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Thread: Fixing the Braves

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    Fixing the Braves

    Mark Bradley just asked for help fixing the Braves:

    https://www.ajc.com/sports/mark-brad...CRVKLIJEK6CXY/

    Well, here's how you do it...

    C: -0.1 fWAR, 26th in MLB - We knew AA needed to add a backup catcher, and this is why. Now the narrative is TDA will come back, so upgrading here doesn't make sense.

    1B: 0.7 fWAR, 17th in MLB - Freeman's fluky bad luck has certainly hurt, but they aren't upgrading here.

    2B: 1.5 fWAR, 10th in MLB - Albies shook off the bad luck and is now producing as expected. No room to upgrade here.

    SS: 0.6 fWAR, 25th in MLB - Despite calls for a Swanson extension on this board, this position could use an upgrade.

    3B: 1.2 fWAR, 14th in MLB - The lone positive development of this season. No need to upgrade here...unless it forces a position change.

    RF: 2.9 fWAR, 2nd in MLB - Next.

    CF: -0.2 fWAR, 28th in MLB - Pache flopped, Heredia pumpkined, Ender isn't even a bench player anymore, and Waters deserves a shot. After that, an upgrade is needed.

    LF: 0.7 fWAR, 21st in MLB - Ozuna isn't coming back...maybe ever. The Almonte experiment is fun, but an upgrade is needed.

    SP: 3.3 fWAR, 20th in MLB - An upgrade is warranted, but we just heard "Ynoa and Soroka are coming back", so that's setting things up for the status quo.

    BP: 0.9 fWAR, 17th in MLB - As much as folks complain about the BP, it isn't THAT bad. A rental RH BP arm should be cheap, so go get one just to scratch that itch.

    The positions to fix that don't already have a "fix" projected to rejoin the team are SS, CF, LF, and BP.

    I don't see SS being addressed this season, but it may need to be addressed this off season when Swanson will be due close to $10M. Just PLEASE don't do something foolish like extending him.

    Waters should get a look in CF, and then an upgrade acquired if needed. A cheap upgrade like Naquin could cleanly replace Ender and should cost very little.

    LF bats should be available, from expensive guys like Haniger, to rentals like....some rental. It doesn't matter who, just get an actual MLB cOF bat. A real one, not some AAAA filler.

    BP arms are also plentiful, and rentals are cheap to acquire. Get one.

    The free fix for the Braves is to stop allowing Snit to botch the usage of the pitching staff while also throwing away PAs to make the wrong tactical pitching decision possible. We just watched 2 weeks of baseball where Snit made the same bad decision almost every single night, and it cost the Braves the game almost every single time. He punted a PA in a close game to watch the overextended SP give up runs the very next inning, turning a close game into a deficit. It needs to stop, period.

    This is a mediocre team that needs some augmentation and isn't good enough to mask poor tactical decisions night after night. AA needs to plug the holes...both on the roster and in the decision making processes, and then hope they can catch the Mets somehow.
    Last edited by Enscheff; 06-15-2021 at 01:45 PM.

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    This may sound....fatalistic, but I don't want to try. I feel like we got an 80%+ outcome last year and we're due for - and experiencing - a 20% outcome this year.

    The bullpen has plenty of good pieces, they just haven't consistently produced. Other than Riley and Acuna, most of the starting eight is underperforming. The bench has been pretty good. The rotation has had its moments, and maybe patience and development is all that's needed there.

    Unless they go on one of those 34-6 runs like they used to in the 90s, they're not going to be in the hunt. And they aren't nearly consistent enough to do that, even if you rent a cOF and add a bullpen arm or two. The players who are here need to play better, or maybe more to the point, get better results.

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    Tough to argue with any of this. Haniger would seem to be the perfect piece to me, but plenty of other guys like Marte, Peralta, Mancini, Schwarber, and Castellanos should get a long look depending on how the market shakes out.

    I'm hopeful that Pache's recent swing changes are real and that he comes back with some confidence to hold down CF.

    I also hope you're wrong about the rotation although I don't think you are. There should be some quality names out there with guys like Barrios or Means, and it would be a great way to get some stability.

