MLB
Getting The Band Back Together
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Tuesday July 30th at 6pm or known in the baseball world as “the trade deadline” has come and gone for 2024.
While there weren’t any blockbuster deals for the Braves, or any team for that matter, Alex Anthopoulos and company did pull off a couple deals to improve an Atlanta club down the back stretch.
The Braves sat eight and a half games out of the NL East division race at the trade deadline but were clinging to a one game lead in the Wild Card chase.
While a few free agent signings add some pieces to an injury riddled lineup, the only trade made at the deadline was with San Francisco to bring a couple former Braves World Series impact players back to “The A.”
First off, this trade deadline was unlike others in recent memory. 2024 proved to be hugely a “seller’s market” with higher returns required because of the very few number of teams that were actually sellers.
As the standings sit, there are twenty-one MLB Teams that are within five games of one of the twelve playoff spots between the two leagues (either to division leads or one of the three wildcard slots).
The addition of the third Wild Card team a few years ago by MLB has brought mixed reviews. The intention was to bring exactly what it has in 2024 where more teams are still in contention for postseason. The downside is it drives the price up at the deadline and has mediocre teams that are contending for postseason play.
That out of the way, we turn the attention to the additions for the Braves this week. The only trade made before the Tuesday deadline was with the San Francisco Giants.
Atlanta sends reliever Tyler Matzek and infield prospect Sabin Ceballos to the west coast in return for two players that were integral in the 2021 World Championship for the Braves in Jorge Soler and bullpen piece Luke Jackson.
Soler brought home the 2021 World Series MVP for Atlanta after hitting three home runs and six RBI against the Houston Astros to secure the fourth World Championship in franchise history.
This is a very similar scenario to how Soler was acquired by Atlanta in the magical 2021 season. Three years to the day prior to the July 30th trade this year, Soler was traded to the Braves from Kansas City.
After 2021, Soler has spent the 2022 and 2023 season with the Marlins. Soler hit .250 with Miami last season knocking in thirty-six homers and drove in seventy-five RBI.
After signing with San Francisco in February, Soler has hit .240 with twelve long balls and 40 RBI. While it’s a red flag to some that Soler hasn’t played the field this season (served as the DH for all ninety-three games for the Giants), the Braves see a serviceable outfielder while also gaining a huge improvement to fill the leadoff spot in the lineup.
Luke Jackson spent five years in the Atlanta bullpen from 2017-2021 including a fantastic 2021 season that posted career bests 1.98 ERA in seventy-one appearances.
After missing all of 2022 with a UCL injury with the Braves, Jackson also battled injuries in 2023 with San Francisco with thirty-three appearances.
This season hadn’t gone the way Jackson would have liked to the tune of a 5.40 ERA in thirty-six appearances. While the Braves pen has been a strength, Jackson will be appearing in non-pressure situations.
So, what did the Braves part with to bring a couple of World Champions back to Atlanta?
Tyler Matzek played a crucial role in the 2021 Championship, but since has only appeared in fifty-three games at the big-league level with Atlanta in the past 3 years and only eleven since the end of 2022.
While Matzek quickly became a fan favorite, this may be a scenario where the change of scenery does Matzek good, and who knows…. we’ve seen plenty of fan favorite players back in the A before.
The other piece that departs the Braves organization is Sabin Ceballos, the former Oregon catcher who had turned into an infield piece after being drafted in the 3rd round of 2023.
While this deal may not be the blockbuster moves that everyone always clammers for, this could be a huge deal in the long run for Atlanta, and maybe some Anthopolous magic strikes again!
Diamond Draft
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Just as the MLB All-Star Weekend kicks underway deep in the heart of Texas, the 2024 MLB Draft got underway on day one on Sunday night.
