Winter Meetings: Atlanta Braves focusing on bullpen, outfield help
The Atlanta Braves’ fan base cannot endure another 95 loss season, especially after witnessing one of the worst second halves to a season you’ll ever see. On July 7th the Braves were 42-42 and just four games back in the National League East. By the end of July they were 46-57 and nine games back of the division lead. From July 7th to the end of August the Braves went 12-35 and found themselves 19 games back in the division.
John Coppolella, who has taken over the general manager role for the Braves, is trying hard to find a way to compete, while also trying to rebuild. A lot of fans understand that the Braves aren’t going to win for a few years – and agree with the direction the team is going – but they can’t suffer another season of watching terrible baseball like they did to end the 2015 season.
The front office has promised to put a competitive team on the field and that’s exactly what they’ll be trying to do as they head into this year’s Winter Meetings.
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At this point it’s hard to predict what the Braves will do because they’ve been all over the place since they’ve started this rebuilding process. We’ll start with what we do know, Freddie Freeman will be playing first base for the Braves come Opening Day. Outside of that I think the Braves are willing to make changes at every other position.
The Braves have already made several moves this year including trading Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels and bringing over Erick Aybar to fill his position at shortstop. They’ve also resigned catcher A.J. Pierzynski, relief pitcher Jim Johnson, starting pitcher Bud Norris and utility infielder Gordon Beckham. The Braves have also traded Cameron Maybin for more pitching.
Going into the Winter Meetings there will be a lot of talk about the Braves in regards to what they’ll do with Shelby Miller. There are several teams that have interest in Miller, but the Braves seem to be reluctant to give him up unless they’re blown away. The Braves appear to be looking for a major league ready arm and an outfielder in any deal for Miller.
The Braves also may be looking to move starting pitcher Julio Teheran, although after a difficult 2015 season his stock has fallen off.
It would be wise for the Braves to bring on a stopgap center fielder to help pave the way for Mallex Smith. A player like Rajai Davis or Austin Jackson would make a lot of sense, but then again the Braves already have Michael Bourn on the roster. If the Braves can’t move Bourn and shed the money he’s owed, they will likely look for a cost efficient replacement on the market like Davis, Jackson or Drew Stubbs.
Even though the Braves have already brought Pierzynski back and have Christian Bethancourt on the roster, they’ve been rumored to be interested in Tyler Flowers. That may spell the end of the line for Bethancourt. The once highly touted prospect seems to have lost favor in the Braves’ organization and could be on his way out.
The Braves will definitely be looking to add another reliever or two at the Winter Meetings as a lot of their struggles in the second half of last season can be blamed on the bullpen. While trying to raise a young group of pitching it’s imperative the Braves keep a stable of arms in the bullpen that are capable of taking some pressure off of those young starters.
Darren O’Day is a name the Braves have been linked to a lot over the past few weeks, but it sounds as if he’s gone out of their price range. The next relief pitching target the Braves might be interested in is Joakim Soria, but there are several other relievers that are still available. Also, the Braves have already taken fliers on David Carpenter and Jose Ramirez, and they’re also hoping Jason Grilli and Shea Simmons come back healthy in 2016 to add depth to the pen.
Finally, the Braves will also be looking to add another utility player off the bench in addition to Beckham. They have interest in Ben Zobrist, but so do 29 other teams so it’s likely he also moves out of their price range. A more feasible option for the Braves would be to bring back Kelly Johnson or Juan Uribe.
As far as free agent signings go, don’t expect the Braves to be active at these Winter Meetings. However, as we’ve learned over the past two years the Braves are not afraid to pull the trigger on a trade, so if they’re approached with a deal that they feel makes them better in the future they won’t hesitate.
Next: Winter Meetings Preview: Cubs Still Have Needs After Lackey Signing
This was an exciting team to watch last offseason and I don’t expect anything less this offseason as the Winter Meetings begin.