There are huge question marks in the OF, so AA has to plan for that. As we saw this year, the team that opens the season is not going to be the team that finishes the year, so they don’t have to lock down the entire roster in the off season.
It’s possible Ozuna comes back in the 2nd half, so DH PAs must be available. It’s possible Pache progresses, so CF PAs must be available. It’s possible Acuna isn’t 100% ready opening day, so some of those PAs may need to be filled.
Freeman must be signed, somehow without hamstringing the payroll 4-5 years from now. Rizzo is a good backup plan. Soler needs to be in LF, so that deal needs to get done as well. Someone has to be Plan B in CF before the deadline, and Heredia fills that role well. Joc is a great option to pair with Heredia, and can move to the bench if Pache takes off. If Ozuna is gone all 2022, or the Braves can’t sign Soler, Rosario is an acceptable target.
The rotation obviously starts with Fried, Morton and Anderson. They shouldn’t be counting on Soroka for anything at this point, so he falls into the 5th SP grab bag with guys like Ynoa, Wright, and Touki. They should probably bring in a Smyly replacement on a 1 year deal, and there are several options out there.
Revisiting the supposed trade for Reynolds would be amazing. Something centered around Pache plus an advanced arm would maybe work.
It’s possible Ozuna comes back in the 2nd half, so DH PAs must be available. It’s possible Pache progresses, so CF PAs must be available. It’s possible Acuna isn’t 100% ready opening day, so some of those PAs may need to be filled.
Freeman must be signed, somehow without hamstringing the payroll 4-5 years from now. Rizzo is a good backup plan. Soler needs to be in LF, so that deal needs to get done as well. Someone has to be Plan B in CF before the deadline, and Heredia fills that role well. Joc is a great option to pair with Heredia, and can move to the bench if Pache takes off. If Ozuna is gone all 2022, or the Braves can’t sign Soler, Rosario is an acceptable target.
The rotation obviously starts with Fried, Morton and Anderson. They shouldn’t be counting on Soroka for anything at this point, so he falls into the 5th SP grab bag with guys like Ynoa, Wright, and Touki. They should probably bring in a Smyly replacement on a 1 year deal, and there are several options out there.
Revisiting the supposed trade for Reynolds would be amazing. Something centered around Pache plus an advanced arm would maybe work.
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