Braves sign Sean Rodriguez

[Oklahomabrave]

This was one of my first thoughts as well.

[mqt]

This is a very odd signing in my opinion. Teams projected to win 75 games don't typically give $5m per year to bench guys, and there isn't a clear place to platoon him for the next 2 years.

A LHed hitting guy like Valbuena to platoon with Garcia at 3b makes sense.

A RHed hitting CFer like Ruggiano to take some ABs against LHers and be a defensive replacement for Kemp makes sense.

A RHed hitting infielder to platoon with Jace doesn't make as much sense with Albies ready in a couple months.

This signing seems like a precursor to a trade involving Albies, and the Braves going with a Jace/Sean platoon at 2b for the next couple years.

Nah, keep in mind that Albies is coming off a pretty serious injury and will need to spend some time getting back into it after rehabbing it, and that he's still a teenager.

Beyond that, this deal does nothing to block Albies. $5 million a year is practically nothing in today's game. If Rodriguez is even close to the player he was last year, he's a bargain. If not, he's still a decent utility IF getting paid like one.

[GovClintonTyree]

This is a very odd signing in my opinion. Teams projected to win 75 games don't typically give $5m per year to bench guys, and there isn't a clear place to platoon him for the next 2 years.

A LHed hitting guy like Valbuena to platoon with Garcia at 3b makes sense.

A RHed hitting CFer like Ruggiano to take some ABs against LHers and be a defensive replacement for Kemp makes sense.

A RHed hitting infielder to platoon with Jace doesn't make as much sense with Albies ready in a couple months.

This signing seems like a precursor to a trade involving Albies, and the Braves going with a Jace/Sean platoon at 2b for the next couple years.

From your lips to God's ears.

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[Managuarantano's Volunteers]

Kinda weird, but it could be one of those sign for a good first half 2B platoon then trade when we want Albies up.

Also may mean we don't believe in Garcia

[GovClintonTyree]

Didn't really think about that but you may be right. This makes Albies quite a bit more expendable now. I'm not the biggest fan of platoons but a Jace/Rodriguez platoon could be pretty potent at second.

I wasn't either. Now I think it's a cheap way to build a star. I watched skeptically as Seattle pulled together Adam Lind and Dae Ho Lee and Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez last year and while none of them had a great year, once you did the math you got good cheap production to augment your stars.

[GovClintonTyree]

Kinda weird, but it could be one of those sign for a good first half 2B platoon then trade when we want Albies up.

Also may mean we don't believe in Garcia

Yep. Could be insurance for a lot of things.

[Enscheff]

Nah, keep in mind that Albies is coming off a pretty serious injury and will need to spend some time getting back into it after rehabbing it, and that he's still a teenager.

Beyond that, this deal does nothing to block Albies. $5 million a year is practically nothing in today's game. If Rodriguez is even close to the player he was last year, he's a bargain. If not, he's still a decent utility IF getting paid like one.

I can understand this line of thinking, but I still have a hard time understanding it from Sean's perspective. A player like him usually is looking for consistent ABs on a non-contender, or a bench role on a team with playoff aspirations.

The Braves are not a contender, and can only give him ABs as part of the light side of a platoon at 2b. And once Albies comes up, whenever that is, even those ABs will go away.

Did he agree to sign with the understanding more playing time would be available than I am assuming he will get?

Just an odd move from both sides of the equation.

[mqt]

I can understand this line of thinking, but I still have a hard time understanding it from Sean's perspective. A player like him usually is looking for consistent ABs on a non-contender, or a bench role on a team with playoff aspirations.

The Braves are not a contender, and can only give him ABs as part of the light side of a platoon at 2b. And once Albies comes up, whenever that is, even those ABs will go away.

Did he agree to sign with the understanding more playing time would be available than I am assuming he will get?

Just an odd move from both sides of the equation.

It sounds like the Braves intend to use him as a utility guy in addition to him starting at 2B against LHP. If he can get in the lineup across the diamond and get starts at 2B, I think there are enough PAs to go around for him.

[clvclv]

Yep. Could be insurance for a lot of things.

Don't really see the confusion personally. Gives you more flexibility than if you'd gone back and re-signed BOTH Frenchy and KJ for the bench and only takes up one roster spot - for only slightly more money than the two of them would've cost. Not a perfect platoon-mate for Garcia, I agree, but Rodriguez replaces d'Arnaud with a lot more pop and allows you to carry a third Catcher for Dickey (even though they've said they don't plan to - yet) or an extra pen arm.

The two-year deal does at least make you wonder if a deal for an "Ace" is still being considered. I'd still much prefer Archer or Quintana if it is, but I do wonder if anyone would (or even could for that matter) step up and beat a package of Inciarte, Albies, Newcomb, and Ruiz for Sale.

[atl717]

We just got 350-400 plate appearances of above average offensive production for a cheap price. Thats a pretty sizable upgrade IMO.

He's a below average hitter. Look at his career numbers. Look at his OBP. He's not good. Guys like this should be found on the cheap.

