Perfect Cell
Lynchburg Prospect
We need to start being spenders again if we want to compete. Like sign a Stephen Strasburg
How is this garbage supposed to compete in 2-3 years?
- Thread starter PurpleBrave
- Start date
UNCBlue012
Well-known member
I agree completely. Stras, Teheran, Newcomb, Wisler, Sims? Maybe trade Teheran.
Why do people act like we made a conscious decision to blow the team up simply for the sake of trying to get even better? We did it because we had to do it. The system was a joke.
Russ2dollas
10 yr, $185 million Extension
I worry about spending big on pitching. And we have a lot of pitching coming. IMO it makes more sense if we turn Tehran into an impact right handed bat.
Two years from now has a lot of impact bats if guys aren't extended. So maybe there is a trade to be made
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Smarter move is to take on a contract or 2 similar to Bourn/Swisher or Arroyo. Jose Reyes comes to mind. Take him and his salary from Colorado and get a prospect (Ryan McMahon or David Dahl would be great though perhaps a bit of a dream.
yeezus
It's OVER 5,000!
but we wouldn't have been there again this year. what was your optimal plan, if i may ask?
yeezus
It's OVER 5,000!
the team was not good in 2014. we had no farm system at all. for a mid-to-low level payroll team, you can't have that.
if you wanted to keep that team intact (I didn't, after watching 2014 and realizing we had nothing in the system), you had to sign Heyward and Upton (not happening), PLUS find a minimum of 2-3 major league SPs to sign (with what $$?) or trade for (and trade what? our 1 or 2 actually good prospects we had?).
could you detail for me exactly what you would've done, with money and our non-existent farm system factored in and everything?
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Can't speak for goldy, but I would have fired Fredi and gone for gusto. One last shot. Blew up the farm. Spent up to the maximum amount for that year and then blow the team up. We lose what we got for our trades which would stink, but what if we get to the playoffs and win the whole damned thing? Getting to the playoffs is the key, once you're there you're a hotstreak from winning it all.
yeezus
It's OVER 5,000!
haha, blow up WHAT farm? can you detail moves you would've made, players you would've signed? we needed wayyyy more pitching than we had in 2014 (as evidence by last year, when even when we had Shelby and Wood in the rotation it still stunk).
and then what, after 2015? you'd be worse for wayyyyyyyy longer than we're going to be. I want specifics, though, not just "I'd blow up the farm and go for it." there weren't players in the farm to blow it up and get enough significant talent to compete.
I think the point is that some fans are soon going to realize that even having a shot at the playoffs and making a run is going to be worth the risk. Face it, most Braves fans are spoiled of years of really good teams. That's generally not how it works. Several teams that most point to the model for the Braves spend literally decades sucking it up. Yes, the Braves have a really good farm right now. That guarantees nothing. Is going for it all one more year worth a couple of extra years of guaranteed sucking? Fans of most teams would say yes.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
A few prospects come to mind, Sims, Peraza, Bethancourt, Davidson, Hursh, anyone but Albies would have been on the table.
As far as where to move said talent, that isn't really something we can discuss, we aren't in any FO and don't know who was available or how organizations value that talent.
I would assume our minor league talent was in the ballpark of Josh DOnaldson. If we could have sent say Bethancourt, Peraza, Sims, and Simmons for Donaldson that would have been a boom.
We then sign Harang, Kendrick, etc. to fill out the rotation.
Realize that yes, some things went bad and we'd be at risk, but with an opening day lineup of.
C - Gattis
1B - Freeman
2B - La Stella
3B - Donaldson
SS - Simmons
LF - Justin
CF - Beej
RF - Jason
Rotation
Julio
Wood
Harang
Kendrick
Perez
The rotation sucks and has the potential to suck harder, but who knows how things shake out with a rosier outlook. Also with Heyward, Donaldson, Justin, and Freddie, we're looking at a team with 4 super high value position players.
keithlaw
Playing the Waiting Game
We weren't basically the same team. Between 2012 and 2014 we lost Chipper, Mac, Bourn, Huddy, Prado, and 2/3s of O'Ventebrel and we added the Uptons, Johnson, Simba, Wood, and Gattis. We just weren't producing enough talent to replace what we were losing.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
My thought as well. Looking at that team, I see one busy GM at the deadline.
We're probably in position to keep one of three of the Heyward, J. Upton, Donaldson trio long term so the only thing that improves with this suggested scenario is that Chris Johnson probably isn't extented. We're weak defensively at C, 2B, and CF (I don't even want to talk about the presence of Melvin, Jr.). Looking at the pitching staff, I don't know how many three-inning saves Kimbrel would have in him.
Plus, I don't know if we would have had the pieces to get Donaldson from the A's. The prospects listed are all solid, but the A's did get a major leaguer (Lawrie) and a major league-ready pitcher (Graveman) in the deal along with Bareto (who is roughly the equivalent of Peraza). While still not worth Donaldson, it's probably better than what we could have put together.
Hudson2
Well-known member
I know Arenado would cost a ton but that's who I would target this offseason. See if Teheran can be the centerpiece with 3 other players going that way not named Swanson or Albies. Then sign Strausburg. They wanna make a splash going into the new stadium and compete so they'll have to do something big this offseason.
Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
The Braves fell into the trap of "going for it" even when they had no real shot. I think a certain amount of luck both internal and external (such as the Nats falling way short of their potential) led to that. I think the pressure of the previous 20 years led to that. And, I think the final days of the Braves HoF led to that (let's make a run for Bobby, one last run for Smoltzie, gotta commit for Chipper, etc.)
This mindset led to trades for today at the expense of tomorrow, drafting for floor and time instead of ceiling and talent, and roll-the-dice trades and FA signings that blew up in their face. That's how the franchise got where it is.
This mindset led to trades for today at the expense of tomorrow, drafting for floor and time instead of ceiling and talent, and roll-the-dice trades and FA signings that blew up in their face. That's how the franchise got where it is.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I think there was a system failure due to the mindset you've described that didn't account for the tightening of the payroll. We kicked the can down the road and didn't recognize the impending cliff. The Teixeira deal was a harbinger of things to come and we just ran out of gas by making a lot of now-for-later trades and some odd signings.
Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
Agree completely. How many starters did the Braves send Texas in that deal? Then they compounded the error by demanding a ML 1B in return for Tex, never mind they got Casey Kotchman. The Bad decisions compounded themselves.