2015 Atlanta Braves

[aukevin]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I realize STL had little to play for, but it was great to see the team finish strong. On to next year!

[thefakeJTS]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I'm really interested to see how the Opening Day roster is constructed.

We have to get a power bat from somewhere somehow.

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[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I'm really interested to see how the Opening Day roster is constructed.

We have to get a power bat from somewhere somehow.

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I don't see where there's one available. And they aren't trading for a vet. It doesn't make any sense at this point. I'd love Cespedes, but I don't see us signing him.

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[TheMatrix31]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I think it makes sense to acquire one if they identify someone available somewhere.

If you're going to try and "compete in 2017!" you damn ****ing sure better have something going already in 2016.

[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I think it makes sense to acquire one if they identify someone available somewhere.

If you're going to try and "compete in 2017!" you damn ****ing sure better have something going already in 2016.

True. But you don't give up a good young asset for an established veteran. Are you willing to give up Wisler? If you can get a young hitter, do it, but I don't think it makes any sense for this team to give up real assets for a guy past about 32.

I think if the team can stay healthy, it'll improve on that basis alone. Hart said that bullpen is the #1 priority this offseason, then improving the offense. I'd agree with those priorities.

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[TheMatrix31]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

Depends on who it is of course. And obviously, they don't fall from trees.

We have plenty of prospects. Will have to draw from them to acquire guys at some point whenever it is.

[thefakeJTS]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

The team can't continue playing without power. We went from a lineup entirely consisting of struggling power hitters to no power. We need to be in the middle this next season.

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[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

Well there are 9 free agents who hit 20 home runs (well, 7 and 2 with options). They all play 1b or OF. Since we have Freeman, 1b is out. We still have Maybin and Markakis, so unless we can deal one or both, we only have room for 1. Bautista is 34, and almost certainly going to have his option picked up. Torii Hunter is 40 and Marlon Byrd is 38. Where this team is, I don't think it makes too much sense to bring them in, and they struggled getting on base anyway. That leaves Adam Lind (20 hr), Colby Rasmus (25 hr and can play CF), Upton (26 hr, but a longshot to come back), Céspedes, and Chris Davis (has played OF and even a little 3b in his career. Lind is the only one of that group over 30. Céspedes or Davis would be huge gets. They're both middle of the order presences and Céspedes is a good defender too. They're really the only available I'd throw a lot of money at.

I also like Asdrubal Cabrera at 2B. 15 hr last year, only 29. Daniel Murphy or Howie Kendrick would be a good option too. Other than that, I don't see any other offensive players worth more than a 1 year deal to the Braves.

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[Speedy]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I think this offseason will prove the mindset of where the team wants to be in the next 2-years.

Buy low and get stop-gap 1 or 2 year FA deals? Allow the rookies on the farm a chance to win the job? Try and get a big FA guy? Sell a few marketable players for more farm hands?...it'll be interesting for sure.

We've heard the name Coppolella for a while being groomed to Braves GM so let's see what type of discernment and eye he really has. The fan is base is kindly expecting the organization to bank on 2017 being really competitive so I'm honestly resigned to being bad this year if it means a lot of players and promise in 2017-2018.

[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

That's why I threw Céspedes, Davis, and Escobar out as names. All those guys are young enough that they'll still be contributors, on a big way in the case of Davis and Céspedes, for years into hopefully contending, even if we aren't all that good in 2016.

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[Speedy]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

Escobar...Alcides?

I don't think ATL would get Crash Davis or even Cespedes. I wouldn't want Davis with ATL as I cannot stand high strike-out rates...we went thru that 2 years ago with the live or die HR ball.

[KSUowls]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

Power is nice, but we saw this season that we can survive without a 30 home run guy. Before this team sold off nearly every veteran who produced a little, this team floated around the 18-22 mark in the majors in runs scored in the first half of the season. We did that we guys like Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe in the lineup to go along with a healthy Freddie Freeman. We were just 2 games under .500 at the all-star break with those guys. The main problem was the bullpen blew numerous save and hold opportunities, and then Julio gave us nothing for the first half of the season. When those guys got sold off and Freddie went down we did not have a major league lineup.

As much as I still hate the Olivera trade, 2016 should feature him full time which could generate a nice offensive boost. Freeman should be healthy by then, and then we have the other returning pieces. Not the makings of a great offense, but if the bullpen can get fixed and Julio returns to form it could be enough for a big turn around in 2016 in the W/L columns. I'd like to just see what we have and give some young guys a chance (maybe Malex Smith will be ready to take over sometime in 2016, having a true speedster could do wonders for an offense that has some decent contact hitters). Nothing more than a stop gap in the interim though unless our new GM can pull off a major trade without selling the farm like happened before.