Shortly after 7pm Sunday, Commissioner Rob Manfred approached to kick off the first 74 picks from the Fort Worth Stock Yards and Cowtown Coliseum, so let’s dive into the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
The Guardians had the largest bonus pool in the draft with over $18 million and had the first overall selection. Cleveland called the name of Travis Bazzana from Oregon State. The final Pac-12 Player of the Year was also selected as a Golden Spikes Award Finalist after blasting 28 homeruns which set the Oregon State record in a season and most in the Pac-12 in 25 years.
The Cincinnati Reds didn’t waste much time raising some eyebrows when they took Chase Burns out of Wake Forest with the second pick of the draft.
Burns was dominant at times in his career as a Demon Deacon. Burns had been susceptible to giving up homeruns in his career, but the Reds deemed the upside was more important.
The third pick on Sunday went to the Colorado Rockies and some would say the Rockies got a gift that Charlie Condon was still on the board to be selected.
Colorado jumped on the opportunity. We have well documented the fantastic story Charlie Condon has become in the past few years at Georgia.
To me, this will prove long term to be the “steal of the draft.” I understand that the third pick isn’t stealing much, but Charlie Condon was thought to be a projected number one overall by many publications.
More proven talent (at the college level at least) would follow with the next few picks. Wake Forest would see the second Demon Deacon off the board in the first four selections with Nick Kurtz heading to the Athletics.
Arkansas Razorback ace Hagen Smith was taken off the board by the Chicago White Sox before Florida’s two-way talent Jac Cagliaone would put on the “KC” cap after being selected by the Royals.
The Big 12 saw their first selection in pick number 7 from St. Louis with the Cardinals calling JJ Wetherholt’s name after leading the nation with a .449 average for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
In a draft where it was projected by many to be one of the most “college player heavy” that the MLB Draft has seen in recent memory at least, it held true in Round 1.
The first high school prospect that was selected in the draft was the 9th selection when the Pirates drafted Konnor Griffin out of Jackson Prep HS in Mississippi.
Wake Forest really were feeling well when the third Demon Deacon was taken in the top 10 picks when Seaver King was taken off the board.
Wake Forest became just the second school to have three players selected in the first 10 picks. King was the vocal and emotional leader for the Deacs after transferring from Division II Wingate University prior to the 2024 season.
The Atlanta Braves had the 24th pick of the day and went the lefthander from Saguaro High in Arizona in Cam Caminiti. Caminiti is the cousin of former MLB All-Star third baseman Ken Caminiti who was the 1996 NL MVP.
Overall, the first round saw the first 30 names taken in the 2024 Draft with only 10 of those being high school prospects and the remaining 20 coming from the college ranks.
Wake Forest led the way with three players taken in the first round for the most by one team. Florida State would follow with two consecutive picks with James Tibbs III going to San Francisco with the 13th pick and Cam Smith selected by the Cubs with the 14th.
The SEC took the top spot, seeing seven players off the board from SEC institutions, with the ACC close behind with six.
To me, the MLB Draft is one of the more exciting days (yes, I know I may be a baseball dork), but it’s a fantastic time to see the college game and the pro game come together.
In a weekend where the Pirates’ Paul Skenes, the 2023 MLB Draft 1st overall selection, will be starting the 2024 MLB All-Star Game on the mound, the future of the game takes one of the most crucial steps in their careers on a special night deep in the heart of Texas.
Out Of No Where
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Oh come on, we all saw this coming, right?
Raise your hand if you knew the following: Prior to the 2024 Atlanta Braves campaign, a guy with one of the most unassuming names – Lopez – would not only lead the Braves in ERA, but as of June 26, all of Major League Baseball. Oh, come on, stop that!
I mean, Lopez? In the English language world of last names, you got names like Smith and Johnson. But in Hispanic culture, you have names like Fernandez and… Lopez. Who would have thought a guy that was destined for a velled middle relief spot in the Braves bullpen would sit atop MLB?
When you think of momentous trades and/or roster additions in Atlanta Braves and MLB history during my lifetime, a couple come to mind.
Probably the most recognizable and arguably, the most influential trade in Braves history, was for the man affectionately known around Braves Country as “Smoltzie.”
