Around Baseball Offseason Thread

I said in July I would not be shocked if the Braves shipped JT in the offseason for Soler. I was using the Olivera case as template. The FO seems determined to get the guys they want in Braves unis and for the record I was against the trade with LA this summer and saw nothing from Olivera to change my mind. There is some talent there but he much too raw for his age.
 
Olivera to play some LF in Winter ball. More interestingly, the FO thinks he'll eventually end up in LF. I wonder if we'll at least evaluate the 3B market this offseason. I'm more bullish on Olivera's bat than a lot of folks here, but his defense is a big concern.

It seems too early to project where Olivera might fit long term on a defensive basis. But when the Braves were pursuing him as a free agent this past winter, there was talk that he would likely end up as a left fielder if he signed with Atlanta.
Although Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn might not be viewed as everyday options, they will both return to Atlanta as left field options, unless the Braves are able to creatively move at least one of those contracts. Adonis Garcia stands as another option to occasionally use in left field or at third base.
Despite the limited range he showed during his short time playing third base, Olivera appears to be a better defensive option at third base than Garcia.
Unless the Braves take a chance on David Freese or find another option via trade, Olivera might actually be the club's best option at third base for at least another year. But there is still reason to plan for the strong possibility that he could end up in left field before his contract expires after the 2020 season.
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http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/156001882/hector-olivera-to-play-left-in-puerto-rico
 
If Olivera shows he can hit but has no position we can always flip him to an AL team a la Gattis. That would be a decent outcome.
 
nsacpi said:
If Olivera shows he can hit but has no position we can always flip him to an AL team a la Gattis. That would be a decent outcome.
Click to expand...

More unknowns with a guy like Olivera than usual, but I think a realistic median projection for him would be 270 / 320 / 420. Not gonna knock your socks off, but would instantly be the second best hitter on our team.

The part that frustrates me is the price the FO paid to acquire a guy they acknowledge is a long-term LF. Serenity now.
 
dak said:
Olivera to play some LF in Winter ball. More interestingly, the FO thinks he'll eventually end up in LF. I wonder if we'll at least evaluate the 3B market this offseason. I'm more bullish on Olivera's bat than a lot of folks here, but his defense is a big concern.

http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/156001882/hector-olivera-to-play-left-in-puerto-rico
Click to expand...

Bowman is such a shill for the Braves front office. We've heard nothing but Olivera being a third basemen since we traded for him, but now that the staff has seen that he can't play third at the major league level they are trying to rewrite history. Somebody missed that eval. Better hope he can play left.
 
And here I was assured that we had our Scott Rolen or Travis Fryman to pencil in at third over the next few years, now not so much?

The Olivera move is just baffling. It was baffling at that time, and unbelievably gets more baffling as time goes on.

One of those deals that makes me wonder what the hell is going on in there (in the office and brain sense).

I wonder what's next? Simmons doesn't have the offense to be an everyday shortstop but he's got the arm to be a pitcher? Bethancourt can't catch but he can run so maybe we can move him to center?

If Olivera can't handle an infield position with his expected offensive productivity, then this move was a massive dud for the Braves.
 
weso1 said:
Bowman is such a shill for the Braves front office. We've heard nothing but Olivera being a third basemen since we traded for him, but now that the staff has seen that he can't play third at the major league level they are trying to rewrite history. Somebody missed that eval. Better hope he can play left.
Click to expand...

"But there is still reason to plan for the strong possibility that he could end up in left field before his contract expires after the 2020 season."

It's not even Bowman. A bot writes those articles based on memos from the Johns, and tosses in a couple of "reason to X" sentences to nail down the style.
 
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