Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos looked like he had once again found a way to set a great roster without overspending. Things were promising early on, with the Braves absolutely dominating the league over the first two months. Despite early injuries causing uncertainty, the team was absolutely on fire. However, that fortune has faded in June, and it's starting to look like AA may have failed the team a bit.
Now, this isn't to say that the front office didn't make some impactful moves this offseason. But there are a several moves that stick out as pretty poor in retrospect.
It sure doesn't seem like Alex Anthopoulos hit the right notes last offseason
Let's remind ourselves of the most notable offseason additions: Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, Ha-Seong Kim, Joel Payamps, Jorge Mateo, Jonah Heim, Tyler Kinley, and Martin Perez.
Most of these players have been fruitful for the Braves and look like great decisions. Unfortunately, a few of them have soured or aren't on the team anymore. Couple that with Atlanta not signing a starting pitcher, and we start to see the lack of foresight. Heim was let go once Sean Murphy returned, and of course, not long after, Murphy was injured again, and the Braves had to look for more catching help.
Payamps was another player that the team had high hopes for, but he was a disaster as well. Atlanta has really had to work hard to piece together their bullpen. The relief core looked good early on, but we are starting to see some cracks. Suarez is on the IL with elbow inflammation, and outside of Iglesias and Lee, the bullpen hasn't been as dependable lately.
The Braves' biggest issues right now have been the starting rotation and Ha-Seong Kim. Kim is making $20 million this season and carries a putrid .068 over 73 at-bats (26 games) with just 5 hits. That's absolutely unacceptable and could be one of the worst decisions of AA's time in Atlanta.
Kim looked promising at the end of last season, and no one could have predicted he would have a finger injury in the offseason. But with how well Dubon and Mateo have played, Atlanta could have used that $20 million toward rotation help.
That looks to be the biggest error made by AA this past offseason. Atlanta needed to add at least a middle-of-the-rotation arm. Chris Sale has been incredible; Martin Perez has done a decent job, but Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and JR Ritchie have been pretty terrible.
Elder looked good early on, but he's fallen off a cliff. Strider cannot stay healthy. Lopez is a shell of his former self. Holmes is Holmes. And JR Ritchie just needs more time to develop. Didier Fuentes could help the rotation, but he's been a good option out of the bullpen. They may want to keep that going since he's been successful.
It just feels like the front office will not cash in on starting pitching. They let Max Fried walk, and he's still one of the best pitchers in baseball. Dylan Cease has been fantastic for the Blue Jays this season, despite a brief absence with a hamstring injury. Toronto has done a great job building their starting staff. The point here is that they have to try a little harder to add impact arms via free agency or trade.
It's hard to know if a pitcher will work out long term. The Braves probably won't sign someone like Tarik Skubal in the offseason coming up. But they're going to have to start trying new things. Hoping you can fix issues at the trade deadline isn't a viable strategy for sustained success.
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