Braves Pitchers And Catchers Report Today!

[Horsehide Harry]

It's true. The Braves biggest offseason additions were two 40 year old pitchers and a utility guy who is probably not playing at all this season. Sure it was low on my part, but it's more of an indictment on how poorly Coppy and this rebuild process are going.

Not really true. What is true is that it shows that Coppy and the Johns are willing to mislead the great unwashed by what they say in effort to get them to the new ballpark (which isn't unusual for any MLB management team). It doesn't appear that they have deviated a significant amount from the rebuild process since they have refused to part with significant prospect talent to improve on a short term basis. In fact, you could say that they actually added MORE high end prospect talent in the offseason (Gohara, Jackson) than anything they gave up.

This offseason has been a lot of public bravado about being a competitive team in 2017. But, the word competitive means different things to different people.

They are looking to get incrementally better each year - 68 wins, 75 wins, 81 wins, 85 wins, 90 wins, etc. as the young talent hits the ML level. I think that is their plan.

I disagree that their plan is the most efficient way to rebuild, but their way is ONE way.

My way, I wouldn't have fired Fredi last year and saved the money and proceeded to finish dead last (better draft position and more money). I would have moved Markakis when I could, traded Inciarte for hopefully an Eaton-like return, never traded for Kemp and looked for cheap reclamation for the OF hoping 1 or 2 rebound enough to trade for more value. I would have entertained offers for Freddie and pulled the trigger if a good enough offer came by. Swanson would have stayed in the minors last year. Teheran would be traded. I would have loaded the rotation with one year (or short year) guys who I might be able to flip for value, which would allow me to buy time for in house guys to develop without running their ML clocks. Same for the pen.

Then I would start really building the team after 2017 & 2018 through FA signings and influx of finished products from the minor league teams. In my way, the minors would have 2 more years of top of the draft talent plus whatever was picked up through all the trades.

BUT, my way would have resulted in a much lower attendance number in the new park than Coppy's way. I would be OK with that since the payroll would be lower as well. I think in most ML cities, Atlanta especially, fans come to see winners they don't really come to see OK teams or even perpetually close teams. Not all cities are like that (Cards, Cubs) but most are.