Atlanta Braves rumors: McCann on retiring a Braves, Ender to Cubs?
Will the Atlanta Braves bring back Brian McCann for his final year(s)? Will Ender be traded to the Cubs?
With a general manager now hired, the Atlanta Braves are now going to be part of the offseason rumor machine. A pair of notes hit the hot stove this week, sparking conversation online.
Brian McCann still loves the Braves, would like to retire with team
Brian McCann spoke with Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the Rally Foundation’s fundraising event over the weekend (an event that raised over $1 million!).
A local Atlanta guy, McCann mentioned in the article that he would like to retire with the Braves some day:
"“One hundred percent,” McCann said when asked if he would want to end his career with the Braves. “One hundred percent. This is my home. I played close to 10 years here. This organization is really, really, really close to my heart. I love this organization.”"
Braves fans love you, too, Brian, and we would love to have you back on the squad, if even in a non-playing role.
Ender Inciarte targeted by the Chicago Cubs in trade talks
Sports Mockery, a local Chicago blog that has had some very good connections to rumors in the past, mentioned that the Cubs were likely to approach the Braves again on Ender Inciarte now that the team has new management in place.
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From the article, it appears that the Cubs have approached the Braves before, but then-GM John Coppolella was not receptive to any deal moving Inciarte, regardless of the cost.
The article mentions the Cubs being “aggressive” with their offer, mentioning players like Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, or Javier Baez as pieces that could move in a deal.
While Inciarte moving would open a spot for Ronald Acuna, he’s also incredibly valuable and on a very good contract. The Cubs have one of the bottom systems in the league, so the deal would likely come from their major league club, not minor league prospects.
A couple of names not mentioned that could interest the Braves in a deal would include Victor Caratini and Carl Edwards, Jr. Caratini was a Braves farm hand before being traded to the Cubs and is knocking on the door of the majors currently, so expanding the deal to send back Kurt Suzuki as a backup catcher for Willson Contreras could net the Braves a larger return, including Caratini, who could serve as backup for Tyler Flowers in 2018 before taking over in 2019 behind the plate, and could even also add Edwards, a reliever with incredibly impressive raw stuff.
Next: Braves top 100 prospects complete list
It’s only day 2 of the GM meetings, so more rumors are certain to come, but it’s always good to whet our whistle on some good ones to open the season as Braves fans!