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    I think there are options. Historically, rentals have not cost much. For a guy like Story you do have to give up more than the qualifying offer is worth.

    I would say we need one bat that can hit in the middle of the line up. I'm not getting reckless b/c I think the season is just unlucky. But if I get a rental for cheap or a long term piece, then I go for it.

    I still think we need one more Arm to move people into their correct roles and only use Martin every other day so.

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    Was there any mention of changing the board name?? Asking for a friend.
    Coppy

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    Fix the board name, fix the Braves. Per a source deep in the front office.

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    Time to get a live chicken
    Ivermectin Man

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ2dollas View Post
    I think there are options. Historically, rentals have not cost much. For a guy like Story you do have to give up more than the qualifying offer is worth.

    I would say we need one bat that can hit in the middle of the line up. I'm not getting reckless b/c I think the season is just unlucky. But if I get a rental for cheap or a long term piece, then I go for it.

    I still think we need one more Arm to move people into their correct roles and only use Martin every other day so.
    You're right about the rentals part, and I'm tired of seeing other teams like the Dodgers take advantage because they can take on payroll and we can't. The Orioles when they traded Machado to the Dodgers decided to go quantity over quality, and look like they ended up with nothing in return. The Rockies seem to be in position to do something similar, but not sure we can afford Story as a rental.

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    McMahon play here as anywhere from Col ?
    Ivermectin Man

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    I'll take issue with a few nits, but I appreciated most of this as pretty thoughtful.

    My contrary opinions are these: 1) Albies is not under performing. He's on a 100-RBI pace with Freddy only doing so-so at getting on base ahead of him. 2) He's overpaid by oodles, but I do consider Inciarte a useful bench player. He's making better contact and he is only two years removed from a 200-hit season. The defense never left. 3) Pache is hardly a bust at his age. He showed maturity last September, so I'm betting his problems are mechanics that can be fixed much like Riley's were. I would love me a Waters-Acuna-Pache outfield.
    The single biggest oops of this season, though, was not giving Melancon the multi-year deal he wanted and signing Smyly like he was Glavine redux.
    My fervent wish is that Ozuna has a for-cause clause in his contract, so that the Braves can can re-purpose his $$$ and afford a Story or Seager. Hey, maybe the Dodgers will take him the way they did Olivera...

    Don't hate. This is my first analytical post in two years. I'm damn rusty.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ2dollas View Post
    I think there are options. Historically, rentals have not cost much. For a guy like Story you do have to give up more than the qualifying offer is worth.

    I would say we need one bat that can hit in the middle of the line up. I'm not getting reckless b/c I think the season is just unlucky. But if I get a rental for cheap or a long term piece, then I go for it.

    I still think we need one more Arm to move people into their correct roles and only use Martin every other day so.
    Which is a reason Seager might fit. They'd presumably love to dump the money, and even though it's not ideal Riley could shift to LF. Even though his 2022 salary becomes a player option if he's traded, you could potentially have him DH with Riley moving back and Waters taking over in LF next year if things go well. The question with him is probably "Who do you have to 'out-quantity' to get him?" With Madrigal out for the season, Seager makes lots of sense for the White Sox too with Moncada shifting over to 2B.
    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?

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    Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'd rather not mess with Riley. I think he's been pretty bad at third this year (not sure what the numbers say) but the bat is playing so well that I'd like to just leave him alone for the rest of the year and see if he can sustain it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by McCann'sCans View Post
    Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'd rather not mess with Riley. I think he's been pretty bad at third this year (not sure what the numbers say) but the bat is playing so well that I'd like to just leave him alone for the rest of the year and see if he can sustain it.
    Riley is pretty firmly grading out as a negative at 3B. Makes me wonder if he is actually the plan at 1B next season with Freeman's cash going towards an upgrade at 3B.

    Same deal with Arcia replacing Swanson to dump his nearly $10M salary in 2022.

    Perhaps the idea is to use Freeman's and Swanson's money to make a push for Bryant? Pure speculation, of course.

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    Riley hasn’t always graded out poorly right ?
    Ivermectin Man

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    Quote Originally Posted by GovClintonTyree View Post
    This may sound....fatalistic, but I don't want to try. I feel like we got an 80%+ outcome last year and we're due for - and experiencing - a 20% outcome this year.

