Top 10 Free Agents

Our minor leagues, high draft pick, payroll on the rise, new stadium, good players on the mlb team now to build around those all play a role in players thinking when signing somewhere. Greinke is big into scouting and the minors so he would Def be intrigued. This team is on the upswing and when they come in for a meeting with Hart and Coppy they'll be shown that.
 
I think we'll get a mid-tier FA pitcher. 2-3 year deal. Allow us to trade Tehran, maybe for Lucroy. I don't think they'll give up the Lucroy search.
 
Honestly, I have no idea what this FO will do. It's going to be entertaining to say the least. I think going into it, they will put a value on everyone and acquire them if they get what they believe is fair value. The highest we go, IMO is Mike Leake and Matt Wieters, and that's if they get fair value. They might also look to acquire guys coming off of bad seasons in hopes of them turning it around and increasing their value to trade. There are a lot of these guys like Matt Latos, Bud Norris, Doug Fister, Marco Estrada, Brett Anderson, Dexter Fowler, Ian Desmond, Bobby Parnell, and Neftali Feliz.
 
gilesfan said:
Just pointing out the problem with sucking in regards to free agents. And the nats have a ton more money to spend as well, the Braves have to win with pre arby players playing well. Im not sure they can take the risk on big free agents except for maybe 1.
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This is a point I just don't understand.

Before landing Werth, the Gnats were in exactly the same spot - money to spend, but needing to overpay a bit to land that first guy since they weren't contenders. The same could have been said of the Cubs last winter. Both of those teams had several young and controllable pieces in place (like the Braves have in Miller, Teheran, back of the rotation candidates, Freeman, Simmons, presumably Olivera, and eventually Mallex and Albies - plus presumably Maitan) but needed to add pieces from outside the organization to help speed up the process.

Cespedes/Gordon are very similar to Werth (IMO) at the time the Gnats signed him - not that top-tier guy, but a very solid performer who looks even better when he's surrounded by other good players and not forced into the "star" role. Washington went the necessary extra year and a couple million dollars to land him, and I don't think they have any regrets. Hart did much the same to get Markakis last winter.

While I agree those types of deals may not ever turn out to be "bargains", they're also not likely to cripple you like going after the "big fish" can. The organization already has its "star" locked up at a below-market cost in Freeman. Surround him with three pretty high OBP 20-ish HR guys (that don't have a history of extended cold streaks) so it doesn't all fall on his shoulders and the team could become pretty competitive quickly.
 
Some of you are completely delusional. BJ got the largest FA contract EVER for the Braves at 5/72. Now they will nearly triple that to bring in a guy like Price, Grienke, Heyward or JUp? Price is a Braves fan so he will give them a discount? Grienke likes to play scout in his free time so he would love to be part of this up and coming team? Heyward and JUp were traded away because they were deemed too expensive, but now they aren't all of a sudden?

Seriously guys, just stop with the nonsense.

Someone like Gordon or Cespedes have an outside shot (less than 10%) of being acquired if they are in the $100M range. I would prefer Gordon...good defense, better all around hitter, limited platoon splits. A pitcher that can be had on a 3-4 year deal for ~$50M is also a realistic possibility.

The Braves were looking for young catchers earlier this year, so expect them to continue those efforts and land a young guy that is blocked by a very good starter.
 
Enscheff said:
Some of you are completely delusional. BJ got the largest FA contract EVER for the Braves at 5/72. Now they will nearly triple that to bring in a guy like Price, Grienke, Heyward or JUp? Price is a Braves fan so he will give them a discount? Grienke likes to play scout in his free time so he would love to be part of this up and coming team? Heyward and JUp were traded away because they were deemed too expensive, but now they aren't all of a sudden?

Seriously guys, just stop with the nonsense.

Someone like Gordon or Cespedes have an outside shot (less than 10%) of being acquired if they are in the $100M range. I would prefer Gordon...good defense, better all around hitter, limited platoon splits. A pitcher that can be had on a 3-4 year deal for ~$50M is also a realistic possibility.

The Braves were looking for young catchers earlier this year, so expect them to continue those efforts and land a young guy that is blocked by a very good starter.
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I agree with much of your post. However, I wouldn't say Heyward and JUp were traded because they were too expensive and leave it at that. I think simplifying down that much leaves out a lot of important context.
 