It was August 1987 and the Braves were still in their lovable losers days, while Detroit was in a heated AL-East race with the Blue Jays.
The Tigers needed one more starting piece to their rotation and they got it. The Braves sent veteran Doyle Alexander to the Tigers. Alexander went on to garner 10 wins in that short August – October span. The Tigers won the AL East by two games over the Blue Jays and lost in the ALCS to the Twins in five games.
And the Braves got an unknown kid named John Smoltz, who wasn’t even in the majors. He was in his rookie season, with the Tigers’ minor league affiliate, Lakeland, (FL) team.
Who knew then, that Smoltz would become one of the most renowned pitchers in Atlanta Braves history?
Who can forget the July 20, 1993 Fulton County Stadium fire in the press box prior to the game against the Cardinals?
The Braves were 8 games back of the San Francisco Giants. I guess it was a presage to McGriff’s own fire at the plate. He belted a tying home run in the 6th, enroute to an 8-5 win over St. Louis.
Call it six degrees of separation, but later I’ll tell you the Cardinals tie to Lopez’s big splash. McGriff went on to aid Atlanta in an epic 8-game division winning comeback in the second half of the season.
And that trade? The Braves sent OFs Melvin Nieves and Vince Moore and RHP Donnie Elliott to the San Diego Padres for McGriff. I’d say the Braves got the best of that one.
And now, Reynaldo Lopez? In most trade reports, you’ll see something like, “On November 20, 2023, the Braves added another reliever…..”
That’s right. Lopez has spent nearly all of his 9-year career in the bullpen. He went a combined 17-25 in 2018 and 2019 as a starter for the Chicago White Sox, but that’s pretty much it for the big, strong right-hander out of the Dominican Republic.
The rest of his nine years have almost all been in the pen.
That is – until now. Chris Sale and Max Fried have been phenomenal, combining to go 17-5. Sale has even been a pleasant surprise, since coming over from the Red Sox. That was a huge get for Atlanta itself.
But it’s been Lopez, from nowhere, that has stolen the show, from a numbers standpoint. Remember that tie-in with McGriff and the Cardinals?
Well, in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Cardinals, Lopez went 5 innings and earned the win. But, it also put him over the required 75 innings to be on the MLB Leaderboard in ERA, at 1.70.
Look, between Braves GMs Schuerholz and current Alex Anthopoulos, they have been a lot of great trades and signings. But in the end, it may be one that came while we were all eating left-over turkey sandwiches during November’s hot stove league, that just might take the cake.
Shaky Knees
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Baseball is a metaphor for life, one of its most enduring lessons is that the universe gives not one whit for our collective desires; it will mete out blessings and hardships as it sees fit.
Last year, Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first player to hit 40+ home runs and steal 70+ bases in the same season, winning NL MVP for his efforts. It was a truly remarkable and historic season, one that fans of the Braves and the MLB will never forget.
In the first two months of the season, the Braves lost Spencer Strider, the 2023 MLB wins and strikeouts leader, with season-ending elbow surgery after two starts.
The Braves also lost Acuña, the first player to have as many as 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season, to an ACL tear. Acuña finished with 41 and 73 in 2023, while batting .337 with an NL-best 1.012 OPS.
Even with his early struggles this season, he still had a solid .351 OBP and was a threat every time he was at the plate and made opposing pitchers uneasy from the first pitch.
Leading off the first inning, he had a .333 average with an .857 OPS, and leading off any inning he hit .356 with a .420 OBP and .886 OPS. Not up to his lofty standards, but still the majors’ ninth-best average when leading off innings. A year ago, Acuña hit .384 with 18 homers and a 1.134 OPS leading off innings.
2023 was a triumphant return to form for Acuña after he tore his right ACL in July 2021. He returned to action in late April of 2022, but it took time to regain his mojo, posting a career-low 2.6 bWAR upon his return. (Not counting the shortened 2020 season.)
