Official official offseason thread

[bravesfanMatt]

I wonder what is better for the 'club house' A guy who deals on the field but is a self promoter (while backing it up), says what he thinks and a bit of a jerk sometimes... or a guy who runs to first base on ball 4, plays hard everyday, buys donuts for the team but is hitting .191 and starts everyday or getting blasted every 5th day...

[PawPawMaxwell]

I wonder what is better for the 'club house' A guy who deals on the field but is a self promoter (while backing it up), says what he thinks and a bit of a jerk sometimes... or a guy who runs to first base on ball 4, plays hard everyday, buys donuts for the team but is hitting .191 and starts everyday or getting blasted every 5th day...

Remind me sometime and Ill tell you about the 1956 Tigers clubhouse as pertained to a 15 year old kid.

[CyYoung31]

Ozuna did not have a clean reputation before AA signed him. Remember Andruw Jones and his DV situation? Not to mention the Gold Club story. Chipper and the Hooters girl? Bauer is an asshole, no doubt, but he is also a recent Cy Young winner. But, if it is a sterling reputation you seek, I hear Tim Tebow is open to trying a comeback.

Andruw’s incident happened well after his career with the Braves. Chipper’s situation isn’t comparable.

[PawPawMaxwell]

This has mostly been about character flaws. Regardless of when and what as long as it is/was disreputable.

[bravesfanforlife88]

I wonder what is better for the 'club house' A guy who deals on the field but is a self promoter (while backing it up), says what he thinks and a bit of a jerk sometimes... or a guy who runs to first base on ball 4, plays hard everyday, buys donuts for the team but is hitting .191 and starts everyday or getting blasted every 5th day...

We saw the veteran Lairdership from guys such as Laird and more recently, Heredia. and the impact they had on the clubhouse.

I'm honestly on the fence with Bauer. He is a good pitcher, but after missing the past year and a half, is he going to return as good? Down side of things, he is the biggest douche bag in the game.

[PawPawMaxwell]

Honestly, no more chance of signing Bauer than any of those others we fans wished for. Correa, Dansby, Turner, Nimmo, Conforto, and on and on. We are unfortunately not sitting upstairs at Truist much less with access to the checkbook.

[ixiXSolidXixi]

No sure if Bauer worth the risk. We know that after we sign him is going to come a lawsuit from out of no where to screw us.

[Robyn1967]

My personal opinion is he likes to hit women. Whether it is consensual or not. 3 women came forward with the same stories, and he embarrased his organization. I

[50PoundHead]

This whole Bauer thing is funny to me. I mean we praise these kids and young men for being these egotistical narcissists with their flare and on fiels antics. Yet when one goes too far, we go whoa whoa. He is too much of a distraction. Not specifically saying Bauer is good or what he presumably did is equivalent to a bat flip. But athletes/celebs/politicians are groomed to be narcissistic who get what they want. I think the only reason he would be a distraction is because the fake righteous media would make it that way. I would bet we’ll over half the team wouldn’t care one way or the other if he preformed on the field.

You make some good points, but isn't it appropriate to have some guardrails on what is accepted behavior? I definitely agree that there is a contradiction in that the ticket-buying public in just about every realm looks past obvious foibles and narcissistic behavior as long as they are getting what they want (entertainment, winning, power, etc.) and then can turn on a dime when something just flies a bit too far out of orbit. But that goes toward the argument that we shouldn't be coddling and looking past bad behavior in the first place.

I'm old and realized when I was young that athletes/entertainers/politicians/business magnates often don't have to play by the same rules as the rest of us. Heck, Ball Four was a revelation or sorts, but I think everyone in baseball knew Mickey Mantle was a drunk and a lot of players had a regular squeeze in every town in which they were the visiting team. But in those days there was an implicit agreement between the press (and by extension law enforcement) and the teams that certain things would remain behind the curtain.

So there were egotistical jerks back then, but they were protected. That's not the case anymore (although I'm sure a lot of lurid stuff doesn't hit the front page). I think the difference then-to-now is even though players were coddled in an earlier era, they simply weren't coddled to the extent they are now, which produces the contradiction you point out. It's always been about winning (don't let us oldsters contend otherwise), but in an earlier era, "how" one won had a higher level of importance than it does now. That doesn't make the earlier eras that much purer, but things were more button-downed.

[Robyn1967]

No, he wasnt charged, that does not equate to innocence. Think OJ was innocent?

