rico43 (01-20-2017)
I could see Machado being the target, Harper imo is destined to be a Yankee.
I don't see any way, even with the increased payroll, we pay someone $35-40 million/year. And honestly, even if that player was Machado, I'm not sure I would want to do it.
Harper isn't coming here; even if you believe the FO that we are jumping payroll, we aren't going to outbid the big-boys for Harper and frankly why would he come here instead of a big market like NY?
I highly doubt Machado would be in play either, just too much money. I really think people are overestimating a few statements by the Braves that payroll is going to increase. I'll be stunned if we are really serious about a Machado.
This list was clearly done before the White Sox traded Eaton and Sale. After they trade Q they will be easy #1.
You are 100% correct, but it won't stop rampant speculation from Braves homers. The typical big spending teams have been quiet the last couple offseasons for a reason: to keep their powder dry for guys like Harper and Machado.
Here is the rule of thumb for the Braves FA acquisitions:
If the total contract tops $200M, or the annual salary tops $25M, the Braves are not going to be "in" on that FA.
A more likely option at 3B is buying the decline years of Donaldson, but by then the Braves should be saving 3B for Maitan.
Does it? I'm sure he has reasons for that opinion. Again, their system is very top-heavy, so if he doesn't like some of their top prospects as much as others, it stands to reason he won't like their system much. For example, he has probably soured on Giolito quite a bit. If he thinks Kopech is a future RP, then their system starts to look pretty thin outside of Moncada.
Just because you don't share his opinion doesn't mean his should be questioned. If you didn't have the Braves top 5, that would be pretty suspicious just because of the sheer numbers of guys with promising ceilings they have. Same with the Yankees. After that it may swing based on what someone thinks of just a couple individual prospects.
I don't think it's crazy that someone could like the Padres, Pirates, and Dodgers more than the White Sox. All 4 have very good, and pretty similar, systems. Moncada is the best single prospect, but they're all very good.
Last edited by smootness; 01-20-2017 at 12:49 PM.
I agree that we are not paying guys like Machado or Harper. That's crazy money and it's not worth it.
I would definitely say they are top 5. Adding the talent they did in those 2 trades have probably made them top 2-3.
I agree with that. Fulmer probably was their best prospect before the trade and he is so so. Without Moncada it wouldn't be what it is. If they can get another haul out of Quintana then they could take over the top spot. What gives our farm so much thump is the amount of talent we have and it is ridiculously deep.
Ventura's Stolen Bases
The only was Machado would work is if they could get the same amount of money spread out over more years. For tax purposes, etc., it would make sense for a player to stretch his contract out. I would be so bold as to give him 10 years at close to $300 million -- because who knows where salaries will be in another 5-6 seasons?
Machado is actually the perfect guy to give a huge contract to. In all likelihood, he'll require an opt-clause after year 3 or so anyways, clearing any future salary obligations. And at that point, we probably wouldn't want him anymore anyways with his decline years coming and with Maitan waiting to step in.
1. depends on the cheap talent producing (obviously) but its not a guarantee
2. we aren't going to be the highest bidder on a guy like Machado. We are still owned by a corporation.
3. why would these players choose to come to Atlanta, when teams like LAD, NYY, CHC, BOS are going to be just as competitive if not more, have better fanbases, more money and bigger markets? Why would they choose Atlanta even if we are in the same ball park financially as the other heavy-spenders.
Really not trying to be a wet-towel here -- but guys like Machado/Harper are pipe-dreams.
He's saying we have the best farm system in all of baseball, in spite of the fact that he doesn't think much of prospects like Riley and Demeritte. You're right that these things are subjective, but seeing a largely respected talent evaluator say we have built the top farm in baseball is certainly not a bad thing. You don't have to agree with all his individual assessments to be excited about the evaluation of our farm system.
Also, I would disagree with your thought on him just saying we have lottery tickets, because if that we're the basis, San Diego would top his list. His description of our system suggests that he thinks it's only lacking in power bats that are close to contributing. We have quality arms from top to bottom, and an impressive number of up the middle prospects. You can do a lot worse than building around those two areas.