State of the braves

Sigh…you realize they‘d be getting players in return? Obviously, those would have to be absolute impact player to make it worthwhile. Not all prospects are 18 year olds in A ball. If trading Sale allows them to fill 2-3 holes, I say go for it. Otherwise, hang on to him.
You don’t need to replace Sale in FA if the players you get in return mean the Braves also won‘t have to run the likes of Elder/Verdugo/White out there anymore.
Nobody is giving you a prospect the quality of replacing Sale that is younger lol. And yes you would know doubt have to replace Sale in FA. Where else would that production come from??
 
You could get a great package for Sale no doubt. But you are not getting multiple mlb ready players that would equate to Sale. You would want to maximize the return by getting true prospects. So yes you would be punting 2026 as well. If you are trading Sale then I would consider a complete rebuild and look to move Ozzie and Acuna too.

That isn’t happening.
 
That does bring about a question - do you think we will keep Acuna? He’s under contract through next year plus two option years. Who knows what he would command in the open market.
 
You could get a great package for Sale no doubt. But you are not getting multiple mlb ready players that would equate to Sale. You would want to maximize the return by getting true prospects. So yes you would be punting 2026 as well. If you are trading Sale then I would consider a complete rebuild and look to move Ozzie and Acuna too.

That isn’t happening.
Let's just say we give sale and something for Jordan lawlar from the dbacks. Sign cease in offseason. Trade Murphy to SF for pitching. I think this team looks better going into next season. Of course, it depends on what else we have to give in the lawlar trade.
 
Let's just say we give sale and something for Jordan lawlar from the dbacks. Sign cease in offseason. Trade Murphy to SF for pitching. I think this team looks better going into next season. Of course, it depends on what else we have to give in the lawlar trade.
I think they'll sign Cease even with Sale. They've been after him for years and we need another good SP. I fully expect AA to go hard after Cease this offseason.
 
Nobody is giving you a prospect the quality of replacing Sale that is younger lol. And yes you would know doubt have to replace Sale in FA. Where else would that production come from??
I just said that in the very same sentence. It would come from players who provide a big surplus in value over Elder/Allen/White etc. I‘d rather have a roster full of above-average players, than a couple of superstars who are completely offset by 5-6 players who aren’t even major leaguers.

But at this point we’re arguing in circles. Agree to disagree?
 
I just said that in the very same sentence. It would come from players who provide a big surplus in value over Elder/Allen/White etc. I‘d rather have a roster full of above-average players, than a couple of superstars who are completely offset by 5-6 players who aren’t even major leaguers.

But at this point we’re arguing in circles. Agree to disagree?
Yeah we'll have to agree to disagree bc trading Sale punts 26 and there isn't a trade package that would make the organization do that.
 
I think you hold on to Acuna at least through '26. If he shows out healthy, I move him before 2027. I make him one extension offer, if he doesn't take it, he's no different than Freeman, Swanson, or Fried. I do not just let him walk though. You have to get something.
 
If Acuna stays healthy through next year they have to offer him whatever to stay. They see what FF has done since leaving and Fried so they have to not let it happen a 3rd time. Swanson is no big deal bc he's way over paid.
 
I've been trying to find trade partners that make sense for Murphy and that would bring back a MLB ready SS prospect. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of teams that make sense in that respect. Most of the projected buyers are either set at C or don't have a SS available in such a trade. But I found 2 teams I think make a lot of sense. I also think packaging Holmes or Ozuna with Murphy could get some of these teams to come off the more highly ranked guys. Injuries could add more buyers to this list.

The Cardinals need offense pretty bad and their catching situation is not good. Murphy would be a great fit for them. Their organizational SS depth is probably the best in the majors right now with Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Thomas Sagesse all in the majors or ML ready. There is virtually no chance they trade Winn during the season, imo, and Wetherholt is on track to be a Top 10 overall prospect by season's end. That leaves Sagesse is the most "available" of the bunch. While he has a terrific slash line currently, it is largely the result of a .433 BABIP. He gets strong reports for his SS defense too. We should be able to snag Sagesse pretty easily in a package for Murphy.

The Guardians are the other team that desperately need some offense and have SS depth to spare. My target here is Angel Genao. He's a consensus top 100 overall prospect that was injured to start the year. He was just recently activated and assigned to AA. He could be ready by mid-next year, if not sooner. The issue here is the Guardians are notoriously frugal. We might have to eat cash or take another contract on.


It's going to be tough to pull a SS in a trade without giving up Sale.
 
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I've been trying to find trade partners that make sense for Murphy and that would bring back a MLB ready SS prospect. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of teams that make sense in that respect. Most of the projected buyers are either set at C or don't have a SS available in such a trade. But I found 2 teams I think make a lot of sense. I also think packaging Holmes or Ozuna with Murphy could get some of these teams to come off the more highly ranked guys. Injuries could add more buyers to this list.

The Cardinals need offense pretty bad and their catching situation is not good. Murphy would be a great fit for them. Their organizational SS depth is probably the best in the majors right now with Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Thomas Sagesse all in the majors or ML ready. There is virtually no chance they trade Winn during the season, imo, and Wetherholt is on track to be a Top 10 overall prospect by season's end. That leaves Sagesse is the most "available" of the bunch. While he has a terrific slash line currently, it is largely the result of a .433 BABIP. He gets strong reports for his SS defense too. We should be able to snag Sagesse pretty easily in a package for Murphy.

The Guardians are the other team that desperately need some offense and have SS depth to spare. My target here is Angel Genao. He's a consensus top 100 overall prospect that was injured to start the year. He was just recently activated and assigned to AA. He could be ready by mid-next year, if not sooner. The issue here is the Guardians are notoriously frugal. We might have to eat cash or take another contract on.


It's going to be tough to pull a SS in a trade without giving up Sale.
I'm not a huge Murphy guy, but I wonder if Ozuna moves on after the season whether Murphy and Baldwin could both be part of a revolving DH situation (along with a couple of other guys, particularly Acuna). If not, there should be a market for him. I like the Sagasse suggestion.
 
I’m not sure they can really afford to sell. Casual fans would lose it if they sold players or even just retooled. And unlike some other high-payroll teams with great TV deals that pay their bills, they actually rely on stadium revenue. They need people showing up, and that probably doesn’t happen if they start selling off. It's ride or die with this core. Ozuna, Murphy or Bummer may be the only real options
 
I think a lot will depend on if the team is gonna bring Ozuna back. He's gonna need to have the hip repaired in the offseason and get his weight under control to take pressure off the hip in the future. I think they are gonna want more versatility at DH and use the money to upgrade the team elsewhere. Let Murphy and Baldwin bat be in the lineup next year and use Acuna occasionally at DH to rest him. Spend on Cease and Bichette.
 
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