[Sportsforever]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

Power is nice, but we saw this season that we can survive without a 30 home run guy. Before this team sold off nearly every veteran who produced a little, this team floated around the 18-22 mark in the majors in runs scored in the first half of the season. We did that we guys like Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe in the lineup to go along with a healthy Freddie Freeman. We were just 2 games under .500 at the all-star break with those guys. The main problem was the bullpen blew numerous save and hold opportunities, and then Julio gave us nothing for the first half of the season. When those guys got sold off and Freddie went down we did not have a major league lineup.

As much as I still hate the Olivera trade, 2016 should feature him full time which could generate a nice offensive boost. Freeman should be healthy by then, and then we have the other returning pieces. Not the makings of a great offense, but if the bullpen can get fixed and Julio returns to form it could be enough for a big turn around in 2016 in the W/L columns. I'd like to just see what we have and give some young guys a chance (maybe Malex Smith will be ready to take over sometime in 2016, having a true speedster could do wonders for an offense that has some decent contact hitters). Nothing more than a stop gap in the interim though unless our new GM can pull off a major trade without selling the farm like happened before.

I hated losing Alex Wood, but outside of that I still love the Olivera trade. He's raw, but man, you can see why they liked him. I'm excited to see what he can do in a full year...

Peraza got some time with the Dodgers and when I watched him it just confirmed my concerns with him....I don't ever see him being more than a reserve middle infielder.

[DonkeyJote]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

We're talking about floating around 18-22 being good enough? Seriously? It's 2015. You don't need to be the Blue Jays, but you need power. The 10 playoff teams averaged 180 hr. We had 100. That's it. The top 5 teams in hr averaged 86 wins. The bottom 5 averaged 72. The playoff teams all had power. I mean, number of 15 hr hitters per playoff team:

Toronto: 6
Houston: 7
Yankees: 6
Dodgers: 4
Mets: 4
Texas: 5
Cubs: 6
Pittsburgh: 5
Kansas City: 5
St. Louis: 3

The Braves? 1. In fact, we only had 3 in double figures, and our team leader had 18 hr. And power isn't all about home runs; we were last in extra base hits total this year. We don't even hit doubles. Is it possible to make the post season without power? Yes. Is it likely? No. And if you manage it, you need to be extraordinary in every other facet of the game. The level of power on this team is unacceptable. You're going to get outs, and when you do, it doesn't matter if it's a strikeout, or a groundout. We had the second fewest K's this year and look where it got us. #1 and #2 in K's both just won their wild card games and are still playing. In fact, Kansas City is the only one of the top 5 in strikeouts still playing.

As far as Chris Davis, he's a risk. He's going to be a defensive liability in LF. Part of it would depend on what the dimensions of the new park are going to be like. But he's averaged 40 hr the last 4 years. I think you've got to take chances. He's a Boras guy, so honestly it's probably going to come down to money. There also doesn't seem to be a ton of talent becoming available the offseason after that. I'd prefer Cespedes, to be honest (as an added bonus, he may be able to help Oliveras's transition).

[KSUowls]

Re: 2015 Atlanta Braves

I hated losing Alex Wood, but outside of that I still love the Olivera trade. He's raw, but man, you can see why they liked him. I'm excited to see what he can do in a full year...

Peraza got some time with the Dodgers and when I watched him it just confirmed my concerns with him....I don't ever see him being more than a reserve middle infielder.

I don't like Olivera's age for the Braves' situation specifically. Wood and Peraza were both expendable, but trading young pieces on a rebuilding franchise for a guy who is already on the wrong side of 30 just doesn't make sense to me.

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I didn't mean that 18-22 was good enough for this team long term, I was referring to 2016 where we could see a big swing in wins if we just have some major league caliber hitters for an entire season and not an abysmal bullpen. Enough to showcase that this team is on the right track and have some momentum for 2017.

The Braves only trotted a major league lineup out for about 80 games this season. Using any season long comparison of this team is going to be seriously skewed with the complete roster turnover we saw. They were ranked #21 in runs scored on July 1st and 4 games under .500. That was with basically just 3 guys with any semblance of power (of which one we acquired and kept for about a month and a half and the other only played about 2 months due to injury before being traded away). Then they fell to dead last because we didn't have contact, speed, or power after trades/injuries.

You're right that it is more than just home runs. However, 5 of the top 8 slugging percentage teams in 2015 did not make the playoffs. Of those 5, only Batimore at 81-81 did not have a losing record. I would say the far more important part of the team is pitching where 8 of the 10 playoff teams finished in the top 12 of ERA. Interesting, 5 of the top 6 ERA teams are still in the playoffs. The only reason it is not a clean sweep is that Pittsburgh and Chicago had to have a loser in the 1 game wild card. Last year's world series winners finished 17th in home runs, 13th in slugging, but did manage to hit the top 10 in avg (that all added up to 12th in total runs scored). Basically the long winded point is that power is nice, but you can survive just being in the top half.