State of the braves

Strike3urout said:
LF isn't really a need (yet)...like it or not, the Braves have to see what they got in Profar. Biggest needs - in my opinion - are SS (Allen is fine as a defensive replacement, but they need to find a way to lengthen the lineup), 2B (Ozzie appears to be done as an above-average contributor), a solid arm for the rotation who doesn't show a bunch of warning signs when it comes to imminent injury, late-inning relief, and bench.

Sale should absolutely be on the trading block barring major improvements to our playoff prospects by July. As should Ozuna and Albies. These guys are likely at the peak value for the remainder of their careers right now. Sure it would suck to lose an ace pitcher...but that pitcher is going to be 37 years old by the start of next season and has a long injury history. What are the odds that his performance a year from now is comparable to what he's currently doing? Take the haul that some team in "win now" mode is willing to give up for him. Similar logic applies to the other guys.
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why would you trade Sale and then look to get a starting pitcher... keep the proven asset and try to maybe go year by year contract with him like Mort.
 
If AA punts 2026 at the 2025 trade deadline while Acuna/Sale/Strider are all set to be at full strength he deserves to be fired. Luckily for us, he's still smart enough not to do something so idiotic.
 
I can see both sides of the sale disagreement. I guess I just lean more to I doubt he makes it through a full season healthy again. Hopefully changing his release point will prolong his career.
 
bravesfanMatt said:
why would you trade Sale and then look to get a starting pitcher... keep the proven asset and try to maybe go year by year contract with him like Mort.
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I explained my reasoning in the post above. This may be our only chance to get a really big haul for Sale. And the chance that he'll be a difference-maker in the playoffs for the Braves are extremely slim - either because they don't make it, make it but are uncompetitive, or because he can't pitch like last year.

Morton was extremely durable...he logged 150+ IP every full season from age 33 through 40. Sale has not been very durable. He's had numerous injuries, and also broke down at the end of last season to the point where he couldn't pitch a win or die game. The two aren't really comparable.

This isn't the same as punting 2026 - it's recognizing the players that may have a higher value in a trade today than their expected performance in the foreseeable future.
 
I can also see the both sides... but 18 mill for 2026 Sale is more valuable to a team wanting to contend than a "haul" of unknown results.. Sale doesn't have to be an ace in 2026 to be well worth the 18 million and extremely valuable to the Braves.. Trading him in 2025 just creates a hole that has to be filled in 2026. And using the logic that Sale might not make it through a season healthy again is folly.. the Braves 22 year old rookie didn't make it through the season healthy.. you can't make decision about a guy on perceived injuries. you can take precautions, like having more rotation depth.

at this point try and keep Sale until he doesn't want to pitch anymore or he is 67 like Mort...
 
Strike3urout said:
LF isn't really a need (yet)...like it or not, the Braves have to see what they got in Profar. Biggest needs - in my opinion - are SS (Allen is fine as a defensive replacement, but they need to find a way to lengthen the lineup), 2B (Ozzie appears to be done as an above-average contributor), a solid arm for the rotation who doesn't show a bunch of warning signs when it comes to imminent injury, late-inning relief, and bench.

Sale should absolutely be on the trading block barring major improvements to our playoff prospects by July. As should Ozuna and Albies. These guys are likely at the peak value for the remainder of their careers right now. Sure it would suck to lose an ace pitcher...but that pitcher is going to be 37 years old by the start of next season and has a long injury history. What are the odds that his performance a year from now is comparable to what he's currently doing? Take the haul that some team in "win now" mode is willing to give up for him. Similar logic applies to the other guys.
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Dumping Sale who is still an ace at a bargain deal would be stupid when we will need starting pitching lol. Most of his old injuries (while many) were of the flukey nature and his velocity is right where it has always been.
 
The thing that bothers me most about Ozuna is he can't run and can't field. Several times this year we have had to pinch run for him in the later innings, and then we don't have his bat in later clutch situations.

This team overall just needs to be more athletic. Baseball is shifting back to more athletic teams having success instead of the big lumbering home run hitters. Unfortunately, our only athletic players have either blown out their knees, got fat, can't hit, or are just not as fast as they used to be.

We need players that can get on base and steal bases now that the league has made it easier. We need guys that can go first to third and score from second on base hits. It just puts pressure on the pitchers and defense, which causes mistakes and easy runs. Unfortunately the Braves were built to compete in the Exit Velo/Launch Angle era and MLB rule changes and Pitching adjustments have quickly made this team no longer able to keep up.
 
If you are trading Sale, might as well go full rebuild. Because that effectively ends our competitive window.

Currently Schwelly is the only other TOR type of pitcher that we have. Maybe Strider finds his groove again at some point, but you can't automatically assume that at this point. Who knows what we get from Lopez going forward.
 