LOL at signing Sean Rodriguez making Albies expendable. I'm sure that's what the front office was thinking when they signed a career backup. Guys like this don't have any effect on the promotion of a top prospect.

[Horsehide Harry]

This looks to me like a bit of a "Geezer" hedge in addition to the 2B platoon.

I actually like what the Braves are doing so far (if they aren't going to continue "officially" in rebuild mode). It's somewhat of a stealth rebuild mode, bring in a bunch of aging vets to provide the appearance of trying to compete, then if things go poorly the 1st half of 2017, you move the geezer contingent for best available while keeping the core intact.

I could see a 35-46 first half heading into the All-Star break where the FO says "well, that didn't work" and they use whatever value can be squeezed from Colon, Dickey, Johnson, Rodriguez, Garcia, Kemp, Markakis, Flowers, Viz, Collmenter, Jace, etc. to continue to build the rebuild talent pool.

I mean, think about it: The FO obviously thinks it's critical to enter the new park under the right circumstances which is to AT LEAST provide the illusion of a contending team. They want a full ballpark, at least for a while, but know that once the newness of the park wears off, only the play of the team will keep fans coming. The only way to really hold fan interest throughout the season would be to start strong and play well throughout the year with at least a chance at the playoffs until the final week of the season. Right now, they need to sell season ticket packages and build supporter and consumer confidence for the team and associated ballpark businesses. Once the season starts it's all about individual ticket sales and game packages which are driven primarily by the actual play of the team.

If the FO can build the expectation of a competitive team going into the season, they sell season tickets at a rate where fans expect to compete. If they finish the first month 5 games under .500, they sell tickets at a rate of actual observable play.

I think the FO is splitting the baby which will lead to a somewhat inefficient rebuild but it's probably the best than can do given the timing of circumstances.

[mqt]

I just don't see where this move means much of anything other than adding a player who can contribute in a number of ways at a reasonable price. It's not the kind of deal and he's not the kind of player that suggests we have some sort of bigger plan in place. Maybe he comes somewhat close to repeating last year and we have a guy who can be a solid bat at 2B until Albies is ready and fill a role similar to Prado if Albies does come up and performs.

[Enscheff]

I just don't see where this move means much of anything other than adding a player who can contribute in a number of ways at a reasonable price. It's not the kind of deal and he's not the kind of player that suggests we have some sort of bigger plan in place. Maybe he comes somewhat close to repeating last year and we have a guy who can be a solid bat at 2B until Albies is ready and fill a role similar to Prado if Albies does come up and performs.

The point is why add a $5m per year bench player to a 75 win team? What is he insurance against? Losing 100 games?

It's like adding a new winch to a truck that will probably break down before it needs to pull anything with that winch.

[thethe]

The point is why add a $5m per year bench player to a 75 win team? What is he insurance against? Losing 100 games?

It's like adding a new winch to a truck that will probably break down before it needs to pull anything with that winch.

Do you think the braves should not try to improve just because they don't have a 90 win projection? Getting a better draft pick is not a goal for the braves anymore.

[dak]

The point is why add a $5m per year bench player to a 75 win team? What is he insurance against? Losing 100 games?

It's like adding a new winch to a truck that will probably break down before it needs to pull anything with that winch.

I can understand this point of view. If I thought the Braves were in a position where they were throwing money at a hopeless season, I'd be frustrated. I guess I'm a bit more optimistic and see this team ending up with a win projection more in the high 70s or low 80s. From this position, history has taught us that team's have a chance to compete for a playoff spot and sometimes hit pay dirt. I agree with the Braves assessment that this pursuit is worth the cost, on a number of levels.

As it relates to Rodriguez, he makes the team better in a lot of small ways that add up. Aside from the main benefit of being something resembling a platoon partner with Jace for 2-4 months, he helps in a number of other ways:

- Can take some ABs away from Markakis against LHP.
- Can serve as a defensive replacement for Kemp late in games.
- Provides long-term injury insurance at a few positions, and short-term injury insurance at almost every position.
- Has the position versatility to create a lot of flexibility when it comes to matchup situations with RPs late in games.
- If the Braves want to get creative at any point with some trades of other IFs or OFs, his flexibility makes it a little easier.

[50PoundHead]

Looking at his career numbers, 2016 is a great outlier for him. I'm with Enscheff in seeing this as an odd move. Not necessarily a bad move--we'll see how it plays out--but I don't see where he really fits.

[zbhargrove]

Looking at his career numbers, 2016 is a great outlier for him. I'm with Enscheff in seeing this as an odd move. Not necessarily a bad move--we'll see how it plays out--but I don't see where he really fits.

Definitely an outlier but there was a lot of talk around Pitt that he had made some significant adjustments. Who knows if that's all lip service. He had a higher BABIP but it wasn't absurd. His power numbers were crazy. Worth a $5 million gamble to be a super until guy or platoon mate if there was any truth to the adjustment narrative

[blueagleace1]

I can understand this point of view. If I thought the Braves were in a position where they were throwing money at a hopeless season, I'd be frustrated. I guess I'm a bit more optimistic and see this team ending up with a win projection more in the high 70s or low 80s. From this position, history has taught us that team's have a chance to compete for a playoff spot and sometimes hit pay dirt. I agree with the Braves assessment that this pursuit is worth the cost, on a number of levels.

