3 former Atlanta Braves the team parted with at the perfect time
This Atlanta Braves front office isn't perfect but have been as close to it as you can have in this league.
This Atlanta Braves front office isn't perfect, but has been as close to it as you can have in this league. Whether it is parting ways with a player at the perfect time or finding a bargain deal Alex Anthopoulos has done a great job building a roster that should have a window to contend for many years to come.
While there have been a few misses, they are far outweighed by the players the Atlanta Braves parted ways with due to contract differences.
The only big swing the Braves could be given heat for is parting ways with franchise icon Freddie Freeman. Freeman was supposed to be the face of the franchise after Chipper Jones. However, Anthopoulos has won that deal so far as well, signing the younger Matt Olson and being given elite production.
Freeman will be missed but, from a perspective free of emotion, it was the right timing for Atlanta and the perfect decision for what this team needed moving forward. Freeman will long be remembered in Braves country, but the choice to play hardball in free agency cost him and worked to Atlanta's benefit. That's something that would happen again with another franchise player the very next season in Atlanta.
1. Dansby Swanson — 7 years, $144 million
To be fair to Swanson, this deal is only one year old and it could prove to be a loss for the Braves. For now, however, you have a Braves team that saved at the shortstop position and got close to the same offensive production. Swanson is a better defender, but not enough to offset this massive contract. If the Braves want to improve the shortstop position, there are options out there better than Arcia and cheaper than Swanson.
Part of this Braves regime has been the mentality that they lock up their young players to team-friendly deals early or let players move on. We saw this again with Sean Murphy and Matt Olson. This is a team that is either going to build around you for the long haul or have a quick backup plan in place to move on.
Swanson meant a lot to this franchise and team. However, the Braves had a historic offensive season without their former shortstop and Swanson was sitting on his coach come postseason time. Yes, it would be great to have Swanson on the roster still but at this price, it was the perfect time for the Braves to part ways.
2. Josh Donaldson — 4 years, $92 million
This deal is easy to forget considering Donaldson was last with the Braves in the 2019 season. Austin Riley has wiped away the memory of one of the best third basemen Atlanta had since Chipper Jones chose to walk away. The energy and edge that Donaldson brought was exactly what this team needed to make a postseason push and begin their reign over the National League East.
With that said, however, Donaldson has been nothing but a complete bust since leaving Atlanta. In his lone season with the Braves, Donaldson was an elite offensive force with 94 runs batted in and 37 homers. It was looked at as a very tough decision at the time for the Braves and a huge potential loss.
Atlanta opted to let Donaldson walk and believe in their young core. The fact that this was a debate is laughable in retrospect but, at the time, it was a heated discussion for Braves fans. Donaldson clearly will be remembered as a fan favorite and is a player that the team made the perfect decision on at the right time. Few deals are cut and dry as this one from Atlanta's perspective.
3. Will Smith — 1 year, $1.5 million
There is a lot of love in Braves country for Will Smith and a pitcher who helped give Atlanta a World Series title over the Astros. The struggles of the regular season were all but forgotten when Smith helped Atlanta go on an epic postseason run. While it was tough to let a number of impact players go from that team, parting ways with Smith clearly was the right decision.
Smith has struggled and failed to live up to his postseason run with the Braves. Smith has had great moments but Atlanta choosing to move on was clearly the right decision. This has been a constant for Anthopoulos, the Braves bullpen has been consistently shuffled with the front office understanding the need for a change and fresh arms each season.
While there have been a few stalwarts, Smith clearly wasn't a piece to build around and Atlanta added a new closer each of the following two seasons. Smith had a great run for the Braves but the team made the right decision to move on.
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