I think what Riley and Pache/Waters do this year will make a huge impact on if we go after Harper or Machado. I’m saying NO to Donaldson...if you pay big money...it needs to be a young guy.
Ender is cheap and good. He just needs to be hitting in the bottom third of a good line up.
Pache is 19. He shouldn’t be considered until 2020.
If I’m trading ender before 2020 then I’m getting a stud corner of or 3b that is ready now in the deal. Aa said we aren’t trading for prospects now.
Sign Harper for three years and that fits nicely in our window. Pache Waters etc might be ready in three years
I suggest taking a look at the Braves payroll in the 2000s. It never got over $100M except for the one time bump for Ervin. It finally increased with moving to the new ball park.
It's a bit silly to think payroll is somehow going to start magically increasing every year when that hasn't been the case for nearly 20 years.
Harper will not be signing a 3 year deal. He will be signing a 10-12 year deal with opt outs that could make it end up being a 2-3 year deal.
It isn't what anyone wants to here, but the ideal outcome from these choices would be 3-3-3.
This team remains in the lower-middle class as far as payroll until proven otherwise.
Tucker being enough of a gem to hold down a corner for a couple of years would be a huge win if it keeps us from overpaying on a second tier outfielder this offseason.
Riley convincing the front office this year that he is THE guy for 3B would be great news for the same reason.
Using payroll space to buy out some free agency years from several successful young players is the best opportunity to extend the window of competitiveness. Even better if so many of the upper echelon minor league prospects impress so much that the front office decides they're untradeable. That would let the Braves be the team dangling a Fulmer, Archer, Yelich type of player for a bounty in a couple of years.
This past offseason would have been a great time to spend big with the free agent bargains that were out there. The Braves couldn't, because they already paid top shelf prices for bottom shelf products. Every team with a big payroll has lined up to spend big next offseason, so the market will be inflated again. Maybe the year after next will have bargain rates again after the big money teams spend their entire allowance this year.
I'm tired of big money mistakes like Upton, Uggla, Johnson, and Kemp crippling the payroll. I'm tired of having slap hitters at the corners because there isn't enough money to get a good hitter, or having a statue playing defense because he makes too much money to cut. I'm tired of the big offseason moves being Markakis, Jaime Garcia, R.A. Dickey, or a bad payroll swap. I just want to see this franchise not shoot itself in the foot for an offseason or two so we can find out how much of the rebuild we got lucky on, and maybe even be able to keep a stud like Acuna around long enough to not feel like a Rays fan.
Go get him!
Founding member of the Whiny Little Bitches and Pricks Club
JohnAdcox (04-08-2018)
Where would he play? We’ve got Tucker and Acuna.
JohnAdcox (04-08-2018)
The scenario as I see it is signing Machado for 3B and Riley playing LF. Would love to bring Kimbrel back too.
"Donald Trump will serve a second term as president of the United States.
It’s over."
Little Thethe Nov 19, 2020.
Ideal scenario would be Harper in RF and Machado at 3B.
jpx7 (04-07-2018), nsacpi (04-07-2018), The Chosen One (04-06-2018)
jpx7 (04-07-2018)
If legit you replace Neck with Brycie and you don't blink. A middle of Freeman, Harper, and Acuna rivals anybody. You say thanks to Preston and trade him for depth.
Harper only agrees to sign with the Braves in the event Teheran is traded somewhere else. Teheran is pure stat helium for Bryce and I can't see Bryce wanting to give away those ABs to just anyone.
I agree 100%, but Tucker is too good to be a 4th OF his whole career.
I was the first around here to be "on" Tucker (and I still am and hope he continues to be a steal), but I won't even go so far as to say he's "too good to be a 4th OF" - he's playing great right now and was a very, maybe even VERY good pickup if AA can somehow manage to unload Markakis, but let's don't get too excited after a handful of games.
Like the Adams situation last season, it's a little early to move Freeman back to 3B and Tucker to 1B to make room for Acuna. Just sayin'.
Has there EVER been a statement and question a certain someone should absolutely never have made and asked publicly more than...
Kinda pathetic to see yourself as a message board knight in shining armor. How impotent does someone have to be in real life to resort to playing hero on a message board?
clvclv (04-07-2018)