As it relates to Rodriguez, he makes the team better in a lot of small ways that add up. Aside from the main benefit of being something resembling a platoon partner with Jace for 2-4 months, he helps in a number of other ways:

- Can take some ABs away from Markakis against LHP.
- Can serve as a defensive replacement for Kemp late in games.
- Provides long-term injury insurance at a few positions, and short-term injury insurance at almost every position.
- Has the position versatility to create a lot of flexibility when it comes to matchup situations with RPs late in games.
- If the Braves want to get creative at any point with some trades of other IFs or OFs, his flexibility makes it a little easier.

THIS.

Excellent post dak and I agree wholeheartedly! Very good signing on our part and offers almost no downside. Again, great points!

[clvclv]

This looks to me like a bit of a "Geezer" hedge in addition to the 2B platoon.

I actually like what the Braves are doing so far (if they aren't going to continue "officially" in rebuild mode). It's somewhat of a stealth rebuild mode, bring in a bunch of aging vets to provide the appearance of trying to compete, then if things go poorly the 1st half of 2017, you move the geezer contingent for best available while keeping the core intact.

I could see a 35-46 first half heading into the All-Star break where the FO says "well, that didn't work" and they use whatever value can be squeezed from Colon, Dickey, Johnson, Rodriguez, Garcia, Kemp, Markakis, Flowers, Viz, Collmenter, Jace, etc. to continue to build the rebuild talent pool.

I mean, think about it: The FO obviously thinks it's critical to enter the new park under the right circumstances which is to AT LEAST provide the illusion of a contending team. They want a full ballpark, at least for a while, but know that once the newness of the park wears off, only the play of the team will keep fans coming. The only way to really hold fan interest throughout the season would be to start strong and play well throughout the year with at least a chance at the playoffs until the final week of the season. Right now, they need to sell season ticket packages and build supporter and consumer confidence for the team and associated ballpark businesses. Once the season starts it's all about individual ticket sales and game packages which are driven primarily by the actual play of the team.

If the FO can build the expectation of a competitive team going into the season, they sell season tickets at a rate where fans expect to compete. If they finish the first month 5 games under .500, they sell tickets at a rate of actual observable play.

I think the FO is splitting the baby which will lead to a somewhat inefficient rebuild but it's probably the best than can do given the timing of circumstances.

Isn't this the whole point of this winter though? Sign players to short-term deals that will make you better for the short-term that won't "get in the way" of anyone you expect to be ready in the near-future.

They just spent the money that they paid Bourn and Swisher last year on Colon, Dickey, and Rodriguez - three players who can't help but make the 2017 Braves more "competitive" than Bourn and Swisher did in 2016. Those three players won't get in the way of ANYONE in the event Coppy doesn't trade for an "Ace" - you had the "free money" with no one to spend it on. You got two Pitchers who are MUCH more tradeable than the trash we signed last winter in the event Wisler/Blair/Newcomb show that they're ready to take a spot in the rotation. If they don't, you still stand to be a much better team than you were when you were giving starts to Norris/Chacin/Perez/De La Cruz/etc.. You got a solid super-sub who should be a good platoon-mate for Jace who's a better offensive player than KJ/Frenchy/d'Arnaud and is likely imminently more tradeable than those three who will still be a good super-sub if/when Albies takes over at 2B. That 2B platoon also buys you the whole season IF you decide to delay Ozzie's promotion because you want to stagger service-time between Swanson and Albies.

Just tough for me to imagine that folks saw the incremental improvement someone like Castro MIGHT have provided as a plus, yet they'd criticize this signing - 2 years and $11.5 million for Rodriguez seems like a better use of resources than 3 years and $25 million for Castro to me.

[GovClintonTyree]

I can understand this point of view. If I thought the Braves were in a position where they were throwing money at a hopeless season, I'd be frustrated. I guess I'm a bit more optimistic and see this team ending up with a win projection more in the high 70s or low 80s. From this position, history has taught us that team's have a chance to compete for a playoff spot and sometimes hit pay dirt. I agree with the Braves assessment that this pursuit is worth the cost, on a number of levels.

As it relates to Rodriguez, he makes the team better in a lot of small ways that add up. Aside from the main benefit of being something resembling a platoon partner with Jace for 2-4 months, he helps in a number of other ways:

- Can take some ABs away from Markakis against LHP.
- Can serve as a defensive replacement for Kemp late in games.
- Provides long-term injury insurance at a few positions, and short-term injury insurance at almost every position.
- Has the position versatility to create a lot of flexibility when it comes to matchup situations with RPs late in games.
- If the Braves want to get creative at any point with some trades of other IFs or OFs, his flexibility makes it a little easier.

They've done a lot of relatively small things that make even more sense if they believe they're on the edge of contention... and if you believe they really are trying to add a top starter, it adds up pretty clearly.

I know a lot of you who have done the Fangraphs calculus think that's a fool's errand, but reading the tea leaves, that's what I see.