The Atlanta Braves had been very quiet at the Winter Meetings until they signed Mike Yastrzemski, but that isn't atypical for this Braves front office led by Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves are happy to make moves whenever they are right for them and they don't really care when that happens including before, during, and after the Winter Meetings.
However, the Braves are certainly not going to be quiet this offseason as they have multiple areas of their roster that still could use an upgrade. On top of that, there were a number of missteps at the Winter Meetings that Atlanta would be well-served to try and take advantage of as soon as possible.
Here are the mistakes from the Winter Meetings that the Braves need to take advantage of
We are all prisoners of the moment this time of year and everyone could look back and see that some or all of these weren't actually mistakes or there were other moves (or lack of moves) that were even more egregious mistakes. However, there is a good chance that the following decisions could end up hurting their clubs and really helping the Braves out. Let's get into it.
The Mets' roster is hemorrhaging and it is a golden opportunity for the Braves
There are few things that bring Braves fans more joy than seeing the Mets and their fans suffer. That proved correct at the Winter Meetings when New York lost both Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso in rapid succession.
Just like that, the Mets' core has been decimated this offseason. Now, this is Steve Cohen we are talking about and general manager David Stearns is not an idiot. They are going to make some moves to rebound from these losses. However, they are definitely playing from behind now and that gives Atlanta an opportunity to surpass them this offseason and possibly mess up the markets the Mets are perusing.
Phillies still haven't reunited with Ranger Suarez despite an obvious need
It is odd that the Phillies haven't been more obviously involved in the pitching market thus far. Aaron Nola is getting old. Zack Wheeler's injury could be an absolute disaster depending on how his recovery goes. However, the one thing with their pitching staff that looms larger than almost anything is the departure of Ranger Suarez.
Look, reuniting with Kyle Schwarber was always likely and it is deeply annoying having to deal with him in the division yet again. However, that the Phillies do not seem to be in much of a hurry to address their rotation issues is borderline bizarre. They are another team that could change the narrative instantly with a couple phone calls, but they are also in the same offseason rotation market as the Braves and Atlanta would do well to make their lives as difficult as possible there.
Brad Keller is still a free agent and he is looking more and more like a perfect Braves target
There were several deals that ended up getting done at the Winter Meetings, but one area of the free agent market that has been slow overall is starting pitchers. It is pretty clear right now that asking prices are high at the moment, but one name that is still available that should intrigue the Braves is Brad Keller.
After converting Reynaldo Lopez from the bullpen to the rotation, suggesting Keller for the Braves is an obvious choice. One has to be careful with guys like Keller because we don't really know if his power stuff can be sustained as a starter. However, there is no way he can be asking for a ton of money and with the Braves looking for value and upside, that the rest of the league hasn't jumped to sign Keller is a mistake Atlanta should punish or, at minimum, take a really long look at.