The Atlanta Braves have signed Will Smith and now will look to the starting market. Who is the best fit? Maddison Bumgarner and Zack Wheeler are candidates.
The Atlanta Braves have won the NL East title in consecutive seasons, yet do not have anything to show for it. The team they beat out for the division in 2019 – the Washington Nationals – meanwhile have won a World Series title. This offseason will be key in determining the direction of their future.
The allure of a division title has an especially bitter sting when a team is eliminated in the first round of postseason contention. This has been a fate suffered by the Braves in two consecutive seasons despite an influx of young talent and smart acquisitions.
The Nationals could easily loose their exceptional third baseman in Anthony Rendon. He is able to flawlessly slug doubles and home runs at any juncture in the game, especially when in its most tenuous moments. His 2019 campaign was a nearly MVP caliber effort, as he was able to maintain an OPS above 1000.
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They are also in danger of losing Stephen Strasburg, an excellent starter and a reliable playoff performer. The exodus of two of their most prominent performers – two players that they would not have won the World Series without – leaves a relative gap in the division.
The Braves have already taken action to bolster their roster for the coming season with the addition of reliever Will Smith. The Braves will be losing Chris Martin and Anthony Swarzak, therefore replacing them with an excellent and versatile left arm in Smith will pay plenty of dividends.
They also have a number of roster deficiencies at the moment due to the potential exit of Josh Donaldson. Johan Camargo or Charlie Culberson could easily take up the mantle at third base, yet they were vital contributors off of the bench last season. If a string of injuries befalls the Braves once again infield depth will be key.
The addition of another starter to the rotation – currently constituted of Mike Soroka, Max Fried, and Mike Folyynewicz – would allow the roster to be constructed with more of an emphasis on playoff baseball. Two clear options that would be intriguing fits with the Braves are Zack Wheeler or Maddison Bumgarner.
Both are from the area – Wheeler is from the Atlanta area and Bumgarner is from North Carolina. Thus both would have a great interest in signing with the Braves, as they possess a roster that can compete and a location that is attractive to the respective starters.
Wheeler has been readily improving since he missed two full seasons in recovery from a Tommy John surgery. His beaming fastball and knee-buckling change-up provide a lethal combination, as his only substantive issue was a lack of consistency in 2019. On the other hand, Bumgarner would provide a plethora of playoff experience and profound success during that time.
There are myriad potential replacements for the likes of Brian McCann and Donaldson, although the degree to which they provide a similar performance is unlikely. Travis D’Arnaud or Robinson Chirinos are potential candidates that can fill in admirably serve in a catching tandem with Tyler Flowers.
Mike Moustakas is certainly a third baseman that could provide the Braves with the lineup presence that has departed in Donaldson. However, he certainly cannot compare in terms of the fielding excellence that Donaldson provided.
Rather than spend the requisite money on Donaldson, the Atlanta Braves will likely allot the money to bolster their rotation, an area that will likely make the largest impact in the postseason.