Braves sniffing around on Markakis; Official 4 years 44 million.

H

Hawk

<B>Co-Owner, BravesCenter</B>
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...braves-blue-jays-giants-os-among-those-in-mix

Veteran outfielder Nick Markakis, who seemed for a while to be a pretty god bet to return to the Orioles, is listening to outside offers now and said to have interest from the Braves, Blue Jays and Giants, among others.

Atlanta is an interesting entry since Markakis grew up in Woodstock, Ga., went to Young Harris College and has a home in Georgia (as he does in Maryland). The Braves traded right fielder Jason Heyward and are listening to offers for another top outfielder, Justin Upton, so there definitely is room for Markakis.

...

It's no surprise Markakis has a solid market after another very nice season, in which he hit .276 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI, and also took home his second Gold Glove award. The one hurdle was probably the perception that it's a fait accompli he'd remain with Baltimore. What may be a susprise is that the hometown Braves are among teams in the mix.

Another disappointment in the waiting.
 
Not expecting anything but would be a nice poor mans version of Heyward at a much cheaper rate.
 
thethe said:
Not expecting anything but would be a nice poor mans version of Heyward at a much cheaper rate.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt Markakis takes that much less than 8 million.

Markakis also is a very poor man's Heyward, in his 9 years as a pro he's compiled a 22.6 fWAR, Jason in his 5 years has compiled a 21.4 fWAR. Offensively they're almost identical, but the defensive swing is massive.
 
Hawk said:
I don't see Markakis signing for cheaper than $8.5MM.
Click to expand...

Seems about right. That's the going rate for a 1 WAR player. Over four seasons, I'd expect 1.5, 1.5, 1 and 1 our of him. So 8.5M might be on the low side of what he can expect.
 
zitothebrave said:
I highly doubt Markakis takes that much less than 8 million.

Markakis also is a very poor man's Heyward, in his 9 years as a pro he's compiled a 22.6 fWAR, Jason in his 5 years has compiled a 21.4 fWAR. Offensively they're almost identical, but the defensive swing is massive.
Click to expand...

His WAR numbers the last four seasons: 1.7, 1.6, 0.0 (in over 700 PAs) and 2.5. Some team might be willing to pay him based on last season (like the Mariners with Cruz). I hope it's not us.
 
Markakis makes some sense once the JUp and Gattis trades are complete. He is durable, can play RF competently (though not at Heyward's level), and should provide an OBP around ~.350 with some decent pop (10-15 HRs). He is literally a poor man's Jason Heyward, but without the recent platoon split Heyward has shown. He would slot in very nicely at the top of the lineup.

The problem is obviously going to be the price. He has already turned down a 4 year deal from the O's for $10M-$12M per year, and I don't think the Braves should be trying to top that offer. If he can be had for around 4/40 I think he would be a solid addition.
 
Enscheff said:
Markakis makes some sense once the JUp and Gattis trades are complete. He is durable, can play RF competently (though not at Heyward's level), and should provide an OBP around ~.350 with some decent pop (10-15 HRs). He is literally a poor man's Jason Heyward, but without the recent platoon split Heyward has shown. He would slot in very nicely at the top of the lineup.
Click to expand...

AND without Heyward's upside, which is still substantial.
 
I've always thought he might be a fallback option for the Braves, but it's all going to depend on price. I don't like his trend line. If he's turned down $10 MM per year from the O's, I don't see him as being a fit for us.
 
The word I heard this morning is that the negotiations fell apart after the Orioles started waffling on the fourth year. The offer on the table apparently stood at 4/$50 million.
 
As it stands now, we'd have to sign Markakis before completing an Upton and/or Gattis deal even if you assume something's closer than Hart's letting on - Markakis makes a ton more sense for Toronto than Melky if they're looking to save some money.
 
I think the thing is if we didn't view ourselves as contenders with Heyward, why would we invest in Markakis? I get the financial implications and all that, but it just wouldn't seem to make that much sense to sign Markakis except that someone has to stand in RF.
 
