Just in: The braves have engaged a new coach to replace Young, who came early today

December 12, 2023 Sports Gist Baseball, MLB 0

The braves have engaged a new coach to replace Young, who came early today

The Braves have made a multitude of trades over the last week or so that all began when they swung a deal with the Mariners, sending Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar to Seattle for Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White.

For the Mariners, it was primarily a salary dump. Kowar has a big arm but has really struggled at the major-league level, and Phillips is a 2022 second-round pick that has yet to pitch a professional inning after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Why Seattle was willing to send former 6th overall pick Jarred Kelenic to the Braves is because they took on the contracts of Gonzales and White, who are owed a combined $27.5 million over the next two years.

Alex Anthopoulos has since sent both Gonzales and White out of town in what looked to be money-saving transactions. However, it doesn’t look like the Braves were able to save much cash after all. According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves ate $9.5 million when shipping Gonzales to the Pirates. They also took on quite a bit of money in the trade with the Angels for David Fletcher and Max Stassi.

As Bowman notes, Stassi is no longer with the organization after being traded to the White Sox along with cash for a player to be named later. Fletcher looks like he might stick for now and is owed $6 million next year and $6.5 million in 2025. He also has a club option for $8 million in 2026 and $8.5 million in 2027 with a buyout of $1.5 million.

With all of these moves, FanGraphs currently has the Braves 2024 estimated luxury tax payroll at $263 million, and most still expect them to add a starting pitcher in some form or fashion before the start of the season. They are currently projected to be a top five payroll in baseball, and while a lot more moves will take place between now and Opening Day, the narrative that the Braves are cheap is dead. They’ve been aggressive with their budget with each passing season, and there are no signs that they are stopping anytime soon.

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Falcons: The Athletic pundits weigh in on who will win NFC South

Coming into Sunday’s tilt in Atlanta, the Falcons had an opportunity to take a stranglehold of the division with a win over the Buccaneers.

They’d own a sterling 4-0 record in the NFC South and somewhere north of an 80% chance of a postseason berth. Instead, they sit behind Tampa Bay with less than a 30% chance of ending their playoff drought.

The division is wide open as the Bucs sit atop with the Falcons and Saints right behind them. Honestly, your guess is as good as mine as to who will eventually host the Wild Card game as the winner of the NFC South.

The Athletic pundits — Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen, and Dan Pompei — weighed in, and they’re as split as the general public.

I think anyone with even an inkling of football IQ could make a case for one of the Falcons, Buccaneers, or Saints for winning the division. Jones’ reasoning is fair. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense isn’t anything to write home about, but an argument could be made that it’s the one worth betting on out of these three.

‘Mistakes’ is the important note here for me. Though Atlanta’s defense has consistently come up in big moments this year, their counterparts on offense have consistently shot the team in its foot. Not that Carr or Mayfield haven’t made their fair share of mistakes, but Falcons fans can practically count on Ridder to commit a handful of turnover-worthy plays.

Nguyen, on the other hand, is still taking Atlanta because of Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson.

“… is there hope he can clean things up with more experience?” That’s been the theme of the Falcons season for Desmond Ridder, but it just hasn’t changed. The one consistent facet of Ridder’s game has been inconsistencies. The evolution of the offense has been non-existent, and his development has been marginal at best. Nguyen’s last quote is the most accurate, “All these teams are equally flawed and inconsistent.”

More of the same here — quarterback play and defense will define the winner. The Falcons are limping into the stretch run and might not be getting any healthier, so I wouldn’t put my money on Arthur Smith’s team. However, I wouldn’t put it on Dennis Allen and the Saints or Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers either.

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