Official 2024 Off-Season Thread!

[CrimsonCowboy]

That’s because she’s not a real person… it’s a troll account. “She” was getting Braves fans all up in arms a couple years ago saying Acuña was on the verge of being traded among other stupid stuff. Then every year she deletes all of her posts and starts again.

Some people need to get a life

[zbhargrove]

Some people need to get a life

Yeah, it's pretty dumb

[jpx7]

I guess AA decided bad contracts are the market inefficiency this year.

I really do think this has to be his angle. And it also accounts for the scramble to consolidate/clear forty-man slots, as you need open roster spaces to temporarily house the churned-through bad contracts without losing players you value.

[zbhargrove]

It also helps to take one second and actually look at the person's profile description... you don't have to look far to blatantly see it is a parody account:

Holly Baylor
Senior MLB Journalist for @MLBNetwork and @MLBONFAX (Parody account) | #AlwaysLA

[thethe]

Interesting method to use currency salary flexibility to stock roster with more controllable future obligations when our big players become more expensive.

AA seems to always have a new strategy each year. This was probably always in the back of his mind in his 3-5 year roster projections.

Wonder how his strategy changes next offseason.

[msstate7]

If AA is thinking down the line, seems he would wanna hang on to guys like waldrep and AJSS

[thethe]

So we acquainted the corpse of Carp for another expensive reliever huh?
Interesting

I think Carp(ours) has a few more years left in the tank!

[chop2chip]

I really do think this has to be his angle. And it also accounts for the scramble to consolidate/clear forty-man slots, as you need open roster spaces to temporarily house the churned-through bad contracts without losing players you value.

It’s interesting that AA went this deep into the CBT by loading up on short term garbage contracts but picked up some controllable contracts along the way. As some of have noted, our CBT payroll actually looks quite healthy after this year.

[thethe]

If AA is thinking down the line, seems he would wanna hang on to guys like waldrep and AJSS

Always depends on what they are returning in trade talks but I'd agree. Especially Waldrep as he seems to be our only internal hope at ever becoming more than a MOR arm.

[thethe]

It’s interesting that AA went this deep into the CBT by loading up on short term garbage contracts but picked up some controllable contracts along the way. As some of have noted, our CBT payroll actually looks quite healthy after this year.

Is there a way of identifying potentially Japanese FA's ready to post in the next 2 years?

Seems like grabbing the 'next big' player that way would be beneficial in many ways.

[thethe]

Any hope/tea leaves showing the Braves could be interested in Snell?

[zbhargrove]

Any hope/tea leaves showing the Braves could be interested in Snell?

I would think Montgomery is more likely than Snell but both are probably pipe dreams

[striker42]

If any writer spouts a rumor saying it's from sources close to the Braves front office, you know it ain't true.

[50PoundHead]

Bench don't mean much now with the DH. With our offense all I want from a bench player is to be able to play good defense.

Which Carpenter cannot do. It sounds as though they intend to trade him, but the Braves will be sending a thick wad of bills with him. I can understand at a level all the purported 4-D chess that's going on and how it is related to next season's payroll, but all of this seems like a round-about way of accomplishing that purpose.

As for the bench, I think a lot depends on how Grissom does in his audition in LF down in Puerto Rico. If he shows he can play the position adequately, I think he's a near-lock to be on the 26-man in 2024. Grissom could be valuable if that's the case because he could also back-up at SS, 2B, and 3B and give the team more flexibility as they fill out the remainder of the bench. I think Wall is viewed as a quasi-Billy Hamilton and could be a somewhat useful piece who can play all the OF positions and can he handy as a pinch-runner. We'll have to see if Wall's brief time in big league action in 2023 was a mirage or not. Murphy/d'Arnaud are the catching platoon with one on the bench leaving one spot remaining open. My guess that spot would go to glove-centric INF in the mold of Fletcher. Only thing missing if it's a Grissom, Wall, d'Arnaud/Murphy, Fletcher bench combination is a better LHH. Team is RHH heavy, but that's not that big a deal. I imagine this is a work in progress and the open spots on the 40-man provide space for some creativity.

So I agree with you that the bench isn't important as it was in previous eras, you still can't have a collection of stiffs there. Flexibility and defense are the keys, but it's always nice to have someone who can either play extended days if necessary and also have at least one guy who is a decent hitter.

[UNCBlue012]

this is a very fake account you dinguses

[thethe]

[thethe]

Seems like a worthwhile purchase.

[thethe]

Seeing some chatter on Ignacio Alvarez potentially ending the season with the big league club. Finding a good fielding cheap SS is going to be essential the next five years.

[The Chosen One]

If AA is thinking down the line, seems he would wanna hang on to guys like waldrep and AJSS

AA keeps the ones he wants to keep.

Waldrep could be one. And AJSS could be one he doesn't mind letting go of.

[cajunrevenge]

If AA is thinking down the line, seems he would wanna hang on to guys like waldrep and AJSS

I think people are going to be really happy we held on to these two. I think both have a future as premium relievers even if they dont pan out in the rotation. They both have very good 2 pitch combos. I am super high on AJSS personally. He only very recently started concentrating on baseball only and to make it to the majors at just 20 years old and not get blown out of the water when he got there is amazing to me. Says a lot about his potential. He just needs to refine his consistency and command of his pitches which comes with repetition. I would like to see AJSS get atleast a half season at AAA this year if for no other reason than to delay his service time. I think both AJSS and Waldrep will be full time members of the rotation by 2025 All Star break barring serious injuries. That will help us to be able to afford to pay a top of the rotation starter.