Atlanta Braves are looking for. . .
Bowden asked if a left fielder or more pitching was next on the Atlanta Braves GM’s list. Anthopoulos replied by talking about everything the club has already completed.
- The bullpen was in great shape, but they wanted a power arm to replace Jansen; the Joe Jiménez deal went down as the Winter Meetings closed and was the only deal completed there.
- Explaining that the Braves felt really good about the bullpen and spoke about each pitcher before transitioning to the rotation and saying he expected the starters to come from within.
He ended by saying that if an opportunity presented itself, the club would take advantage of it.
He finally said that he’s spoken to free-agent outfielders (he means their managers, not the players) and teams who might have a trade candidate since the offseason began and expected that the club would address left field next.
Anthopoulos spoke long enough to use the remaining time allocated for the interview and prevent more questions. I can’t say he intended it, but he provided a lot of information without adding anything new.
That’s a wrap.
There isn’t much new in his answers or comments other than the club wanted Murphy last year, d’Arnaud is a fixture for a while, and Swanson’s contract was out of reach before the Braves got a chance to jump in.
He’s sticking with the Arcia or Grissom answer at SS, and it’s not a surprise the Braves are happy with the pen and rotation.
I expect they’ll look for a better-performing RH bat to play left, and I still feel Myers is as good an answer as any remaining available. He’ll probably sign with the Phillies or Dodgers tonight because I said that. Whatever happens, we’ll keep you informed here at the Take.