If that timeline is the career roadmap, then we may not see Acuña in peak form again until 2026. He will miss the remainder of this season.
Needless to say, Acuña’s absence is a huge blow to the Braves, who are currently chasing the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. Of course, it was a big blow when Atlanta lost him in 2021 — and they went and won the World Series.
Which likely brings us to-gulp- 2026 for the next potential glimpse of Acuña at an MVP level. He will be 28 that year, still in his baseball prime.
If he stays relatively healthy from that point forward, he can still fulfill his Hall of Fame potential. But who can predict how this all might play out, especially now that he has twice suffered these freakish knee injuries?
Acuña is still just 26 years old. He’s been through this injury and rehab before, and there’s little doubt that he’ll be back to electrifying the baseball diamond soon enough.
The results of that work were not fully apparent when he returned in late April 2022, and did not become truly evident until ’23.
Acuña undoubtedly will adopt the same mindset again, knowing what steps he must take, literally and figuratively, to return to MVP form.
That will not make his rehabilitation any less lonely or frustrating. The last thing Ronald Acuña Jr. wanted was to go through this again. Forgive him if he wants to scream.
Man, what a huge bummer.
Replacing The Ace
By: Jeb Watkins
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Braves will be without their ace Spencer Strider for the remainder of the 2024 season.
The organization released information recently that the flame-throwing 25-year-old underwent UCL surgery on his right elbow.
An early 2025 season return seems to be the best braves fans like myself can hope for.
The show must go on however, and the Bravos need to fill his spot in the rotation.
Notice I said fill and not replace, and here is why. Strider is not just the braves ace, he’s a stud, a top 5 pitcher in the league and a Cy Young contender.
His 281 strikeouts last season were a franchise record, so to say any of the names on this list can replace him would be an insult.
Although, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has replaced an MVP caliber player before back in 2021 and it was good enough to win a championship. So, let’s go through and see who the Braves best options are for the open position.
For this article we will look at internal options only.
Alan Winans tried out against the Mets Thursday and flunked out. He posted 5 innings allowing 7 runs with 6 earned and only 1 strikeout. Atlanta sent him back to triple-A immediately. I expect he’ll get another chance but not anytime soon.
Darius Vines was subsequently called up. Vines pitched in 5 games last year and turned in a 3.98 ERA over 20 innings of work, so the sample size on him is just too small. I expect him to fare better than his teammate Winans did, since vines typically pitches to contact and the Braves have above average defensive play.
I don’t think he is the answer right now though and he will be going back to Gwinnett soon.
AJ Smith-Shawver is an interesting case in this situation. At 21 years old he probably has the rawest pitching talent on this list, I love watching this kid pitch and I believe he can be the answer long term this season to replace strider.
He’s struggled out of the gate this season in triple-A and will need a couple of good outings before the Braves call him up to fill in.
Last year as a 20-year-old he posted a 4.26 ERA with 20K’s and only 11 walks over 25 innings of work. He also got 2 innings of postseason experience.
Bryce Elder has the most likely odds to fill the spot early in the season mainly because he has the most experience out of all the Braves young options.
The big righty started 31 games last year and made the All-Star team in his rookie season.
He became more average in the second half of the season and eventually lost his spot in the rotation during Spring Training, losing out to Reynaldo Lopez.
Elder another pitch to contact guy can thrive with this Braves team though when the bats are humming he won 12 games with only 4 losses and a respectable 3.81 ERA.
I think you can expect to see this guy called up next after Vines is sent back down.
Dark Horses: The last three on this list are long shots but expect them to get some work in while number 99 is recovering.
Dylan Dodd the only lefty on this list, he pitched in 7 games in 2023, turning in a disappointing 7.60 ERA in 34 innings with 15K’s and 12 walks.
Dodd is likely working on his command and stamina in triple-A and will need more time for correction before he is ready to come back to the show.
