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2017 Atlanta Braves Thread: Acquired Brandon Phillips, Pitchers & Catchers rpt SOON

Swanson's first MLB homer is an inside job. His third of the year. Really strange. The craziest stat of the year up and down the organisation is still Ray-Patrick Didder's unfathomable 39 HBPs.
 
CheesePritchard said:
I think I've seen enough of Kemp now to know that was a dumb trade.
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So, is there anything to the notion that because he hits behind Freeman that Freddie is better in the box because of it? FF is obviously the focus of this team; its franchise player. Hard to argue with the results since MK's acquisition.
 
.260. 28 homeruns and 94 RBI isn't bad. Now his defense and OBP be struuuuglin
 
Kemp was not a dumb trade. We got rid of Olivera period. Anything he does is a plus.

Do people think Adonis has done enough to be our starter next year? I personally do which leaves more money for FAs at other positions.
 
Well we actually took on even more money and tied ourselves to a corner outfielder in decline. We could have cut Olivera, like SD did a few hours after the trade, and not blocked one of the three positions we had a legitimate chance to improve in the offseason.

Outside of catcher, where would you like the Braves to spend money if not on third? I definitely want to upgrade 3B if we can.
 
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CheesePritchard said:
Well we actually took on even more money and tied ourselves to a corner outfielder in decline. We could have cut Olivera, like SD did a few hours after the trade, and not blocked one of the three positions we had a legitimate chance to improve in the offseason.

Outside of catcher, where would you like the Braves to spend money if not on third? I definitely want to upgrade 3B if we can.
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I'd say the biggest need by far is starting pitching. Julio is the only legit SP on the roster. Folty has looked really good at times but hasn't been consistent enough. I'm iffy on Wisler & none of the other guys (Jenkins, Gant, Whalen, Blair, Weber, Kelly,Perez, DeLa Cruz, etc) were particularly impressive to me. Newcomb might be ready next year but the rest of the elite prospects are at least another season away. I think the Braves need to add at least one established starting pitcher.
 
I think they'll definitely add at least one starter but the only way they get an impact guy is via trade.
 
Do you think they go after a Chris Sales caliber SP?

Who would you prefer @ 3rd? The only FA names I saw were Prado & Justin Turner. Both are early 30's & will be looking for close to 15m for 3-4 years. Both would be an upgrade over Garcia & their 12m year one salary may be a good deal. However, I worry about paying them 17m as a semi washed up 36 year old in a few years.

I feel the same way about the FA catching prospects. They are all over 30 and will command 20m a year for 4-5 years. That was the same scenario the Braves faced w/ McCann when he left for the Yankees.

I think the offensive production has been pretty good since the AS break so while I'm not opposed to spending money to upgrade, I'd hate to see them get back into a bunch of bad contracts just because they have money to spend. I think they can be competitive with the current position players as long as they upgrade the pitching
 
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There aren't very many Chris Sale caliber pitchers but I don't think they will be comfortable moving what it would take to get someone like him on a contract that good. I think they'll check in on Archer and pass on that cost too.

I just see third and catcher as positions we are not locked in to and could potentially upgrade. You could have said that about a corner outfield spot as well before the Kemp trade but we will have to move one of him or Markakis to find a longer term solution there. I don't think they want to forfeit a pick so we have to see what happens with the qualifying offer in the new CBA.

Albies was likely destined to take over the 2b job at same point next year, at least before his injury last night. He's off to Andrews for a second opinion on his elbow after a really funky swing. We lost Acuna to injury for Rome as well in their playoff game. He's only been back like a week but came back off after missing a significant part of the season with a broken hand.
 
YoungBuck95 said:
Where did you see the news about Acuna? I cannot find it.
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I haven't seen a follow up report but he was replaced. Maybe he tweaked it legging out his triple?

Patrick Weigel continued his superb season in game 2 for the M-Braves to even the series. He should get some looks at the tail end of the top 100 of some lists. Looks like we did really well with the 2015 draft with Allard, Soroka, Riley, Minter, Weigel. Perhaps C Lucas Herbert can show something if the Braves decide to place him at an appropriate level in 2017.
 
CheesePritchard said:
There aren't very many Chris Sale caliber pitchers but I don't think they will be comfortable moving what it would take to get someone like him on a contract that good. I think they'll check in on Archer and pass on that cost too.

