Braves donate Justin Upton to Padres for prospects

[BedellBrave]

With Hart's trades here's a 2017 rotation goal:

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Minor
Jenkins

And 2018

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Jenkins
Fried

 

[emk418]

Maybe we make the playoffs.

Honestly, if we can somehow run into some luck offensively it wouldn't shock me if we still compete for a wild card spot. Our top 4 in the rotation might be VERY good and will keep us competitive even without a good offense.

 

[thewupk]

With Hart's trades here's a 2017 rotation goal:

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Minor
Jenkins

And 2018

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Jenkins
Fried

And we will score 3 runs a game

 

[BedellBrave]

And we will score 3 runs a game

With the lineup we run out there in 2015. Don't know what that lineup will project to be in 2017/2018.

 

[UNCBlue012]

I think everyone knows how much the lineup sucks right now, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple more trades for some offense before the season begins. I also wouldn't be surprised if we spent money to get a guy like Shields.

Just saying', it's relatively early.

 

[Runnin]

I don't mind losing Justin. His HRs next year would be like trees falling in an empty forest. His hot streaks are impressive but he's one of the least inspiring good players I've ever seen.

 

[Heyward]

Maybe we make the playoffs.

Unlikely, too many teams better.

 

[thewupk]

With the lineup we run out there in 2015. Don't know what that lineup will project to be in 2017/2018.

More of the same in 2017 since Johnson and BJ will still be on the team eatting up payroll. No real difference makers in the minors to help. Our current cheap players will also be making a lot more then to eat into the payroll.

 

[Heyward]

More of the same in 2017 since Johnson and BJ will still be on the team eatting up payroll. No real difference makers in the minors to help. Our current cheap players will also be making a lot more then to eat into the payroll.

CJ will probably be traded.

 

[Heyward]

With Hart's trades here's a 2017 rotation goal:

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Minor
Jenkins

And 2018

Teheran
Wood
Miller
Jenkins
Fried

Im guessing Minor is dealt and 2017 rotation is Julio, Wood, Miller, Fried, Jenkins/Sims.

 

[zitothebrave]

Unlikely, too many teams better.

Going into this offseason our team was

C - Gattis
1B - Freeman
2B - LaStella/Gosselin
3B - Johnson
SS - Simmons
LF - Upton
CF - Upton
RF - Heyward

All we need is a LH partner for Johnson. Juan Fran.

Rotation
Julio
Wood
Minor
others

Pen
Kimbrel, Walden, et. al.

Make some low risk high reward signings for SP.

 

[BedellBrave]

Going into this offseason our team was

C - Gattis
1B - Freeman
2B - LaStella/Gosselin
3B - Johnson
SS - Simmons
LF - Upton
CF - Upton
RF - Heyward

All we need is a LH partner for Johnson. Juan Fran.

Rotation
Julio
Wood
Minor
others

Pen
Kimbrel, Walden, et. al.

Make some low risk high reward signings for SP.

And we wouldn't have made the playoffs again. Heyward and Upton would have walked. And we would have still had a piss-poor farm system.

 

[Horsehide Harry]

With a 2017 goal, how would Lester and Peavy help them?

Lester would be around and still likely be the ace or at least a 2-3 in 2017. But, the thought really is that you bring in two of the most respected RH and LH starting pitchers in the game to mentor the young pitchers such as Teheran, Wood, Miller, Sims, etc. much like the Braves did with Liebrant (sp).

Essentially you set your pitching staff now: Lester, Teheran, Wood, Peavy, Miller (assuming the Heyward trade) with Peavy rotating off in a couple of years and Sims (or someone else) rotating on. You would have one of the best pitching roatations in baseball and one of the worst offenses. BUT, since you would have traded Upton and Gattis for coming offense, instead of holding out for ML ready high end pitching as Hart did, then you are lining up for a great pitching staff in 2017 and an up and coming offense, one where BJ and CJ will be gone either through trade or by playing out their contracts or being released.

So, instead of what happened, you trade Upton to Seattle for something like: DJ Petersen and Gareth Morgan
And trade Gattis for something like: Nick Williams, Nomar Mazzara and Ryan Rua

Then you suck in 2015 and 2016, get high draft picks and go for college bats.

 

[Heyward]

With little payroll flexibility to replace 400+ innings.

 

[Heyward]

And we wouldn't have made the playoffs again. Heyward and Upton would have walked. And we would have still had a piss-poor farm system.

Someone gets it but lets keep Heyward/JUp for one more year and watch them walk for two late draft picks.

The returns werent great but it had to be done.

 

[BedellBrave]

Lester would be around and still likely be the ace or at least a 2-3 in 2017. But, the thought really is that you bring in two of the most respected RH and LH starting pitchers in the game to mentor the young pitchers such as Teheran, Wood, Miller, Sims, etc. much like the Braves did with Liebrant (sp).

Essentially you set your pitching staff now: Lester, Teheran, Wood, Peavy, Miller (assuming the Heyward trade) with Peavy rotating off in a couple of years and Sims (or someone else) rotating on. You would have one of the best pitching roatations in baseball and one of the worst offenses. BUT, since you would have traded Upton and Gattis for coming offense, instead of holding out for ML ready high end pitching as Hart did, then you are lining up for a great pitching staff in 2017 and an up and coming offense, one where BJ and CJ will be gone either through trade or by playing out their contracts or being released.

So, instead of what happened, you trade Upton to Seattle for something like: DJ Petersen and Gareth Morgan
And trade Gattis for something like: Nick Williams, Nomar Mazzara and Ryan Rua

Then you suck in 2015 and 2016, get high draft picks and go for college bats.

I get adding one - not sure about both Lester and Peavy.

 

[thethe]

Maybe we make the playoffs.

But we would still be screwed the following seasons. Now we are at least hedging our bets that we will have talent coming up through the system during that time period.

 

[zitothebrave]

And we wouldn't have made the playoffs again. Heyward and Upton would have walked. And we would have still had a piss-poor farm system.

Who's to say we wouldn't have made the playoffs, even with down year from Simmons, et. al we woudl have made the playoffs without an epic collapse.

 

[zitothebrave]

But we would still be screwed the following seasons. Now we are at least hedging our bets that we will have talent coming up through the system during that time period.

A bird in hand

 

[thethe]

I'm curious what those supporting the rebuild think about signing Markakis? Seems a huge waste to me under the circumstances.

Markakis would be key in a scenario where you have a few players exceed expectations and you find yourself in the playoff race. But, at the time same time you have already restocked the system with the next wave of talent.