Huascar Ynoa, we know this guy has the stuff to pitch at the big-league level. Ynoa had somewhat of a breakout year in 2021 starting 17 games and finishing with a 4.05 ERA 100K’s with 25 walks in 91innings.
The following 2022 season saw him struggle with command and arm soreness, which eventually led to him having his own Tommy John surgery and missing the 2023 season.
Ynoa only got 1 inning in the spring so I expect the team wants to see more from him in the minors for now.
Hurston Waldrep, the Cairo Georgia native and Thomasville High Graduate was taken 24th overall by the Braves in last year’s draft.
Waldrep is a real long shot. He had some nice outings in double A Mississippi last season and got 1 start at the triple A level and did well.
The Braves started him out in Mississippi this year though and he’s had a rough go of it in only two starts. I don’t think we will see this kid until September at the earliest.
The $100 Million Dollar Knee
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
A collective sigh of relief blanketed the Atlanta Braves, their fans, and superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed a team doctor’s diagnosis of meniscus irritation in Acuña’s right knee. Any injury more serious than that might’ve made the National League MVP go into surgery.
The Braves said that Acuña will gradually increase baseball activities and he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
The Braves open the season March 28 at their NL East rival Phillies, who beat the Braves in four games in the Division Series in October for the second consecutive year.
After feeling soreness in his surgically repaired right knee Friday, Acuña was scratched from the lineup Friday and underwent an MRI that showed irritation of the meniscus.
To make sure, and for peace of mind for all parties involved, the Braves decided to have their dynamic leadoff hitter and 2023 MLB stolen-base leader travel to Los Angeles to be examined by ElAttrache, the surgeon who repaired a torn ACL in Acuña’s knee in July 2021.
That was a season-ending injury and surgery that spoiled what had been an MVP-caliber start to 2021.
When soreness and inflammation lingered during his first season back from surgery in 2022, Acuña needed occasional days off to drain fluid from his knee. There were questions regarding how long it might take before Acuña was back at full pre-injury capacity, or if this issue will continue to affect his all-star career.
In 2023, Acuña wasn’t as good as he’d been prior to surgery, he was far better. In fact, he was historically good. The Braves led the majors in almost every major offensive category in 2023, and Acuña was their star of stars.
He became the fifth member of the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases) and much more, becoming the first player to have 40-50, 40-60 and, finally, 40-70 seasons. Acuña finished with 41 homers and a majors-leading 73 stolen bases while batting .337 with an MLB-best .416 on-base percentage and NL-leading 1.012 OPS.
There was understandable concern when Acuña was flown across the country during the weekend to get a second opinion on his knee. Manager Brian Snitker said Saturday that he was trying to remain optimistic, but that until Acuña was examined by ElAttrache the Braves wouldn’t know for sure.
If ElAttrache found something worse than the original diagnosis, such as a meniscus tear that might require arthroscopic surgery, there was a likelihood that Acuña would miss the early part of the 2023 season. And if that put him behind, there was no telling how long it might take for him to get back up to full speed after returning from a stint on the injured list.
The Braves might need to add a proven outfielder if Acuña was to require an IL stint to begin the season.
That didn’t happen, and the Braves and their fans, along with other fans of the wildly popular Acuña, let out a big sigh of relief.
Meniscus irritation can heal without any form of surgery.
Nothing was any more important for the Braves so far this spring than the medical update on Acuña.
Underpaid
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Ronald Jose Acuña Jr. is the best player in baseball. Repeat after me one more time Ronald Jose Acuña Jr. is the best player in baseball. Now that we have that understood let me show you the top ten paid players in baseball:
Ten highest paid players in MLB 2024
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers – $70 million
Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers – $43.333 million
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros – $43.333 million
Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers – $40 million
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – $40 million
Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels – $38.571 million
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels – $37.116 million
Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees – $36 million
Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals – $35.416 million
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals – $35 million
The current NL MVP is not on this list, but he soon should be.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is not eligible to become a free agent until after the 2026 season, but he is already thinking about a contract that will keep him with the Atlanta Braves for life.
