Official official offseason thread

AA saw an opportunity to get one of the best catchers in baseball and knew it was gonna have to be addressed next year or the next so he took care of it sooner rather than later. Defense will play a lot bigger part this year than the last several bc of the shift and pickoffs. AA upgraded the position bc he saw what the FA market looked like for SS and we know he talked to teams about Reynolds and others and they weren’t being moved without Harris or Strider being included and that’s not happening. I’ll miss Wild Bill too but we are a better team now imo. I think we see WC regress with the bat some. His HR rate was crazy last year.
 
bravesfanMatt said:
I think we are done guys. Upgraded a position we didn’t need to and average at the ones we did need to.
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I mean you said "I think we are done guys." Lol that literally cannot be interpreted any other way. Maybe you meant we are done (acquiring big players either through free agency or via a trade), but you didn't elaborate beyond your simple statement of "we are done." I simply stated we've spent ~1 million dollars this off-season. To think we are done with only having spent so little is quite foolish. I stand behind my comment to you.
 
Hudson2 said:
AA saw an opportunity to get one of the best catchers in baseball and knew it was gonna have to be addressed next year or the next so he took care of it sooner rather than later. Defense will play a lot bigger part this year than the last several bc of the shift and pickoffs. AA upgraded the position bc he saw what the FA market looked like for SS and we know he talked to teams about Reynolds and others and they weren’t being moved without Harris or Strider being included and that’s not happening. I’ll miss Wild Bill too but we are a better team now imo. I think we see WC regress with the bat some. His HR rate was crazy last year.
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He may regress, but he is going to an even more hitter friendly ballpark than ours and he won't have to face Alcantara, Verlander, Scherzer, Nola like he did in this division. I expect him to have a good season.

That being said, AA has never been afraid to upgrade a position even if it wasn't the biggest need. So i'm okay adding one of the best catchers in the business, especially from the defensive side. Maybe that helps us keep some of the speedsters we face from taking the extra base. And there is always the chance that he can throw someone out at 1st if they get too far off. He has the arm strength to do it.

What hasn't been talked about is if Rosario can return to even a less than average hitter, that is still a boost compared to last season. He was downright dreadful last season. Ozuna had times where he was god awful and times when he was on fire. Hopefully that levels out for us.

I'd rather sign an Elvis Andrus, then bring in another good bullpen arm. I feel like we have enough offense to get us to the playoffs. But going with a stacked bullpen would make it easier to have a deep run.

Off topic, but AA did say in an interview the other day that they could go with a 6 man rotation if Anderson and Soroka are both throwing well.
 
tululush said:
I mean you said "I think we are done guys." Lol that literally cannot be interpreted any other way. Maybe you meant we are done (acquiring big players either through free agency or via a trade), but you didn't elaborate beyond your simple statement of "we are done." I simply stated we've spent ~1 million dollars this off-season. To think we are done with only having spent so little is quite foolish. I stand behind my comment to you.
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which is why I clarified two post later that I meant big signs. I mean, not hard to scroll one extra post down before jumping on a comment.
 
I don't think WC will regress at all, but time will tell. Long and short for me is...cool, we prioritized catcher and got a stud. Summarily however, we're all still talking about LF and SS which if you're marginally better or even significantly better at C, you're a good team. You're not a better team with question marks at those two positions.

I do not know, nor am I privy to what AA is thinking or what he sees or knows about either LF or SS. Those of us who didn't like the trade are continuing to say Catcher was not the problem with this team. I still believe that. AA may be prioritizing secondary moves, but the farm is barren, trade chips few and money potentially less. IF and I think Matt said this....IF this is it, I'm not as convinced this team is better than LY. (NOTE: we expect something more to addressed.....right?)
 
msstate7 said:
Murphy events for EV readings...
2021: 79 (92.2)
2022: 282 (89.2)
2023: 419 (88.7)

WC...
2021: 110 (92.5)
2022: 232 (90.4)

Is it a coincidence that both players' EV went down with more events?
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I think EV's just decrease with age. WC is probably due to more data. I would say he is going to be around 90ish for a few more years then see a drop as he ages past 28.
 
