2018 Offseason And Targets

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DOB seems to think we’d be open to a vet FA but right now they want deals longer than two years, and right now he’s not real inclined to go down that isle. Said Brantley wants more like 20M a year rather than like 3/48.

Also we have been engaged on starters, not relievers to this point

The starters bit surprised me, actually. I have no idea who we'd be on? Kuechel and Happy make some sense, as does a bit trade for a TOR arm, though he said he didn't want to give up big resources for an arm; or so I thought he did.

Also, I doubt anyone signs Brantley for that, so the tag will likely go down. I do feel like he's a typically Phillies signing though. lol
 
It’s possible they think the pen is not all that bad if.....Viz returns to form. AJ improves from his rookie season. Teheran goes to the pen. Another one of the kids goes to the pen. I mean, Gohara could be nasty in the pen. Maybe pick up one more veteran on the cheap.
 
Definitely think any significant payroll add has to be approached creatively at this point.

AA has talked the talk when it comes to adding Donaldson, but it's still tough to imagine the plan included a $20 million signing (regardless of who it was) if the original plan intended to try to address every perceived hole (corner OF, SP, Closer, bench, etc.). Josh is a great fit, but it's not that hard to make the argument that spending on a LF and Closer and trading for a TOR arm while letting Camargo keep 3B warm until Riley comes up might not have been the way to go to more effectively address the overall roster concerns.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with the Donaldson signing - but it certainly hamstrings you a bit, and it makes it tough not to re-sign a healthy Donaldson if you include Riley in a deal at this point.

I think the signing of Donaldson was absolutely in his plan. You don't just accidentally sign someone to that deal.

It was a chunk of the Braves cash. There is still a chunk left. I'm not too worried about the Braves not addressing major holes, but I could completely see them not doing much with the pen or the rotation. In all honestly, they could do nothing with either and still have a reasonable narrative for why that would be just fine. But I would guess they'll sign at least one leverage reliever, probably from the bargain shelf.

My guess is they don't get a rotation piece and they do sign or acquire an OF starter.
 
Another DOB note, they think a lot of Gohara and his progress so far. Said having a normal offseason has done wonders for him. They think adding him in the rotation is going to be a difference maker.

The above doesn't jeehaw much with adding a front line starter unless you are dumping Julio IMO.
 
I don't think we get realmuto. With all the info out there, I think we could be leveraging that move with some other team that is talking about Riley too
 
One-stop shopping trade idea with Arizona.

We get:
1) Greinke (expected surplus value -3 WAR)
2) Peralta (expected surplus value +3WAR)
3) Bradley (expected surplus value +2 WAR)

They get:
1) Teheran (zero expected surplus value)
2) Newcomb (expected surplus value +5 WAR)

To equalize they send us 9M per year over the next three years reducing the cost of Greinke's salary to $23M.

Increase in 2019 payroll is about 22M: 23M (Greinke) plus 10M (combined salary of Peralta and Bradley) minus 11M (Teheran's salary).

With the Donaldson and McCann signings we will have added 47M in payroll.

Rotation is Folty, Greinke, Gausman plus two of Fried, Touki, Soroka, Gohara, Wright, Wilson.

We might have payroll room for a modestly priced veteran pitcher such as Anibal (at about 5M), which would allow us to start the year with just one young un in the rotation.

We also have the option of sending a prospect to Arizona to increase the amount of Greinke's salary they cover.
 
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Aren’t they obsessed with Camargo? Maybe he will slide up and over to left field. Sign/trade for an underwhelming actual OFer and have a platoon type in left field. That seems like a Braves thing to do.
 
Another DOB note, they think a lot of Gohara and his progress so far. Said having a normal offseason has done wonders for him. They think adding him in the rotation is going to be a difference maker.

The above doesn't jeehaw much with adding a front line starter unless you are dumping Julio IMO.

Or, they put Julio in the pen like I’m advocating. I actually think he could close. Things are different when a guy can sling it for an inning.
 
Aren’t they obsessed with Camargo? Maybe he will slide up and over to left field. Sign/trade for an underwhelming actual OFer and have a platoon type in left field. That seems like a Braves thing to do.


You have Duvall as well. For some reason, he seems like a big donk but he’s a great outfielder. And, what if Riley takes to the outfield in ST?
 
