Would be nice to see Bae get his BB rate back to the 8-9% level again, but it's hard to complain overall about what he's given us over the last year. He's essentially been over a 4 WAR player over his last 162 games. Not gonna find many of those at SS. From a WAR perspective, he's been as good or better than other top SS around the league that are impending FAs like Baez, Story, and Seagar.
Around the League - 2021 Szn
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CyYoung31
Shift Leader
It’s funny. Albies and Swanson aren’t separated by that much in fWAR now.
MadduxFanII
Swallowed by Mark Bowman
It would have been nice if Shewmake had absolutely clobbered the ball this year -- it would have put him in line to take over in 2023 after Swanson left. As it stands, there's no reason to do anything drastic with Dansby. Let him play out his contract, and by this time next year we should have a better sense of whether Shewmake will be able to take over or if we have to try and patch the hole. I wonder if it's too late for Albies to slide over to short if it's easier for us to find a second baseman.
Shewmake 1st 125 PAs this season (ending June 16): .127/.176/.229 Total OPS .405
115 PA's since (starting June 17): .355/.395/.607 Total OPS 1.0003
Truly a a tale of 2 halves for Shewmake this season. Seems hard to imagine that he's been that good lately, given his current overall line. But that just shows how truly abysmal he was to start the season. Would still like to see his BB rates get better, but that 17% K rate with a .600 SLG is super sexy.
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PawPawMaxwell
Called Up to the Major Leagues
Seriously think I recall that Ozzies arm is questionable at SS.
I don't think Ozzie's capable of playing SS anymore. Not so much because of his arm strength (or even his range), but because that goofy hitch in his motion has become more and more pronounced the longer he's been at 2B. It's not just the hard throws I think he'd struggle with - I'm afraid he'd turn some of the routine plays into really close ones and infield singles for strong runners.
As for letting Dansby just play his contract out, that's probably the best approach to the situation - I'd just hope AA would leave himself enough flexibility to offer him a shorter/below-market extension in the event he continues to improve and/or Shewmake struggles again coming out of the blocks next season. Ideally you can avoid spending the type of money next year's SS class is going to make and still get strong production at the position, but if Dansby keeps producing I wouldn't think twice about trying Shewmake out in the outfield early next season to see if you can get Dansby at SS for half the money the other guys get so you can spend that money on pitching.
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Russ2dollas
10 yr, $185 million Extension
The interesting thing is that there are 3 legit studs at SS that will be free agents. I can't see the Braves paying 200-300 million to get those guys, but they are there. There are also other guys you could see being 2-3 WAR.
So what do the Braves do? I wish we had two more years of control on swanson
Southcack77
Well-known member
It will be interesting to see if they give him a QO if it comes to it and those still exist
You are correct. Albies has the loopiest throwing motion I can remember seeing from an IFer. I remember mentioning it in a thread on day 1 at the MLB level, and it's pretty clear why they moved him to 2B and let Swanson handle SS.
MadduxFanII
Swallowed by Mark Bowman
Assuming he's solid the rest of this year and next, and assuming the qualifying offers still exist, and assuming nothing happens to really torpedo the financial situation and payroll, Swanson strikes me as a pretty perfect QO candidate.
DirkPiggler
Well-known member
Never rely on an Aggie.
bravesfanforlife88
Well-known member
Reds have signed Ender Inciarte and assigned him to AAA Louisville.
Deester11
Well-known member
It wasn't always so pronounced. It's a moot point anyway, but the range he "had" at ss was pretty fun to watch. He'd make plays in the hole that you couldn't believe but you knew they were hits for the batter. Even some of the routine grounders. The Braves got the move right.
As for Swanson, I've grown to appreciate what he is. I'd like him back for the right deal. Gonna be interesting to watch for sure. He's my Jeff Blauser. Most don't remember his last year as a Brave but it was damn good. .308/.482/.886. What would that cost today? He averaged about a 2.4 War for his career, Dansby is at 2.1 in his career.
Julio3000
<B>A Chip Off the Old Rock</B>
I’ve reached a point of contentedness with Swanson. It’s all about expectations. He’ll continue to be a good value even at high-arb prices. Not sure if I want him at market prices, but similarly not sure if we’re in the market and have the pockets for an upgrade. Keep your expectations low, and he’ll exceed them. Set them high, and you’ll probably be disappointed.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed that Albies' production has stayed stagnant since he came into the league. But he's a consistent 3-4 WAR player so it's hard to fine much to complain about especially with that contract. It's nice that Swanson seems to finally be getting to his range of production. I'd love a 3-4 year extension at a good price but I have a feeling he's wanting that big pay day and can't blame him at all for that.
Deester11
Well-known member
There is nothing wrong with Albies production in the least. He's a career avg 4 WAR player at a ridiculously undervalued contact. Even at almost 2 this year (1.8) he's been good. I agree we expect great but we can only hope Dansby gets to where this version of Ozzie is.
This was the type of short-term, below market type of extension I had mentioned before.
I'd think it's fair to assume he's going to get around $10 million this winter if he goes to arbitration. I'd also think it's fair to assume he's got another 3-4 two win seasons left. If you could get him to take a 3 year/$30 million deal with a team option for $10 million in 2025 I'd think that should turn out to be a relative "bargain" if he stays healthy.
Is that more than you'd like to pay? Sure - but I think there's a chance that that kind of deal could turn out to be really good, and not a whole lot of chance that it comes back to really bite you in the *ss if he stays healthy. There are always going to be folks who wind up disappointed in him since they expected him to be a star based on his draft position, but if you could lock down that position for the rest of your window for less money than Simmons is making at 31 years old that's a pretty good investment IMO. $10 million/year would put him somewhere in the range of the 12-15th highest-paid SS, and that's probably right where he ought to be (regardless of where the $/WAR number falls).