[50PoundHead]

I wonder what is better for the 'club house' A guy who deals on the field but is a self promoter (while backing it up), says what he thinks and a bit of a jerk sometimes... or a guy who runs to first base on ball 4, plays hard everyday, buys donuts for the team but is hitting .191 and starts everyday or getting blasted every 5th day...

That really depends. If every other player in the clubhouse is asked every other day by the beat writer for their opinion on the narcissistic--but talented--jerk , it's likely going to be somewhat of a distraction. Clubhouses aren't these isolated feel-good environments. Players know the job is competing to the best of their abilities (and hopefully winning in the process) and they have a Zen mode where most everything can be shut out once they hit the playing field and there have been very successful teams (1970s A's) who were dysfunctional. But it can't be fun coming into work every day wondering what the resident A-hole has done that the reporters will be asking you about.

[bravesfanforlife88]

Honestly, no more chance of signing Bauer than any of those others we fans wished for. Correa, Dansby, Turner, Nimmo, Conforto, and on and on. We are unfortunately not sitting upstairs at Truist much less with access to the checkbook.

This has nothing to do with the checkbook being that he will only cost $700k

[bravesfanforlife88]

Random though on Bauer, but if he doesn't get a job at the MLB level but gets one elsewhere, sayin Japan, Mexico, Korea, etc. he could technically get more than the $700k he would get from another MLB team in addition to the $22m he gets from LA. I wouldn't be shocked to see him do that.

[bravesfanMatt]

That really depends. If every other player in the clubhouse is asked every other day by the beat writer for their opinion on the narcissistic--but talented--jerk , it's likely going to be somewhat of a distraction. Clubhouses aren't these isolated feel-good environments. Players know the job is competing to the best of their abilities (and hopefully winning in the process) and they have a Zen mode where most everything can be shut out once they hit the playing field and there have been very successful teams (1970s A's) who were dysfunctional. But it can't be fun coming into work every day wondering what the resident A-hole has done that the reporters will be asking you about.

That was one of my points. The guys probably won’t care. They want to win and play and have fun. What makes it hard is when the media or other outside influences make it a distraction. They have to sell stories so they will become the distraction. Not Bauer. Although he is Indirectly the reason.

[PawPawMaxwell]

Random though on Bauer, but if he doesn't get a job at the MLB level but gets one elsewhere, sayin Japan, Mexico, Korea, etc. he could technically get more than the $700k he would get from another MLB team in addition to the $22m he gets from LA. I wouldn't be shocked to see him do that.

Just for your info and Im not 100% sure but I believe the most he could get from Korea team in first year would be $1m. Doubt he would go there for a $280K difference. Suspect Mexico would be even less but know nothing about Japan.

[bravesfanforlife88]

Just for your info and Im not 100% sure but I believe the most he could get from Korea team in first year would be $1m. Doubt he would go there for a $280K difference. Suspect Mexico would be even less but know nothing about Japan.

It was just a thought. I know some of those teams overseas pay pretty well and that would be a way if he wanted to maximize his $$$

[JxnMissFan]

Random though on Bauer, but if he doesn't get a job at the MLB level but gets one elsewhere, sayin Japan, Mexico, Korea, etc. he could technically get more than the $700k he would get from another MLB team in addition to the $22m he gets from LA. I wouldn't be shocked to see him do that.

He could go to Mexico and play for the Charros. They signed Kenny Powers. So Bauer should fit right in. Maybe Bauer could get HBO to let him star in a remake of East Bound and Down.

[Chico]

Braves and Fried going to arbitration again.

I just do not see an extension ever happening here, for those who want it.

[JxnMissFan]

Braves and Fried going to arbitration again.

I just do not see an extension ever happening here, for those who want it.

I don’t think going to arbitration has anything to do with the possibility of him signing an extension.

Fried is still definitely an extension candidate. The Braves will be able to match the market on AAV if they want to. Length of contract will be the problem. Fried will be going into his age 31 season when he is a free agent so anything over 3 years would be risky.
Due to his past injuries you would think Fried would be open to signing away a couple of FA years for 25 to 30 million no per year.

[Russ2dollas]

Braves and Fried going to arbitration again.

I just do not see an extension ever happening here, for those who want it.

Listen to the AA interview with DOB. AA all but says no extension for Max.

Max wants to maximize his money. He's older b/c of TJ and he's only going to get one big deal. He may want to go west Coast. He's not signing with us.

IF Soroka and Anderson are solid 3 WAR guys, I think we trade Max.

Most likely scenario is we take two more years with Max, get the pick and move that money elsewhere.