Ruiz Called Up

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Nothing about the Kemp trade does anything helpful for Atlanta's financial flexibility until 2020, unless Coppy is somehow able to trade him without paying the bulk of his salary. In real terms he is an 18.5 million dollar salary in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

If he somehow were able to trade him without paying out more than what they would have paid Oliveira, it would be a neat trick. As it stands, they added a lot of money to the payroll to clear a dead 2020 salary.

I think he's been fine as a hitter, but I don't agree he has transformed the offense. I think that's a clear causation being confused for correlation argument.

I'm not really clear now myself whether I think adding 12 million dollars in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to the payroll in exchange for Kemp's offense is preferable to living with Oliveira's void.

In reality, this limited the financial and roster flexibility of the organization to some extent. It certainly seems to have removed the possibility that the Braves would make a huge play for Cespedes for example.

You're right - I was thinking about Markakis being off the books and lumped them together, but it doesn't change anything about the approach from my point of view. We're still well below where the brass has been on the record about where the unofficial "cap" is going to, so there's still money to add a big piece following 2018 - especially when you consider they've been allowed to be flexible in the past (spending on Santana when Beachy and Medlen went down). The organization has always been pretty liberal with its accounting procedures when it comes to that "cap", and I don't see any reason that they'd let the last year of Kemp's deal (assuming he's still here) stand in the way of adding a big piece.

Just guessing about what the next CBA will look like (since we really have no clue), I'd argue that a run at Cespedes would be a bad idea anyway (and I'm the one who's probably been more in favor than most about adding him over the last couple years). My guess is we see the DH added in the NL (as much as many of us don't like the idea), and if that's the case you can argue we're much better off with Kemp for less money. The goal (for some of us) was to get that right-handed power bat to hit behind Freddie, and Kemp is far less expensive (and a shorter commitment) than Cespedes. With the DH, you still get that 30/100 bat behind Freddie AND you get Mallex' defense and speed in LF.

CF- Inciarte, SS- Swanson, 1B- Freeman, DH- Kemp, C- Mac/Flowers, RF- Markakis, 3B- Adonis/Ruiz, 2B- Peterson (Albies), LF- Mallex

Trading Olivera had nothing to do with the money - they were going to dump him for PR reasons no matter what - just so happens they got a useful piece when they did it.

 

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Sorry: I was just being a sarcastic ****-eater—but I do appreciate the thoughtful response, nevertheless.

Didn't think you were at all. Definitely merits on both sides - I just don't think adding a few pieces on short-term deals to be better for the next couple seasons gets in the way of anything at this point.

 

[Southcack77]

You're right - I was thinking about Markakis being off the books and lumped them together, but it doesn't change anything about the approach from my point of view. We're still well below where the brass has been on the record about where the unofficial "cap" is going to, so there's still money to add a big piece following 2018 - especially when you consider they've been allowed to be flexible in the past (spending on Santana when Beachy and Medlen went down). The organization has always been pretty liberal with its accounting procedures when it comes to that "cap", and I don't see any reason that they'd let the last year of Kemp's deal (assuming he's still here) stand in the way of adding a big piece.

Just guessing about what the next CBA will look like (since we really have no clue), I'd argue that a run at Cespedes would be a bad idea anyway (and I'm the one who's probably been more in favor than most about adding him over the last couple years). My guess is we see the DH added in the NL (as much as many of us don't like the idea), and if that's the case you can argue we're much better off with Kemp for less money. The goal (for some of us) was to get that right-handed power bat to hit behind Freddie, and Kemp is far less expensive (and a shorter commitment) than Cespedes. With the DH, you still get that 30/100 bat behind Freddie AND you get Mallex' defense and speed in LF.

CF- Inciarte, SS- Swanson, 1B- Freeman, DH- Kemp, C- Mac/Flowers, RF- Markakis, 3B- Adonis/Ruiz, 2B- Peterson (Albies), LF- Mallex

Trading Olivera had nothing to do with the money - they were going to dump him for PR reasons no matter what - just so happens they got a useful piece when they did it.

I probably would not want to sign Cespedes for what it will cost, because I don't see the pitching being there to contend any time soon. But if the Braves had wanted to pursue that, and I think he's a better player than Kemp, the trade prevented them from doing it absent some things happening that would be pretty nifty on Atlanta's part.

I think all things considered that I don't really like the Kemp trade, but I kind of get it and think the contention time frame probably kicks in when his contract slides off.

What I hope happens is that Coppy is able to flip him for an asset and clear his payroll, which would be an awfully impressive way of jettisoning Oliveira.