of these surprises to make that happen.