One concern I have is that we trade for Murphy great arm but if Grissom/Arcia can’t catch the ball if someone steal the base what’s the point of having a good catcher. I am getting ready to read about this during the regular season…
 
bravesfanMatt said:
I think EV's just decrease with age. WC is probably due to more data. I would say he is going to be around 90ish for a few more years then see a drop as he ages past 28.
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Maybe. I feel like WC was used in more situations for him to succeed than Murphy. Murphy got more PA last year than WC has in his career.
 
msstate7 said:
Maybe. I feel like WC was used in more situations for him to succeed than Murphy. Murphy got more PA last year than WC has in his career.
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Murphy also didn't have a lot of protection around him in the line up. the A's roster is pretty putrid. So maybe seeing him in a more rounded lineup gets him better pitches. Also, Truist Park is a lot more hitter friendly.
 
bravesfanforlife88 said:
Murphy also didn't have a lot of protection around him in the line up. the A's roster is pretty putrid. So maybe seeing him in a more rounded lineup gets him better pitches. Also, Truist Park is a lot more hitter friendly.
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I don't see how that makes a difference.. the protection thing. if he is the best hitter on the team, then he should be expected to have the highest OBP..

we would need to see a chart overlay on how many doubles would be homers in Truist. I think Oak is a better park for doubles since the outfield is so big.. this is why I don't like Wrc+.. it weights Oak so much higher yet I don't think a bigger park is worse for a hitter.. it takes homers away, but gives more hits if the OF's are playing deeper in proportion to park.
 
It's possible, or probable, that AA feels he must give both Rosario and Ozuna a shot to "see what they have". Perhaps us hoping for upgrades at DH/LF was unrealistic from the start given the money already committed there. Those contracts were questionable the moment they were announced, and now the Braves are suffering as a result..."don't sign bat-only players to multi-year deals" isn't a lesson that should need to be learned in the year 2023, but apparently it is.

SS is the most frustrating position on the roster, and it's hard to place blame on AA for it. The deals for the Top 3 SS options have been nothing short of ludicrous, and it stands to reason the Swanson contract will be just as bad. So if the choice is between an awful contract or playing Arcia everyday, I'd have to pick Arcia...who was always the fallback option from the day he was acquired. Not awesome, but a cheap 2 win SS on a 93+ win team isn't the worst thing in the world. And my opinion on Grissom as a SS in a shiftless defense is that he isn't a realistic option.
 
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Enscheff said:
It's possible, or probable, that AA feels he must give both Rosario and Ozuna a shot to "see what they have". Perhaps us hoping for upgrades at DH/LF was unrealistic from the start given the money already committed there. Those contracts were questionable the moment they were announced, and now the Braves are suffering as a result..."don't sign bat-only players to multi-year deals" isn't a lesson that should need to be learned in 2023, but apparently it is.

SS is the most frustrating position on the roster, and it's hard to place blame on AA for it. The deals for the Top 3 SS options have been nothing short of ludicrous, and it stands to reason the Swanson contract will be just as bad. So if the choice is between an awful contract or playing Arcia everyday, I'd have to pick Arcia...who was always the fallback option from the day he was acquired. Not awesome, but a cheap 2 win SS on a 93+ win team isn't the worst thing in the world.
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Ozuna's deal wasnt bad, mostly everyone loved it. No one could see him becoming like this. Going 2 years WITH a club option on Rosario was always stupid. Should have just brought back Joc, but alas...
 
Enscheff said:
It's possible, or probable, that AA feels he must give both Rosario and Ozuna a shot to "see what they have". Perhaps us hoping for upgrades at DH/LF was unrealistic from the start given the money already committed there. Those contracts were questionable the moment they were announced, and now the Braves are suffering as a result..."don't sign bat-only players to multi-year deals" isn't a lesson that should need to be learned in the year 2023, but apparently it is.