    The bullpen has plenty of good pieces, they just haven't consistently produced. Other than Riley and Acuna, most of the starting eight is underperforming. The bench has been pretty good. The rotation has had its moments, and maybe patience and development is all that's needed there.

    Unless they go on one of those 34-6 runs like they used to in the 90s, they're not going to be in the hunt. And they aren't nearly consistent enough to do that, even if you rent a cOF and add a bullpen arm or two. The players who are here need to play better, or maybe more to the point, get better results.
    Agreed. I'm not ready to throw in the towel, but it seems like 2021 is the exact opposite of last season. Last season, if we didn't hit, we pitched. If we didn't pitch, we hit. Oversimplification on my part, but things fell together last year and they clearly aren't this year.

    As per acquisitions, it all depends on price for me. We have plenty of moveable pieces, but I don't know what they would net.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tapate50 View Post
    Riley hasn’t always graded out poorly right ?
    This year there are 18 players with enough innings at 3B to considered "qualified", and Riley ranks 17th in UZR/150 at -21.3. He is only ahead of Turner, who has been pretty bad for several years now.

    In 2020, there were 17 qualified players at 3B, and Riley was 17th at -12.4.

    These aren't exactly large reliable sample sizes, but Riley always appears at the bottom, so it's safe to say he's pretty bad over there.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Enscheff View Post
    Riley is pretty firmly grading out as a negative at 3B. Makes me wonder if he is actually the plan at 1B next season with Freeman's cash going towards an upgrade at 3B.

    Same deal with Arcia replacing Swanson to dump his nearly $10M salary in 2022.

    Perhaps the idea is to use Freeman's and Swanson's money to make a push for Bryant? Pure speculation, of course.

    I wondered about that. If they truly plan to not sign Freeman back (and we still seem to be out of it at the deadline), they would be better to trade Freddie and try to get something for him (they won’t of course).

    If that’s really the plan, they might as well trade Morton and any expiring contracts that could possibly net a decent return. At this point, winning “some” games helps very little.

    If you would have ask me to question signing Freddie back at the beginning of the year…I would have thought you were joking. As it stands now, it’s tough to sink that kind of money in a player in his thirty’s and this was always a little concerning to me.

    The fact that AA’s contract is also up, tells me he is likely to do very little with the team being out of it. He can simply hold serve for the next GM, or stay safe to keep all options on the table for next year.

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    DH is also an option for Riley in the future.

    I think they plan on signing FF. I just think AA has a cap. Cap may be years, dollars or both. Maybe it's 3/90 with team options. FF is going to get 5+ year offers IMO. Maybe AA thinks FF won't leave.

    AA does seem to be looking at back up options with Arcia.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Enscheff View Post
    Riley is pretty firmly grading out as a negative at 3B. Makes me wonder if he is actually the plan at 1B next season with Freeman's cash going towards an upgrade at 3B.

    Same deal with Arcia replacing Swanson to dump his nearly $10M salary in 2022.

    Perhaps the idea is to use Freeman's and Swanson's money to make a push for Bryant? Pure speculation, of course.
    The main issue this presents is you suddenly become REALLY right-handed - Acuna, Albies' better side, Riley, Arcia, Pache, Contreras/Langeliers AND Bryant would only leave you LF and the DH slot for LH hitters, and ideally you're not going to have a full-time DH.

    Maybe you sign Seager (assuming his option isn't picked up) in that scenario with Riley moving to 1B and Bryant playing LF, but you'd still be awfully RH-heavy even if Waters rotated in at DH and LF.

    If you were going to let Freddie and Dansby walk, what about Seager at 3B on a 1 year deal with an option and Conforto as the LF/DH you spent that money on? He wouldn't be much easier to negotiate with since he's represented by Borass too, but he SHOULD at least come cheaper.
    Last edited by clvclv; 06-16-2021 at 10:56 AM.
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    Another Braves forum is making a bit of noise attributed to a twitter account associated with the Athletic. Saying a move is going on to bring Donaldson back to Atlanta. Wonder if 50 Pound knows anything

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