I just see third and catcher as positions we are not locked in to and could potentially upgrade. You could have said that about a corner outfield spot as well before the Kemp trade but we will have to move one of him or Markakis to find a longer term solution there. I don't think they want to forfeit a pick so we have to see what happens with the qualifying offer in the new CBA.

Albies was likely destined to take over the 2b job at same point next year, at least before his injury last night. He's off to Andrews for a second opinion on his elbow after a really funky swing. We lost Acuna to injury for Rome as well in their playoff game. He's only been back like a week but came back off after missing a significant part of the season with a broken hand.
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Mark Bowman touched on these topics in his recent mailbag and seemed to echo your sentiments

http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/200250386/braves-fans-ask-about-rio-ruiz-third-basemen/

Atlanta doesn't want to lose a Draft pick, so unless Prado or Turner would surprisingly not receive a qualifying offer, they likely won't be pursued. It would be nice to see Ruiz get some time at the big league level once Triple-A Gwinnett concludes its playoff run this season. After struggling at the Double-A level last year, the 22-year-old prospect -- No. 15 in the system, according to MLBPipeline.com -- enhanced his value by hitting .271/.355/.400 with 10 homers for Gwinnett this year.

Ruiz certainly profiles for a platoon role, as he has compiled a .833 OPS vs right-handed pitchers and a .522 OPS against left-handers. Garcia has batted .291/.357/.385 vs. lefties and .263/.297/.425 vs. righties. It should be noted that 12 of his 13 homers have come against righties, but yeah, if Ruiz provides indication he might be Major League-ready at some point next year, it might be wise to at least discuss the possibility of a platoon.

Regardless of which option the Braves choose, they will not get into a long-term commitment that would block the rise No. 13 prospect Austin Riley could make within the next couple seasons.
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Throughout the summer, we've known Atlanta would pursue at least one veteran starter, but it now sounds like the club will attempt to add two over the course of the offseason. Because the Braves want to monitor the development of some of their top Minor League pitchers over the course of the next year, they will be reluctant to trade prospects, and thus will likely attempt to find value within a rather weak free-agent market.

If Matt Wisler overcomes his oblique injury and is able to make a few effective starts down the stretch, he might influence the Braves to add just one additional starter this offseason. But for now, there's a chance Wisler, Aaron Blair, Sean Newcomb, Rob Whalen, John Gant and Williams Perez could be among those who come to Spring Training fighting for the rotation's fifth spot.

My guess for the rotation at the start of 2017 is Teheran, Foltynewicz, Ivan Nova, Wisler and Newcomb. You've got be encouraged by the improved control Newcomb showed late this season with Double-A Mississippi, and I included Nova because all former Yankees are now given the same treatment in Atlanta that former Braves used to be given in Kansas City.
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Tyler Flowers has produced a 116 wRC+ -- the fifth-best mark among all National League catchers with at least 200 at-bats -- but he has also thrown out just one of the 50 opponents who have attempted to steal against him this season. Flowers possesses a strong baseball IQ and he seems to have a good understanding for how to handle many of the young pitchers within Atlanta's system.

Still, it appears the Braves will look to add a starting catcher this offseason. If the Yankees drop their asking price from insane (they previously asked for Ender Inciarte and Foltynewicz) to reasonable, there's still a chance Brian McCann could return to share the position with Flowers.

Wilson Ramos' cost and the fact that he will get a qualifying offer seems to significantly decrease the likelihood he'll land in Atlanta. As for Matt Wieters, there has never been a sense that the Braves will show interest. Thus, the additional catcher may be acquired via trade or a more economical free-agent option.
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Not really what I wanted to hear about pitching moves. On the positive, he does think it will be highly unlikely that Inciarte would be traded.
 
I think they could trade depth for a cost-controlled starter, I just don't think they will pony up what it takes to get someone who would clearly push Teheran down a spot in the rotation. His comment about not doing anything to block Austin Riley is really silly.

Chris Ellis had probably the best start of his career in game 3 for the G-Braves. Allard was good for Rome but bullpen and Austin Riley's errors gave it away. We have multiple arms worth monitoring every night on the farm.
 
Mudcats rotation next season could include 4 1st round draft picks.
 
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