Official Offseason Thread
- Thread starter Hudson2
- Start date
DirkPiggler
Well-known member
Braves sign Travis D'Arnaud. 2 yrs $16 million.
https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1198713117649383429
https://twitter.com/Braves/status/1198713117649383429
If payroll actually IS going to be in the $140-145 million range, doesn't there HAVE to be a trade involving Ender coming?
A d'Arnaud/Flowers platoon can't be the RH bat behind Freddie if you're going to let Snitker balance the lineup, can it? Payroll is now at ~ $115 million. If you give Donaldson ~ $25 million per, you're maxed-out, and Markakis hits 5th. Maybe not awful balance-wise, but how big an improvement is Markakis/d'Arnaud behind Freddie/Donaldson if you're still following them with Ender and Dansby and you don't add another SP?
Just find it hard to believe that AA is willing to start the season with two of Newk/Wright/Wilson/Touki/Anderson in the rotation.
A d'Arnaud/Flowers platoon can't be the RH bat behind Freddie if you're going to let Snitker balance the lineup, can it? Payroll is now at ~ $115 million. If you give Donaldson ~ $25 million per, you're maxed-out, and Markakis hits 5th. Maybe not awful balance-wise, but how big an improvement is Markakis/d'Arnaud behind Freddie/Donaldson if you're still following them with Ender and Dansby and you don't add another SP?
Just find it hard to believe that AA is willing to start the season with two of Newk/Wright/Wilson/Touki/Anderson in the rotation.
It would've been easy to see going with the young arms two years ago (and even last year), but if the bullpen splurge doesn't signal they intend to play with the "big boys" what will?
No idea whether pushing chips in will work (and the numbers folks will have a field day for years if it doesn't), but there simply has to be another SP add coming - even with Donaldson hitting behind Freddie AA can't feel terribly confident that a Soroka/Fried/Folty/???/??? is a good enough rotation to get where they want to go.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
Matt Boyd makes a certain amount of sense.
I’ve been against trading prospects up until now, but it’s time. There is a log jam of guys that are talented , but will get no chance.
AA’s moves has set him up to do many things.
Regardless of anyone else’s failed math endeavors, the 2020 payroll is currently sitting right around $110M.
If opening day payroll is $130M as we previously suspected, there isn’t even room for JD. If opening day payroll is $140M as would be consistent with a $150M+ total payroll, there is room for JD and another filler player.
At this point we are right where we were last offseason, waiting for the inevitable big trade that never came. Boyd makes sense. Ray makes sense. There’s probably some underwhelming trade option like Duvall that will fit nicely while being unexciting. Many players make sense, and we all know who they are, so I won’t bother listing them out so I can claim I was right a month from now.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
I have us at 110 too...we will probably have an opening day payroll in the 135-140 range...I'm guessing closer to 135
Could be 130 if we sign Moose
Last edited:
Not necessarily, but any deal now likely has to be pretty imaginative if it's not going to be an overpay according to the charts if payroll isn't being pushed into the $150 million range and the SP is an established SP.
Something centered around Ender and Kluber would make some semblance of sense for both sides assuming the Indians are going to hold onto Lindor and take another shot this season, but which arm would be too much for AA to include?
There have been all kinds of names mentioned - and several of them would be great ideas - but which rebuilding team HONESTLY has an arb-eligible or pre-arb guy (SP OR 3B) that AA can go get without killing his depth (or overpaying for according to the charts)?
One of those interesting names that was mentioned in passing a while back is Miguel Andujar. Would you give up one of our top 3 prospect arms for Andujar and his horrendous defense? It'd leave you with plenty of money to spend on a SP, but if Riley makes adjustments that could turn out really badly.
If he's targeting an arb-eligible/pre-arb guy, it probably has to be at 3B - who has a SP like that that is willing to give him up that is proven and is better than the guys we've got that are ready or close to ready that they'll actually let go of without killing you? Dont forget Robbie Ray is projected to make almost $11 million in arbitration and Boyd is projected to make almost $6.5 million - maybe you could re-sign Donaldson and still afford Boyd if you let Greene walk, but how much are you willing to give up for Boyd when you know they're not likely to move him unless the deal is a slam-dunk winner for them?
Last edited:
Last edited:
ixiXSolidXixi
Called Up to the Major Leagues
So what’s the Ace we are signing Matt Harvey?
CrimeDog247
Spring Training Invitee
Would the Braves be interested in Whit Merrifield? What would it take to get him?
Southcack77
Well-known member
Do not see why they would not be. I saw the Cubs referenced concerning him this weekend.
The Royals have apparently set a big price on him, but seems to me they might want to move him while his value is at its max. Seems difficult to imagine he'll improve and he's getting older with less remaining control.
Neck is fine if he is platooned. He hit 298/371/446 - 816 against righties in 2019. Good for a 112 WRC+.
Riley on the other hand crushed lefties. Hitting 262/338/646 - 984 against them. Good for a 135 WRC+. Now I obviously expect that slugging to drop but I am confident he can post a 800+ OPS against lefties.
We also know what Duvall can do a against lefties as well. I would not be opposed to a double platoon with Neck/Riley and Ender/Duvall to start the year. That should be very productive both on offense and defense.
That would pigeonhole the team into getting a quality 3B but I think that's where the team is at anyway right now.
CrazyTrain
Well-known member
I'm not sure that I want to pigeonhole Riley into a platoon role yet. Yes, he fits there now, but he won't learn to hit righties without getting ABs against them.
JxnMissFan
Gwinnett Bound
If the Braves were to sign Moustakas, Riley would probably be needed as a platoon player at 3rd. Everyone seems to forget that Moustakas is a below average against lefties in his career.