3 moves for the Atlanta Braves to make this offseason
This year, the Atlanta Braves enter the offseason as World Series champions for the first time since the 1995 season ended. Now how can the Braves get back to the Fall Classic in 2022? That’s always the question as soon as the confetti stops falling, right?
So what will it take for the Atlanta Braves to find their way back to the World Series? Here are three ideas that we think could make a big impact.
First, the Atlanta Braves need to resign Freddie Freeman
This is perhaps the biggest no-brainer of them all, but a Braves team without Freddie Freeman at first base would not only not be as strong, but also just feel … weird.
After 12 seasons in a Braves uniform, Freeman is testing the free agent market and there is certainly plenty of competition to sign him for the 2022 season. However, Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos has stated that Atlanta’s payroll will go up in 2022 and that, regarding Freeman, “Our goal is to sign him and to keep him a Brave.”
MLBTradeRumors.com has estimated that Freeman will ink a six-year, $180 million contract this offseason. Now 32, a contract like that would take the five-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger likely to the end of his playing career. Atlanta just needs to make sure that kind of contract has Freeman finishing his career in a Braves uniform rather than anywhere else.
Second, the Atlanta Braves need to make a trade for Cincinnati Reds pitcher Sonny Gray
Cincinnati has already made it clear that they are open to trading Sonny Gray, the 32-year-old right-hander who has gone 23-20 with a 3.49 ERA in 68 starts over three seasons in a Reds uniform.
The Reds have already traded away catcher Tucker Barnhart and made a head-scratching move by putting starting pitcher Wade Miley on waivers where he was subsequently claimed by the division rivals Chicago Cubs. Now, with the Reds telling other MLB teams that Gray is on the market, Atlanta needs to swoop in and grab Gray and boost their rotation.
Gray is scheduled to make a little more than $10 million this season and has a $12 million team option for 2023. If Anthopoulos is discussing boosting the payroll next year, adding Gray and swapping some assets to make it happen could certainly strength a rotation that will already feature Charlie Morton, Max Fried, and Ian Anderson.
Our friends at Tomahawk Take imagined what it might take to make a trade for Gray. There’s no question that the Los Angeles Dodgers will reload their roster this offseason in order to make a run at the National League title. Making a deal for Gray would ensure that the Braves keep the Dodgers and the rest of the NL at bay.
Third, the Atlanta Braves need to ink Jorge Soler to a contract
Soler was one of the amazing success stories compiled by Anthopoulos as he was forced to completely rebuild the Atlanta outfield at the trade deadline. After coming over from the Kansas City Royals, Soler slashed .269/.358/.524 in 242 regular-season plate appearances, then upped that to slash .300/.391/.800 in 23 World Series plate appearances to earn the Fall Classic’s Most Valuable Player honors.
One of those hits? Leading off the World Series with a home run in Houston.
Now Soler is a free agent and is expected by MLBTR to earn a three-year, $36 million deal. Part of that is dependent upon the National League incorporating the designated hitter in 2022 as is widely expected. If that’s the case, having a designated hitter in Atlanta like Soler who can also play outfield and already has a soft spot in the hearts of Atlanta fans for his 2021 postseason heroics seems to check all of the boxes.
There is, of course, a risk with having Soler in the outfield. He played 752 innings in right field this season, the most of his career, and finished with a negative-11 Defensive Runs Saved. That’s why Soler slotting in as the designated hitter in Atlanta makes so much sense.
Next. The early odds don't favor an Atlanta repeat. dark
Like Freeman, there will be plenty of teams trying to land Soler for 2022. However, if Atlanta is willing to spend the money, seeing Soler back with the Braves would provide a big boost for the batting order.