It’s possible they think the pen is not all that bad if.....Viz returns to form. AJ improves from his rookie season. Teheran goes to the pen. Another one of the kids goes to the pen. I mean, Gohara could be nasty in the pen. Maybe pick up one more veteran on the cheap.

Gohara is still a starter... if he has gotten over his lost year it would be a waste to use him as a reliever
 
You have Duvall as well. For some reason, he seems like a big donk but he’s a great outfielder. And, what if Riley takes to the outfield in ST?

I was trying to remember who the other outfielder was last year after Acura and BDN Markakis. Totally forgot about Duvall. Camargo is going to be a super sub like Prado was so I could see him getting a chance in the OF. Riley would make sense too because it’s an in house fix and we know how much the Braves love those.
 
So our startegy for 2019 is to go into the season with 20 starting pitchers?

The need is 8-9 for a major league team in a typical major league season. It's not a bad thing to have several major league ready or near major league ready guys in the AAA rotation.
 
We also have O’Day and Sobotka with a year under his belt. I’m just saying that they may think the pen will be ok and I tend to agree. As far as having more starters than we need, you do have to assume an injury or two and putting a couple of them in the pen. Bottom line for me is, we have the pitching to win. Heck, we won last year with a bad pen and lots of injuries. Adding a big bat to hit fifth is the key to this season. And, maybe it is Riley.
 
No to Greinke.

If you want Peralta that bad just man up and trade some prospects for him.

Why on earth would anyone want Peralta bad enough to murder the Braves payroll flexibility through 2021? Makes no sense to me at all.

Of all the guys that have been pooh poohed here, Greinke is the guy who 1) least qualifies as ace 2) is the oldest 3) the most expensive and 4) is furthest into his decline. Yet I get the sense that Grienke is supposed to some kind of positive here?

Weird.
 
No to Greinke.

If you want Peralta that bad just man up and trade some prospects for him.

Why on earth would anyone want Peralta bad enough to murder the Braves payroll flexibility through 2021? Makes no sense to me at all.

Of all the guys that have been pooh poohed here, Greinke is the guy who 1) least qualifies as ace 2) is the oldest 3) the most expensive and 4) is furthest into his decline. Yet I get the sense that Grienke is supposed to some kind of positive here?

Weird.

Payroll flexibility year by year under the one-stop-shopping trade idea:

After 2019: O'Day (9M), Donaldson (23M), McCann (2M), Venters (2M), Vizcaino (5M). Total (41M)

After 2020: Peralta (9M estimate), Gausman (10M estimate), Flowers (6M), Winkler (3M). Total (28M)

After 2021: Freeman (22M), Greinke (23M), Bradley (8M estimate), Folty (10M estimate), Duvall (4M estimate). Total (67M)

Plus some additional flexibility is available from non-tendering some players or not exercising some options.

It might be feasible to do a deal for just Peralta, or just Peralta and Bradley. Those scenarios could produce a good trade for us. But I think it is worth playing around with scenarios involving Greinke given the motivation of the Dbacks to move him.
 
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Payroll flexibility year by year under the one-stop-shopping trade idea:

After 2019: O'Day (9M), Donaldson (23M), McCann (2M), Venters (2M), Vizcaino (5M). Total (41M)

After 2020: Peralta (9M estimate), Gausman (10M estimate), Flowers (6M), Winkler (3M). Total (28M)

After 2021: Freeman (22M), Greinke (23M), Bradley (8M estimate), Folty (10M estimate), Duvall (4M estimate). Total (67M)

Plus some additional flexibility is available from non-tendering some players or not exercising some options.

It might be feasible to do a deal for just Peralta, or just Peralta and Bradley. Those scenarios could produce a good trade for us. But I think it is worth playing around with scenarios involving Greinke given the motivation of the Dbacks to move him.

Should be noted that after 2021 Acuna will be in his 2nd year of arbitration (if no extension is done) and be at a point where he will start to make real money if he plays like we hope. Having major contract obligaions like a Greinke and Freeman coming off the books then will be a pretty big deal.

I like AA's current plan of seemingly loading up on high priced but short term deals. We need to maximize the talent on team while Albies and Acuna are cheap but not burden payroll later on that will make extending them a problem.
 
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