This offseason has been one of the slowest in recent memory. Already mid-January, 13 of the top 20, and 31 of the top 50 MLB free agents remain unsigned, and a blockbuster trade could happen at any time. Can the Atlanta Braves capitalize on this slow offseason with a couple of key acquisitions?
Aside from ridding themselves of Matt Kemp, the Atlanta Braves have done little to improve their chances of playoff contention in 2018. Fear not, Braves fans, for there’s still time (and opportunity) for our beloved Bravos to make a splash one way or another this offseason.
As far as I’m concerned, there are four areas the Atlanta Braves could use an upgrade: Starting pitching, relief pitching, third base, and a corner outfield position (it’s still not clear where Ronald Acuña will be playing in 2018).
The Braves have the farm system depth to make a big trade or two to acquire talent at any of these four positions, and they’ve got the payroll flexibility to sign a pair of moderately-priced free agents.
While it’s highly unlikely that Alex Anthopoulos & co. will make a splash to cover all four positional needs this offseason, wishful thinking has never hurt anyone. In this article, I’ll highlight three available options (one costly, one moderately priced, and one cheap) for the Atlanta Braves at each of the four positions, as well as what I believe it would take to acquire each player.
First up, we’ll look at three starting pitchers that could wind up in a Braves uniform before spring training.