Sign three free agent pitchers: Lance Lynn, Greg Holland, and Peter Moylan
With just under $40 million to spend (again, hypothetically speaking, of course) and down a starting pitcher, the Atlanta Braves would be in a position to snatch a few arms off of the free agent market, assuming they’re still available following the deals made in my wonderful fantasy world.
The key element to the Braves’ rebuild has been pitching depth, but even with all the arms in the minor leagues, there’s no guarantee that even half of them will pan out. The Braves need to have experienced guys to fall back on in case things don’t go quite as planned, and this group would get the job done, and then some.
Lance Lynn:
There are several questions surrounding Lance Lynn. He fell off a bit in 2017 after coming back from Tommy John surgery, but I’m confident that he will bounce back in 2018, and the fact that his numbers dipped following his surgery means that he could potentially sign for less than he’s worth.
If the Braves were to strike a deal with the 30-year-old, I could see it being a three-year, $45 million contract at $15 million per year. Before his surgery, Lance Lynn was one of the more reliable starting pitchers in the league, and I’m expecting him to come back to form after what was an odd 2017 season where he posted a career-worst 3.8 walks per nine innings.
Following this deal, the Braves would be left with about $25 million to spend, which would then direct them towards bullpen options.
Greg Holland & Peter Moylan:
According to MLBTradeRumors.com, both Greg Holland and Peter Moylan have been connected to the Braves this offseason, which is excellent. Atlanta’s bullpen struggled mightily during parts of the 2017 season, and a pair of veteran arms would help solidify the ‘pen.
Holland posted a 3.61 ERA in 2017 and held opposing hitters to just a .193 batting average. That’s impressive alone, but the fact that he did so while pitching at Coors Field 30 times makes me want to do unspeakable things to get him in an Atlanta Braves uniform. If he can pitch well at Coors, he can dominate at SunTrust Park.
Greg Holland is a Scott Boras client, so Atlanta would likely have to shell out a few extra bucks to get him, but I could see the 32-year-old inking a three-year, $40 million deal, making $13 million in 2018 and 2019, and then $14 million in 2020.
Peter Moylan is getting old, but lifelong Atlanta Braves fans would love this signing. A one-year, $8 million deal for the 39-year-old righty doesn’t sound too bad, considering he led all relievers in appearances with 79 (59.1 IP).
The most attractive stat of Moylan’s in 2017 is the .161/.244/.236 slash line right-handed batters put up against him in 193 plate appearances. If he can repeat this feat, he’d be well worth spending $8 million.