Enscheff said:
Some of you are completely delusional. BJ got the largest FA contract EVER for the Braves at 5/72. Now they will nearly triple that to bring in a guy like Price, Grienke, Heyward or JUp? Price is a Braves fan so he will give them a discount? Grienke likes to play scout in his free time so he would love to be part of this up and coming team? Heyward and JUp were traded away because they were deemed too expensive, but now they aren't all of a sudden?

Seriously guys, just stop with the nonsense.

Someone like Gordon or Cespedes have an outside shot (less than 10%) of being acquired if they are in the $100M range. I would prefer Gordon...good defense, better all around hitter, limited platoon splits. A pitcher that can be had on a 3-4 year deal for ~$50M is also a realistic possibility.

The Braves were looking for young catchers earlier this year, so expect them to continue those efforts and land a young guy that is blocked by a very good starter.
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WE're gonna have to break that BJ contract at some point. Or we'll have a roster of expensive fillers. BTW i dont' view signing Jason or Justin as real FA contracts, but as extensions where we also got prospects back.
 
BRule said:
Can't wait for Price to join Lester in our rotation
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That was the strategy for signing Lester. It gave an important signal to guys like Price that we were serious about competing and they would be playing meaningful games in September and October each year. If we hadn't signed Lester our chances of attracting a top free agent this off-season would be much lower.
 
zitothebrave said:
WE're gonna have to break that BJ contract at some point. Or we'll have a roster of expensive fillers. BTW i dont' view signing Jason or Justin as real FA contracts, but as extensions where we also got prospects back.
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Getting Gordon or Ces will easily top BJ's $72M. Those guys have a small chance of signing with the Braves. Signing someone like Price for $150M-$200M is so far from a possibility it isn't even worth discussing.
 
nsacpi said:
That was the strategy for signing Lester. It gave an important signal to guys like Price that we were serious about competing and they would be playing meaningful games in September and October each year. If we hadn't signed Lester our chances of attracting a top free agent this off-season would be much lower.
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Also why we signed Markakis to come back home.

Any seasoned vet who's on the ropes about signing here, we have Markakis to act as a realtor to sell the city of Atlanta to them.
 
Enscheff said:
Getting Gordon or Ces will easily top BJ's $72M. Those guys have a small chance of signing with the Braves. Signing someone like Price for $150M-$200M is so far from a possibility it isn't even worth discussing.
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You do realize ther'es no way we stay with those rules right? Freddie already shattered the record for biggest signing in Braves history signing for 45M (and one more year) than Chipper did before 2001. Freeman was at 8 years 16.875 per year and had a lot of pre-FA time unlike these FAs. Even if we assume similar dollar amounts for FAs over 5 years it would be 85M. We're gonna break 100M at some point whether it's this offseason or the following or a few years down the line. Otherwise we'll no longer be a mid-market team and instead be a bottom of the barrel team. We're spending 105M this year with all of our dead payroll, Come 2017 when Bourn and Swisher are gone, we'll only have like 60M in guaranteed money. Maybe even less. I'd have to do more research. Anyway we'll either have to sign several players for 10M or more or make a splash. That's it.
 
zitothebrave said:
You do realize ther'es no way we stay with those rules right? Freddie already shattered the record for biggest signing in Braves history signing for 45M (and one more year) than Chipper did before 2001. Freeman was at 8 years 16.875 per year and had a lot of pre-FA time unlike these FAs. Even if we assume similar dollar amounts for FAs over 5 years it would be 85M. We're gonna break 100M at some point whether it's this offseason or the following or a few years down the line. Otherwise we'll no longer be a mid-market team and instead be a bottom of the barrel team. We're spending 105M this year with all of our dead payroll, Come 2017 when Bourn and Swisher are gone, we'll only have like 60M in guaranteed money. Maybe even less. I'd have to do more research. Anyway we'll either have to sign several players for 10M or more or make a splash. That's it.
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Yes, I realize the Braves are eventually going to hand out a $100M FA contract, and then some day they will hand out a $500M FA contract.

The point was they aren't going to suddenly spring for a $200M contract to sign Price when the largest they have given out to date is $72M.

Giving $100M to Ces or Gordon is unlikely, but at least plausible this offseason. Giving $200M to JUp, Heyward, Price or Grienke has 0% chance of happening.

Every offseason the folks on this board waste countless threads/posts dreaming about signing some premium FA that has zero chance of coming to Atlanta. Last year it was Lester. A bit before that is was Matt Holiday. It's like they never learn.
 
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