Speaking to reporters from spring training last week, Acuña said it’s “not a secret” he wants to be “a Brave for life” and is hopeful they can “make that happen soon.”
Acuña was the first Braves player who signed one of those team-friendly deals that have become so common with the Braves over the years. He agreed to a 10-year, $100 million deal in 2019, when he was 21 years old. The contract has since been re-worked with an option of free agency after year eight.
I cannot fault the Braves for doing team friendly deals with players that project out to be future superstars. Acuña falls in that category.
Would the Braves risk letting this superstar walk in a couple of seasons? This situation has the potential to not turn out so well if the Braves are not willing to have extension talks with the Acuña camp.
Surely the Braves organization feels that Acuña should be one of the top paid players in the game. I can guarantee you that the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets feel that way.
The longer Atlanta allows extension talks drag out then you allow bitterness to creep in, and if this drags out over a year or so you hurt your chances of resigning the best player in baseball to a long-term extension that will keep Acuña a Braves for life.
After an MVP season the Acuña camp understands their market value, and so do the Atlanta Braves. The Braves knew this day would come.
Grossly undervalued team friendly contracts frustrate me as a fan, but I do understand the business side of it. It feels like a team takes advantage of a young player who comes from a tough background in a developing country. This was Acuña’s case and the Braves threw a big number in front of him at an early age for long-term. The Braves know that if the player develops into a superstar, like in Acuña’s case, then you a very team friendly situation. However, this creates a perception problem.
He led MLB with a .416 on-base percentage, 217 hits and 73 stolen bases last season.
The Braves have Acuña on the books for $17M for 2024. The Yankees are paying Aaron Judge $40M in 2024. The Braves are getting a sweetheart deal here.
Acuña became the first player in MLB history with at least 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a single season during the 2023 season.
Acuña, the first 40/70 player in MLB history, is the fourth highest paid player on his own team. Matt Olsen, Austin Riley, and Charlie Morton are all compensated better than Ronald.
You must be kidding me. Braves, please get serious about locking down the best player in baseball for life.
Acuña at a minimum deserves Aaron Judge money. Period. End of story. Please get it done Braves. The last thing Braves fans want to hear is the word holdout associated with Ronald Acuña while he is an Atlanta Brave.
Buy Or Sale?
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Braves fans have been clamoring for a big move by Alex Anthopoulos to re-vamp the Atlanta club going into 2024.
In a trade between Christmas and New Year, the Braves pulled the trigger bringing Chris Sale to “the A”.
The 7-time All-Star has been riddled with injuries the last 3 years and hasn’t appeared in more than 20 games since 2019. Despite the health issues, both he and the Braves believe he is the healthiest he has been in a while.
“I feel really good. This is the first time in quite a while I’ve been able to have a normal offseason,” Sale said in media availability from the Braves Spring Training facility in North Port. “I’ve been throwing bullpens since November, and I haven’t been able to do that for years!”
Originally when the trade was finalized, Boston was sending Chris Sale and $17 million (to cover that amount of Sale’s salary) in exchange for former Braves top-prospect Vaughn Grissom.
Because of Sale’s contract structure, Sale was owed $27.5 million in 2024, with the Red Sox paying $17 million of that, the Braves were on the hook for $10.5 million, but $10 million of that 10.5 was deferred to be paid in 2039, so essentially the Braves were getting Sale for $500K in 2024.
That changed, however, just 5 days later with Chris Sale and the Braves announcing a 2-year extension of the contract on January 4th.
With the new contract, Sale will collect $16 million in 2024, and $22 million in 2025 with a $18 million club option for 2026. Don’t forget that Boston is still paying $17 million of Sale’s salary, so the Red Sox will be essentially paying all of Sale’s 2024 earnings, and an additional million of the 2025 pay.
