Winter Meetings Predictions
- Thread starter CrimsonCowboy
- Start date
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
We won't make a major move at third until we become convinced the internal options are not working out. This off-season is too early.
I don't think we'll make any moves for players of the caliber of Fulmer, Archer, Yelich or Ozuna. I think the AA strategy will be to grow our own stars and surround them with competent complementary players. So at third a stopgap along the lines of Nunez, Solarte, Prado, Yandy Diaz. Maybe Todd Frazier if his market is weak and we can get him on a 3 year deal. I also think we'll pick up a fifth starter, but not someone like Fulmer or Archer. And probably a reliever.
salmagundy
Boras' Client
Braves fans get restless as they watch the Braves do nothing.
The remaining "brass"(JS/TM) are on hot seat with Liberty and face uncertain future.
The remaining "brass"(JS/TM) are on hot seat with Liberty and face uncertain future.
Why would the Yankees want anything the Braves have?
If I’m the Yankees, I try to get Archer for a package built around Frazier and Andujar. Keep Headley at 3b for this season, then sign Machado as a FA. Then go on to win 100 games per season for the next 5 years.
How can the Braves even get into discussions at that talent level? By offering a FV 55 pitching prospect with the ceiling of a #3? Highly doubtful.
The Braves will sit idly by as the big boys wheel and deal at the winter meetings. When the big game of musical chairs stops, the Braves can fight over the scraps that represented Plan B or C for all the contenders.
IslandBrave
Mashin' to Mississippi
Wut? So the Braves only have a couple future #3 starters?
That’s they can realistically spare? Yes, absolutely.
Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
I think they will want to see what Andujar can do. And a lot depends on Machado. I don't think the Yankees want to get themselves into "Dodger" luxury tax. So they will manage their finances. They will spend right to the limit and maybe over occasionally but I don't think they want to live there.
I could see them going Andujar for the next couple of years then making a play on Arrenado if/when necessary since Ellsbury and others will cycle off and they will have a better understanding of what Stanton is likely to do and if Judge is really gold or fools gold.
I think they will "kick the tires" on guys like Archer. But you have to remember that they are replacing Sabathia and just made a mid season move for Gray.
I would pitch Teheran for Headley and Frazier and see what they say.
WaitingFor2017
Well-known member
ESPN predicts Braves sign Moustakas this week.
Still not convinced, but if we do sign Moose I'm not going to be surprised to see AA make a play for Archer.
While our LF options aren't "optimal" right now, it would make some sense. The rumblings are that the Yankees want a SP and two lower-level prospects for Frazier. If you've "answered" 3B with Moose, Riley obviously becomes available in the right deal. Trade Julio, Muller, and Tarnok or Ynoa for Frazier. Frazier and Acuna start in AAA (as someone else mentioned) to get a few more ABs while you keep looking for someone to take Markakis and/or Kemp. The offense with Moose would probably be good enough to keep you afloat until Frazier and Acuna force their way into the lineup - then you deal with Nick and Matt (if you still have them). If Frazier doesn't work out you package him with an arm and move on - With Julio and Markakis off the books you could go after an Adam Jones or McCutchen to play LF next winter.
I don't know if Soroka, Allard, and Riley will be enough to get Archer, but I bet they would be. At that point, you have a rotation of Archer, Gohara, Folty, Newcomb, and Fried with Wright on the way. If you've seen enough of Folty to extend him, you do - if he takes another step forward that's likely to simply enhance his value IF you choose to trade him later. If you don't, Newcomb or Fried can go to the pen or be traded once Wright is ready.
The Yankees operate on a completely different plane of baseball than teams like the Braves.
The rest of the league hemmed and hawed over a Stanton trade for 2 months, then the Yankees swooped in and made a deal happen over the course of 2 says.
The Yankees win 90+ games in an rebuild year. Meanwhile, the Braves can’t manage to even figure out how to bottom out payroll during their rebuild.
The Yankees sign ARod for $300M and can afford to wait for the deal to expire. Meanwhile, the Braves sign Markakis for $44M and have to scramble to unload the final year of his deal.
The Yankees sign Chapman when nobody wanted to deal with him, then flip him and Miller for packages that completely redefine the trade market for BP arms. Meanwhile, the Braves are scrambling to unload JJ and his $5M.
The Yankees promote players like Sanchez and Judge when they are ready, and they produce like stars. Meanwhile, the Braves rush prospects to MLB at the cost of future value in some lame attempt to drive fan interest.
Pitchers the Braves have to offer are going to be pretty far down the list of targets for the Yankees. They don’t need to add a 2 win guy, and that’s all the Braves can afford to offer. The Yankees will be aiming higher than anything the Braves have.
msstate7
Well-known member
You make it sound like the Yankees had the Stanton trade lined up the whole time and were just smarter than everyone else
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Braves continue youth movement by drafting this guy in the Rule 5 and immediately putting him on the 60-day DL.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Oh, Criminy, I hope and pray that report is dead wrong.
Enscheff, I get what you're saying, but if you've got the Yankees payroll you can do a number of things. When you have established big league players at every position, there's no need to rush your minor league players. There's no question that the guys in the bunkhouse at the Triple J ranch screwed up royally by awarding or acquiring some contracts that were simply unwise given the franchise's payroll constraints. They also inexplicably rushed a few guys, both burning service time and stunting development. But the moral of the story is if you don't have top-drawer players, your margin for error is much more limited. I'm not excusing some of the idiocy that reigned during the Triple J era, but the Braves had no Miller and/or Chapman to move without totally gutting the franchise.
bravesfanforlife88
Well-known member
Link?
They were able to pull the trigger the moment the deal fell into their laps. They simply operate on a completely different level than almost all other teams.
The fact they were 1 of teams Stanton agreed to should speak volumes. Yankees, Astros, Cubs and Dodgers. Stanton pretty much just named the cream of the crop MLB organizations.
The Braves just lost a boatload of prospect talent, had their international player acquisition abilities completely castrated, and lost their 3rd pick in the next draft.
Do we really think it’s wise to give up another pick to sign Mous?
bravesfanMatt
Steve Harvey'd
Not a huge fan of this but a 3rd rounder is not that hard to swallow. Basically you go all in on that #8 pick and then add minor league depth fodder the rest of the draft.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Incredibly stupid move if they sign Moustakas. I have to guess it would be a four- or five-year deal. Markakis Part Deux.
MLBTR has him at 5/85 and FG has him at 5/95.
Filling 1 of the 2 biggest holes on the roster wouldn’t be the dumbest idea ever, but the timing is certainly suspect.
I still contend that it makes no sense to sign Mous (or Frazier) without also upgrading LF and giving the team a non-zero chance at a wildcard spot.