2025-2026 offseason thread
- Thread starter Enscheff
- Start date
Nerfherders
Well-known member
I'll never forget that first game for him. It seemed like the sky was the limit. Still a very good career and carved out a nice role for himself later in his career.
I was there.
chop2chip
Well-known member
Not sure if he can even do that. But he’d do a helluva job fielding infield practice
jpx7
Very Flirtatious, but Doubts What Love Is.
Lee (obviously) as well as Payamps and Manoah will be tendered, and Fraley is likely as well. Brujan may stick around, too, just because he’s so cheap.
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
Allen and Wentz are guys I would bring back just for depth in ST. I dont know that we will have a roster spot for them unless someone gets injured, but I also doubt we end ST fully healthy.
I could see everyone on the list being tendered a contract. Fraley would be the most likely non-tendered to me. He's the only one who could be outrighted off the roster elect FA and keep his money. The rest should at least be able to provide usable non roster depth.
I know we just got them, so it seems somewhat likely we will tender them. I just can't understand why.
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Yeah and bummer finished the season on the IL with shoulder issues.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Let's all jump into 50#'s Wayback Machine (truth be told I resembled Sherman (substitute red for blond hair) and talk about bench construction. I became a serious baseball fan in the 1960s and have been so since. One of the biggest changes I have seen during my fandom is the expansion of bullpens and the corresponding diminishment of the number of bench players. In the era of ten-man pitching staffs and seven-man benches, roster construction was markedly different. The DH has also contributed to shorter benches as players who are almost exclusively pinch-hitters and double-switches are no longer part of the game.
Most every team had a player that was similar to Nick Allen: all-glove/no-bat. Utility guys like Chico Ruiz, Dick Tracewski, Sammy Esposito, Mike de la Hoz, Bob Saverine, Bob Johnson, etc., would find a place on rosters and usually serve as late-inning defensive replacements, pinch-hitters, pinch-runners, and double-switch specialists because of their ability to play multiple positions in the pre-DH era. Many teams also carried a player who was their go-to pinch-hitter and almost every team carried three catchers.
This history is a roundabout way of talking about players like Nick Allen. In the game as currently played, I don't believe you can have a player on a four-man bench who simply can't hit. Someone like Allen is either a regular on a team who can carry his lack of hitting ability or he's in the minor leagues. In my estimation, every player on the bench has to be able to hit at least some or, in the case of someone like Brujan, be able to play both infield and outfield (I'm not advocating for Brujan in particular). Going forward (and the Braves might have had this in mind when drafting as many middle-infielders in the latest draft) is that you have a possible everyday shortstop (obviously a step-down or said player would be in the majors with someone) at AAA in the event your major league shortstop has a long-term injury. In the meantime, you have someone like Ignacio Alvarez or Vidal Brujan (again not advocating for them in particular) who can stand at shortstop for a day or two in the event of a short-term injury or waiting for the AAA player to arrive.
Of the arb list, I think Lee and White are guys who likely get offered. One can never tell with Anthopoulos' penchant for scrubbing the waiver wires clean all year long, but I don't think he will risk Payamps at that projection. I think the rest are in the gray area and much will depend on how they approach free agency. If they are intent on signing a veteran starting pitcher (or two), I can't see them holding on to Wentz or Suarez. Manoah is a reclamation project and the Braves have had success with this type of pitcher in the past, so I can see him getting an offer. Brujan is cheap and can play all over the field but his questionable bat makes him iffy. I think the biggest question of the guys on the list is Fraley and I think his fate is tied as to how the team will handle the DH position in 2026.
Thanks for reading War and Peace.
I don't understand not offering Arb for Wentz Allen or Suarez. They are cheap and could likely be stashed in AAA if we don't need them. Teams always need usable arms and we need depth in the infield.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I think it will boil down to 40-man space. A ton of guys coming off the 60-day IL and I don't know if anyone currently not on the 40-man (Burkhalter comes to mind) needs to be added to avoid be exposed to the Rule 5. I agree that it would be nice to have those guys in AAA, but what is their option status or can the reject assignment?