2018 Offseason And Targets

Status
Not open for further replies.
thewupk said:
The Phillies and Mets both have a lot of ground to make up to catch Atlanta. And despite all these moves the Braves still have added the player projected to have the biggest impact in Donaldson.
Click to expand...

And the offseason isnt anywhere close to over, no one knows who AA is gonna add to the roster.
 
BeanieAntics said:
If Freeman follows a standard aging curve, it might be foolish for us to bring him back after 2021 unless we can bring him in at a significant discount and/or bring him back on short term deals. He is likely to start his decline by then and it would be easier to acquire someone with approximate production than it would be if he played a more premium position.

Maybe we can get him to extend until 2022 or 2023, but beyond that I don't want to guarantee him anything.
Click to expand...

This is the only scenario in which Freeman should be a Brave after his current contract ends. We need to be a team to pay for what you will do instead of what you have done. Maybe he pulls a Chipper and takes less to be here while continuing to be an elite bat? It does happen but not something you should count on.
 
thewupk said:
The Phillies and Mets both have a lot of ground to make up to catch Atlanta. And despite all these moves the Braves still have added the player projected to have the biggest impact in Donaldson.
Click to expand...

Plus Atlanta has the highest volume of guys who could outproduce their median expected outcome next year. The Nats/Phillies/Mets are all relatively easy to project because so much of their rosters are made up of guys who are pretty well known, production wise. The Braves have like 7 or 8 of those guys to go with an entire roster's worth of players who could improve upon their projections relatively easy.

The team that scares me the most is definitely the Mets at the moment, because even though I think they may have screwed themselves long term, they have brought in a lot of quality short term fixes for their offense. If their rotation stays healthy (GIANT if), that is going to be a really solid team. The Nats are gonna be good too, but losing Harper is gonna be rough and I'm not as in love with that rotation as everyone else seems to be. I'm still in wait an see mode for the Phillies. I think they've got a LONG way to go to catch the rest of the division, but they have the resources to get there. Ultimately, I still feel pretty confident heading into next season, as long as we add a solid 3 win outfielder. We have 4 different guys who could all eclipse 4-5 wins offensively along with an exceptionally deep pitching staff. We'll be fine.
 
After all these recent SP signings, the Teheran contract is looking better. Probably not under water at all . . . or at least close to the surface.
 
dak said:
After all these recent SP signings, the Teheran contract is looking better. Probably not under water at all . . . or at least close to the surface.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone really looks at Teheran's contract as being terrible or anything like that. I think people just realize that a Teheran trade would be our best opportunity to open up much needed funds, given the fact that we could replace his production relatively easy with our young crop. I'm honestly kind of shocked that AA didn't look to move Teheran earlier given that it could have provided more financial clarity earlier in the offseason. Maybe he would have been inclined to offer Brantley a little more if Teheran hadn't been on the books.
 
Horsehide Harry said:
You guys (and gals) can whistle past the graveyard all you want. But, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, the Braves appear to be on a very tight budget, one tight enough where there is a real good chance that they starve the fire for want of fuel.

I see your Astros comparison. The difference is that they took their payroll down to $29M in 2013, they shamelessly tanked, they played the International market hard, and they grew most of their team in house until they started needing the final pieces to make it happen and keep it going. The Astro's year end 2018 payroll was $187M and will likely be as much or more this year. Thats 6 plus X payroll growth in 5 years. They used their free cash to add as needed, when needed and keep and pay developing stars. When the Astros got ready to really compete, they had few holes and a young team with a core that could grow together (cheaply) as they got better. When they failed the one year after the one good year, they still were a young team with money to spend and developing stars.

The Braves aren't really doing it that way. The Braves 40 man has varied over the last 5 years from a low of $107.5M to a high of $136M. Everything about this offseason signals moderate payroll growth at best, meaning band aids and bailing wire, not true fixes.

There's two ways to build a sustainably good franchise: 1. Commit to a rebuild, take it down to the metal and smartly rebuild from the ground up spending your cash wisely along the way (the Astros model) and 2. Rebuild on the fly, spend massive cash where needed to get over the hump and stay there (the Yankees and Red Sox model).

The Braves are trying this half assed toe in the water pray for rain strategy which won't work for any kind of sustained success.

I was hopeful that with the new park, the Braves would start spending like they should which is a top 10 type franchise. But, that's not happening.

That's why I say that if the Braves fail in 2019, short of pretty visible and fixable circumstances, they need to be open on moving Freeman, Inciarte and others because of the windage of the situation - when the young guys get good enough to be helpful enough you can't have the monied veterans eating up payroll in a career decline phase.
Click to expand...

So your grand plan is to basically start another rebuild and waste the cheap years of Acuna, Albies, and our pitchers?

It's a gawd awful idea any way you spin it. It was an awful idea the 1st time you suggested it and it's still an awful idea now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top