Critical Evaluation: Braves’ busy December, we examine the Expenses, Trades, and Potential
Now that the Braves have gone 48 hours without making a trade, it’s time to give you some of the thoughts I’ll carry into December’s final weeks.
1. Now that we’ve got a feel for the actual financial cost for Jarred Kelenic, it’s apparent that president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos really loves the outfielder’s potential. This isn’t the bargain acquisition I suggested in Thursday’s newsletter. Since then I’ve learned that the Braves are paying the Pirates $9.25 million of Marco Gonzales’ $12.5 million salary. They also have since ditched Evan White’s ugly contract in exchange for infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi (the latter was traded to the White Sox 24 hours later).
As the Braves made multiple trades last week, their cost analysis estimated that Fletcher and Kelenic combined would account for approximately $15 million to $17 million of next year’s payroll. If you’re looking at publicized payroll figures, it would be around $16.5 million, but teams use their own internal payroll numbers.
But really, none of these payroll numbers matter beyond the immediate effect on the competitive balance tax. Kelenic is a tremendous talent who will be just 24 next year. Gambling on his tremendous future seems wiser than paying for the past accomplishments of most of this year’s free-agent outfielders.
2. It still feels like the Braves will add a starting pitcher. The question is whether they’ll attempt to acquire a top-flight starter via trade or attempt to sign a free agent like Seth Lugo, who would solidify the back end of the rotation. A source said the Braves showed more interest in Lugo than any other team before the Winter Meetings, but no offer was ever made. It’s just part of the normal offseason courting process. Until an offer is made, is there legit interest?
3. It will be interesting to see how Vaughn Grissom fares while getting an introduction to playing the outfield in the Puerto Rican Winter League. His trade value would certainly increase if he showed scouts he is capable of playing defense on both the grass and the dirt. Nobody will outwork Grissom; it’s just a matter of finding a position for him. His future in Atlanta became even more questionable with the acquisition of Fletcher, who has been described as a right-handed Nicky Lopez.
5. The presence of Reynaldo López expands Anthopoulos’ options as he completes his annual roster reconstruction. The hard-throwing hurler could open the season as the fifth starter, a middle reliever or the closer. But before you get too excited: Raisel Iglesias isn’t going anywhere without a significant return.
6. If the Braves don’t like who’s available in their current search for a starting pitcher, it might be wise for them to wait until July to see if they need somebody capable of making a playoff start. Getting by with López, AJ Smith-Shawver, Darius Vines and Allan Winans for four months is better than spending just to spend (whether it’s dollars or prospects) during the offseason.
Leave a Reply