SS is the most frustrating position on the roster, and it's hard to place blame on AA for it. The deals for the Top 3 SS options have been nothing short of ludicrous, and it stands to reason the Swanson contract will be just as bad. So if the choice is between an awful contract or playing Arcia everyday, I'd have to pick Arcia...who was always the fallback option from the day he was acquired. Not awesome, but a cheap 2 win SS on a 93+ win team isn't the worst thing in the world. And my opinion on Grissom as a SS in a shiftless defense is that he isn't a realistic option.
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there is a little hope in me that Ozuna will figure things out and be at least Duvall productive.. but I would definitely love to have someone other than RaSorryo standing in LF.. Conforto/Adrew B. anyone would do.. if that were the case then I am fine with Grissom/Arcia/Adrus (or similar) type guy holding down SS.. and I am less annoyed with the Murphy trade.
 
Heyward said:
Ozuna's deal wasnt bad, mostly everyone loved it. No one could see him becoming like this. Going 2 years WITH a club option on Rosario was always stupid. Should have just brought back Joc, but alas...
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Everyone loved it the day it was signed because they just wanted to see a move made. I was no exception, and here's what I said:

Enscheff said:
Well done AA.

4 years isn’t ideal, but that AAV of $16M makes it palatable.

Now AA needs to fill around the edges with the best complimentary pieces he can get for $5M-$10M.
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Describing a deal as "palatable" at the height of my excitement should have been a clear sign to me that the deal was bad. I said the same thing when the Olson extension was announced, and I'm willing to bet we are hating his deal towards the end as well.

Enscheff said:
I am literally in shock.

The extension doesn't make the trade any better, but the contract might be a good deal. Let's break it down...

Olson was going to earn ~$30M in 2022 and 2023. He will now earn 2/36 over his age 28 and 29 seasons.

The Braves also got 6 FAs seasons from 2024-2029 covering his age 30-35 seasons for 6/132.

This is basically the hometown discount Freeman contract. Not a huge fan of extending a 1B into his 30s, but I think emotion has played into it a bit and the $22M rate is palatable.
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Pretty much every year we all go crazy thinking the Braves will be in on the FA’s we all know about, then get disappointed when AA goes a different direction.

I suspect he will add a couple of guys we haven’t thought much about, and at least one of them will turn to gold.

Seems to happen every year, so it must be more than just blind luck. AA is really smart and has information that we don’t. His track record is pretty good, which is why we already have a great team.

I am willing to trust him at this point.
 
How about hitting up San Diego for Ha-Seong Kim and Jackson Merrill.

The IF would be set with Tatis/Bogaerts/Machado

They also have another IF prospect Rosario who could be their UT.
 
Enscheff said:
Everyone loved it the day it was signed because they just wanted to see a move made. I was no exception, and here's what I said:



Describing a deal as "palatable" at the height of my excitement should have been a clear sign to me that the deal was bad. I said the same thing when the Olson extension was announced, and I'm willing to bet we are hating his deal towards the end as well.
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We did need his bat at the time (Ozuna). The AAV is fine and i think he's probably most tradeable next winter with 1 year left on the deal (probably have to eat some of it). Regarding Olson, i think the banning of the shift will really help him. But only time will tell there, he's a good player and the extension was fine but i guess we'll see there.
 
Wil Myers would be my "big" signing if were AA. He's basically Duvall without the massive platoon splits. Should come for around 10-15 million, maybe with an option year and buyout.
 
Heyward said:
We did need his bat at the time (Ozuna). The AAV is fine and i think he's probably most tradeable next winter with 1 year left on the deal (probably have to eat some of it). Regarding Olson, i think the banning of the shift will really help him. But only time will tell there, he's a good player and the extension was fine but i guess we'll see there.
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And yet "we" didn't get a bat. "We" got a terrible contract and almost no production.

I disagree with Olson. My opinion is he should have played out his arb control so Riley can move to 1B once Olson walks.
 
I’m fine with the Olson deal especially after seeing what the big 3 have gotten this year and for how long. I’m also good with Arcia as of now after seeing those deals and I figure Dansby will be wayyyy over paid.
 
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