50PoundHead said:
I think the thing is if we didn't view ourselves as contenders with Heyward, why would we invest in Markakis? I get the financial implications and all that, but it just wouldn't seem to make that much sense to sign Markakis except that someone has to stand in RF.
Click to expand...

It lends itself greatly to the theory of the Braves desire to move Heyward having little to do with finance.
 
50PoundHead said:
I think the thing is if we didn't view ourselves as contenders with Heyward, why would we invest in Markakis? I get the financial implications and all that, but it just wouldn't seem to make that much sense to sign Markakis except that someone has to stand in RF.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

The only thing I could fathom that would make them feel that way was that they've got information that leads them to believe we CAN extend Justin. IF that were the case and there are legs to the Gattis-to-Houston rumor I saw that could bring back Fowler plus, it makes some sense. However...

CF- Fowler, RF- Markakis, LF- Justin, 1B- Freeman, 3B- Johnson, 2B- Peraza, SS- Simmons, C- Bethancourt

probably projects to be much more consistent than we ever were last season.

If Gattis nets you Fowler and Colin Moran we could be cooking with gas.
 
Hawk said:
It lends itself greatly to the theory of the Braves desire to move Heyward having little to do with finance.
Click to expand...

No, it means the Braves could afford to spend $10M for a RFer, but can't afford to spend $25M on a RFer no matter how good he might be some day.

It's a little silly how some posters insist on making the Heyward trade anything more than the simple fact "the Braves couldn't afford the asking price of a RFer that wasn't a consistent middle of the lineup producer". Freeman has proven to be that consistent middle of the order bat, so he got the big bucks. Heyward hasn't yet proven it, so he didn't get the same money from the Braves.

Seriously, does every damn thread have to be turned into a Heyward bitchfest?
 
Enscheff said:
Seriously, does every damn thread have to be turned into a Heyward bitchfest?
Click to expand...

Yes, because he was a crucial component of the team and beloved by the fanbase -- and the move to trade him precipitated the 're-tooling' era that we find ourselves in now. And there haven't been any moves since. So it's a fairly natural line of debate.

Also, don't you find it contradictory that the team moves Heyward under the flimsily evidenced auspices of 'He wanted big bucks' but subsequently involves itself in the process of spending those big bucks anyways?

Saying that the Braves didn't see Heyward being worth the money is essentially the same thing as saying they didn't want to pay him $25MM.
 
clvclv said:
Agreed.

The only thing I could fathom that would make them feel that way was that they've got information that leads them to believe we CAN extend Justin. IF that were the case and there are legs to the Gattis-to-Houston rumor I saw that could bring back Fowler plus, it makes some sense. However...

CF- Fowler, RF- Markakis, LF- Justin, 1B- Freeman, 3B- Johnson, 2B- Peraza, SS- Simmons, C- Bethancourt

probably projects to be much more consistent than we ever were last season.

If Gattis nets you Fowler and Colin Moran we could be cooking with gas.
Click to expand...

I don't agree that replacing Heyward with Fowler and Markakis makes us more consistent or better.
 
Enscheff said:
No, it means the Braves could afford to spend $10M for a RFer, but can't afford to spend $25M on a RFer no matter how good he might be some day.

It's a little silly how some posters insist on making the Heyward trade anything more than the simple fact "the Braves couldn't afford the asking price of a RFer that wasn't a consistent middle of the lineup producer". Freeman has proven to be that consistent middle of the order bat, so he got the big bucks. Heyward hasn't yet proven it, so he didn't get the same money from the Braves.

Seriously, does every damn thread have to be turned into a Heyward bitchfest?
Click to expand...

I want to make it clear I'm not griping on the Heyward trade. I'm just saying that Markakis at 4 years doesn't make a ton of sense given his recent performance trend and the likely AAV of what it would take to sign him.
 
Hawk said:
Yes, because he was a crucial component of the team and beloved by the fanbase -- and the move to trade him precipitated the 're-tooling' era that we find ourselves in now. And there haven't been any moves since. So it's a fairly natural line of debate.
Click to expand...

It's a very relevant topic still in everything that happens after it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top