A-10 said:
The thing that bothers me most about Ozuna is he can't run and can't field. Several times this year we have had to pinch run for him in the later innings, and then we don't have his bat in later clutch situations.

This team overall just needs to be more athletic. Baseball is shifting back to more athletic teams having success instead of the big lumbering home run hitters. Unfortunately, our only athletic players have either blown out their knees, got fat, can't hit, or are just not as fast as they used to be.

We need players that can get on base and steal bases now that the league has made it easier. We need guys that can go first to third and score from second on base hits. It just puts pressure on the pitchers and defense, which causes mistakes and easy runs. Unfortunately the Braves were built to compete in the Exit Velo/Launch Angle era and MLB rule changes and Pitching adjustments have quickly made this team no longer able to keep up.
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A short time ago, I posted that the Braves aren't as good as a lot of fans think they are (of course, every fan thinks their team is better--or should be better--than they actually are). Someone wanted to know the reason for my stance and I never did respond. If I had, this would have been at the heart of my response. Raw athleticism doesn't guarantee anything, but this isn't "team tools."
 
A-10 said:
The thing that bothers me most about Ozuna is he can't run and can't field. Several times this year we have had to pinch run for him in the later innings, and then we don't have his bat in later clutch situations.

This team overall just needs to be more athletic. Baseball is shifting back to more athletic teams having success instead of the big lumbering home run hitters. Unfortunately, our only athletic players have either blown out their knees, got fat, can't hit, or are just not as fast as they used to be.

We need players that can get on base and steal bases now that the league has made it easier. We need guys that can go first to third and score from second on base hits. It just puts pressure on the pitchers and defense, which causes mistakes and easy runs. Unfortunately the Braves were built to compete in the Exit Velo/Launch Angle era and MLB rule changes and Pitching adjustments have quickly made this team no longer able to keep up.
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Man, this team is way more athletic than that beer league softball team the Phillies have been rolling out. The only players that are a statue in our lineup that isn’t a catcher is Ozuna and Verdugo (and Verdugo was an athletic type before this year).
 
this team was built to hit homers... this team is not hitting homers like they should be.. this team would be better hitting more homers... that is all there is to that.
 
I think the hammy injury is likely still lingering a bit, as soft tissue injuries tend to do. Strider maxed out at 97.9 MPH in his first start, before straining his hammy. He has barely touched 97 since returning.
 
CyYoung31 said:
Man, this team is way more athletic than that beer league softball team the Phillies have been rolling out. The only players that are a statue in our lineup that isn’t a catcher is Ozuna and Verdugo (and Verdugo was an athletic type before this year).
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Yup.
 
CyYoung31 said:
Man, this team is way more athletic than that beer league softball team the Phillies have been rolling out. The only players that are a statue in our lineup that isn’t a catcher is Ozuna and Verdugo (and Verdugo was an athletic type before this year).
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Olson is one of the slowest runners in all of the major leagues. Riley has very good sprint speed but low baserunning value. Albies' sprint speed is down, but remains a very good baserunner. Allen is below average in both sprint speed and baserunning value. Harris ranks high in both categories. White is all tools, but the clock may be striking midnight for him. Verdugo low (way below) in both categories. Both Kelenic and Profar slow. I'm not asking for the Olympic 4 X 100 relay team, but if this team doesn't rip the ball, there aren't a whole lot of options.
 
50PoundHead said:
Olson is one of the slowest runners in all of the major leagues. Riley has very good sprint speed but low baserunning value. Albies' sprint speed is down, but remains a very good baserunner. Allen is below average in both sprint speed and baserunning value. Harris ranks high in both categories. White is all tools, but the clock may be striking midnight for him. Verdugo low (way below) in both categories. Both Kelenic and Profar slow. I'm not asking for the Olympic 4 X 100 relay team, but if this team doesn't rip the ball, there aren't a whole lot of options.
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They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they’re overall a positive baserunning team. I’m not sure what more you want in that department.
 
Carp said:
I think the hammy injury is likely still lingering a bit, as soft tissue injuries tend to do. Strider maxed out at 97.9 MPH in his first start, before straining his hammy. He has barely touched 97 since returning.
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I mean it makes sense when you see how much leg power goes into his delivery
 
jpx7 said:
They need to hit more bombs. Plain and simple.
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CyYoung31 said:
This. This is the answer.
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I think every team in the league would say this is the answer, but when the ball isn't going out of the yard, you still have to be able to play baseball. Hit singles and doubles, go opposite field, bunt, hit sac flies, get the man in from 3rd with less than 2 outs, don't swing for the fences with two strikes, run and steal bases, etc. I think the better hitters in the league would tell you they hit more homers when they aren't trying to hit a homer. All of our guys are obsessed with hitting homers, and it hasn't worked for the last two years.
 
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