Official 2024 Off-Season Thread!

[cajunrevenge]

I think his issue is he acts like everything is a simulation game where you can tell players what to do with no worry about how they react. Even if Snit wanted Acuna not to steal he isn't going to say he wants him to stop but Acuna won't listen. If we were paying him market value I think it would've easier to tell him we need to protect our investment. When he gives us a huge discount we have to tread lightly with him if we want him to do it again.

[buck75]

Hope Duvall can hit .260 against both LHPs & RHPs. Hoping…

[50PoundHead]

I think your big mistake here is taking anything the Braves or front office is saying in public without a massive grain of salt

I don't blame Enscheff here because 90% of this board takes the front office at its word almost without fail. Whenever the other 10% (of which I am a part) even raises a point of minor contention, we get trounced.

I'm old and don't really care, but I try to take things from an objective standpoint. Kelenic may turn out to be a wonderful addition to the team, but expecting a guy with a .566 career OPS against LHP to play everyday while having his swing rebuilt is a pretty tall order and color me skeptical that he is going to be more than a platoon guy at least at the outset. The decision to have a large share of the off-season revolve around the acquisition of Kelenic and the shuffling of bad contacts in and out opens itself to at some level of questioning. I'll be glad to be proven wrong.

[Enscheff]

This board tends to get offended at any comment that is critical of the organization, and then the mouth breathers band together to pounce.

I can say AA is the best GM in the sort and everyone loves it. Then when I criticize a move they start foaming at the mouth. Just typical fan behavior.

[jpx7]

I don't blame Enscheff here because 90% of this board takes the front office at its word almost without fail. Whenever the other 10% (of which I am a part) even raises a point of minor contention, we get trounced.

I'm old and don't really care, but I try to take things from an objective standpoint. Kelenic may turn out to be a wonderful addition to the team, but expecting a guy with a .566 career OPS against LHP to play everyday while having his swing rebuilt is a pretty tall order and color me skeptical that he is going to be more than a platoon guy at least at the outset. The decision to have a large share of the off-season revolve around the acquisition of Kelenic and the shuffling of bad contacts in and out opens itself to at some level of questioning. I'll be glad to be proven wrong.

I think that’s the biggest issue: you put all of your eggs in one basket, people are going to look pretty close at that basket.

Now, the team has made itself a nice buffer by being great at almost every other offensive position (besides SS), Kelenic has a low bar to replace Rosario, and Anthopoulos did fortify the pitching staff as well. But the principal offensive upgrade was Kelenic, and that will merit scrutiny—even if it’s way too early to say anything definitively about him.

[chop2chip]

I understand criticizing acquiring Kelenic and/or Duvall. I find the overreaction from guessing “why” they were acquired silly and those arguments stem from an impossible to discuss basis because the conclusions are drawn from assumptions, not facts.

I suspect if Duvall was acquired before Kelenic that the reaction would be different. At the end of the day, we have a very useful 4th OF who complements Kelenic well. That > getting worked up over 30 ST at bats.

[50PoundHead]

I understand criticizing acquiring Kelenic and/or Duvall. I find the overreaction from guessing “why” they were acquired silly and those arguments stem from an impossible to discuss basis because the conclusions are drawn from assumptions, not facts.

I suspect if Duvall was acquired before Kelenic that the reaction would be different. At the end of the day, we have a very useful 4th OF who complements Kelenic well. That > getting worked up over 30 ST at bats.

To be clear, I am not criticizing Kelenic per se. He's young and although he hasn't lived up to his first-round draft pick status to this point, he's still really young and has done well as he's moved up in the minors. He's a work-in-progress that wasn't presented as a work-in-progress with pretty much the whole off-season revolving around the assertion that he was going to be an everyday player.

For the record, I'm not overreacting. I've been on the solid 4th OF bandwagon since Kelenic was acquired. It makes no difference to me how it was solved and what the reasoning was. I'm just glad it's done even though I would have preferred Grichuk.

[mfree80]

Perhaps part of the discomfort with Enscheff is that he resorts to calling people names rather than having a discussion.

[Tapate50]

I’m not understanding how making a move we all felt was needed and an undeniable upgrade to the roster is “criticized” really.

It’s like it can’t be good enough because it wasn’t the Yandy Diaz you hoped for that one time.

There can be half a dozen unknown reasons it wasnt Grichuk. Thinking you know anything about those internal conversations is …. Kinda unrealistic. But bashing folks like you do know makes it come across as more of a child’s tantrum

[msstate7]

My man, enscheff just wanted a different player. We all get locked into ideas sometimes and get frustrated when it doesn't work out.

[50PoundHead]

I can't speak for Enscheff, but I think you guys are driving right past the point that Enscheff and I have been trying to make. It's not about Grichuk (even though we both would have preferred him). It's about all the shuffling of bad contracts in and out that was centered around the acquisition of Kelenic. I don't think anyone can contend that it wasn't a move that involves a considerable amount of risk and we're still stuck paying for guys who will never swing a bat or throw a pitch for the Braves (or end up in Gwinnett).

The bottom line is we probably have a more productive LF platoon than we did last season if everything falls in place. And that's a good thing. That said, if we look from the then to now, there's room to criticize.

[Tapate50]

Totally get that. But today? Like two weeks from opening day ?
Maybe at …. Say the end of the season ?

And for the record I’d rather them absorb payroll than use prospects at this moment.

[bravesfanMatt]

I think the point was that the Braves said like 3 weeks ago they wanted Kelenic to be an everyday player. Now after some meaningless spring games where every player sans MH2 is sucking the Braves go out and get a platoon bat for him. If that is the case then why didn’t the FO see this 25 days ago when cheaper perhaps better options were available. The Braves should have had a contingency plan back in Feb not mid March.

Now I also agree with most that Duvy is a fine pick up that is t costing much. I like he is the better overall player in case of a prolonged injury. So chefs rant seemed a bit dramatic for the situation. But I see his point.

[msstate7]

It's possible the braves (after seeing kelenic up close and personal) aren't as enthused as pre-trade

[mfree80]

The fly on the wall in AA’s office says:

1. Duvy was one of a few guys for whom they were waiting for the price to drop.

2. They tried for a couple of others, but they were holding out for more money, or a situation with more playing time.

3. They always knew that another OF option was coming, just waiting for the right guy to come around.

4. They would like to have done it earlier, but by waiting they got a better deal and possibly a better player.

JK. I don’t know anything, but this is what I surmise after reading what you all have said 😀

[thewupk]

Totally get that. But today? Like two weeks from opening day ?
Maybe at …. Say the end of the season ?

And for the record I’d rather them absorb payroll than use prospects at this moment.

Pretty much. Also this was for the weakest spot in the lineup on a historically great offense. The Braves are going to score runs no matter who is in LF. Always possible to get an upgrade at the deadline for the playoff run if necessary. The big thing for the offseason is how the Braves shored up the pitching staff. Injuries can happen at anytime but the staff looks a lot better than what we had at the end of last year.

[CyYoung31]

I think the big problem is that real baseball is still two weeks away.

[jpx7]

I think the point was that the Braves said like 3 weeks ago they wanted Kelenic to be an everyday player. Now after some meaningless spring games where every player sans MH2 is sucking the Braves go out and get a platoon bat for him. If that is the case then why didn’t the FO see this 25 days ago when cheaper perhaps better options were available. The Braves should have had a contingency plan back in Feb not mid March.

Now I also agree with most that Duvy is a fine pick up that is t costing much. I like he is the better overall player in case of a prolonged injury. So chefs rant seemed a bit dramatic for the situation. But I see his point.

How often does Anthopoulos discuss the collective clubhouse personality and team chemistry and player “fit” into that nebulous framework? It’s just very likely Duvall, for those reasons, was always “their guy” for the fourth OF role, and they were going to want him out or go with Jordan Luplow if he signed elsewhere.

[msstate7]

I'm worried about bummer

[chop2chip]

To be clear, I am not criticizing Kelenic per se. He's young and although he hasn't lived up to his first-round draft pick status to this point, he's still really young and has done well as he's moved up in the minors. He's a work-in-progress that wasn't presented as a work-in-progress with pretty much the whole off-season revolving around the assertion that he was going to be an everyday player.

For the record, I'm not overreacting. I've been on the solid 4th OF bandwagon since Kelenic was acquired. It makes no difference to me how it was solved and what the reasoning was. I'm just glad it's done even though I would have preferred Grichuk.

I think the assertion that he was our entire offseason isn’t true. The majority of resources were spent on pitching (Jiminez, Lopez, Johnson, Sale, Bummer, etc.). I think the number of transactions associated with Kelenic overstates how crucial a piece he is. If he sucks, it’s $20m wasted. It’s a risk similar to Jiminez or Pierce Johnson.