I know this may not have been the “big splash” that Atlanta faithful were looking for, but this is sneakily a fantastic deal for the Braves. You not only get a quality left-handed starter to add to the rotation, but also an experienced 34-year-old that has seen a lot at the big-league level.
Yes, Sale has been injury-laden the last 3 years, but of those, he returned for a good portion of 2023 with the Red Sox, making 20 starts with a 6-5 record and a 4.30 ERA (remember after not having a normal off-season and beginning of the year).
This year, he will enter with the first normal off-season into spring training for him since 2018 when he went 12-4 and posted a 2.11 ERA and finished 4th in the Cy Young Award voting.
I’m not saying he’s going to post those numbers and turn into the ace of the staff in Atlanta (although it may be a distant possibility), but the great thing for Atlanta is…. The Braves don’t need him to be that.
Braves pitching took a hit themselves from the injury bug in the pitching rotation in 2023, but everything looks promising as the team heads to North Port for Spring Training.
Spencer Strider and Max Fried are one of (if not the single) best 1-2 punches at the top of a rotation in baseball.
Although Fried was also injured at different points in 2023, he pitched well when he was available, and with a full off-season to get right ahead of a contract year, I’d expect a big 2024 from Fried.
Strider has been about as steady as it gets. Somehow, I still believe Strider is underrated on the grand scheme of the MLB, but we might be slightly biased.
The Braves also picked up the $20 million option for Charlie Morton in 2024, so going into Spring Training 2024, Atlanta should feel good about some combination of Fried, Strider, Morton, Sale being the top 4 of the Atlanta rotation.
So, is it the “flashy bigtime deal”? Probably not, but if there is an organization that has taught baseball that you don’t need a roster full of “flashy, high-priced talent” to win, in the words of the late-great voice of Truist Park Casey Motter, IT’S YOUR ATLANTA BRAVES.
Wheeling And Dealing
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For most Major League Baseball players, the month of November is a time to rest, spend much overdue time with their family, and decompress from the grind of a 162-game regular season.
This year, the month of November has been all but restful for Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos. Over the last month there have been 37 player transactions for the Braves (albeit most of those being players electing free agency), and a couple that have raised the eyebrows and curiosity of Braves Country, but the headlines aren’t all that need to be said.
The one that sent ripples (not quite tidal waves) through the organization was a trade with the Chicago White Sox sending RHP Michael Soroka, LHP Jared Shuster, SS Nicky Lopez, SS Braden Shewmake and RHP Riley Gowens to the south side of Chicago in exchange for Aaron Bummer.
This move had Braves fans scratching their heads, especially considering Soroka was a fan favorite since his debut.
That being said, and as good as Soroka was before tearing his Achilles tendon, his time as a Brave was more than likely numbered anyway. Most, if not all, of the pieces traded to Chi-Town were leading candidates to be non-tendered by Atlanta when the deadline came just hours later than the trade (deadline was Friday 11/17).
Instead of these players turning into free agents, Anthopoulos was able to turn them into another lefty that could play an impactful role into the Bravo’s bullpen.
Just one day later, the transaction hotline was connected with a familiar pipeline between Kansas City and Atlanta.
Two different trades occurred the 17th between the Royals and Braves to send Kyle Wright, and Nick Anderson to KC, and have Jackson Kowar and cash return to the ATL.
Kyle Wright had an injury riddled 2023 season in Atlanta but had been a key part of the Braves rotation in 2022, but injuries kept him from staying in the rotation.
The Braves also delt Wright knowing that he would miss the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery and would still be paying Wright approximately $1.4 million as he rehabs.
The other deal with the Royals had the Braves send Nick Anderson, who like Soroka was a likely candidate of being non-tendered, in return for cash considerations.
There are also a couple of transactions that fly under the radar with the front office in Atlanta officially not tendering contracts to 7 players who were previously on the 40-man roster including Kolby Allard, Chadwick Tromp, and Yonny Chirinos.
Why is this important? Because when you add all of the moves together, yes, the Braves clear up some payroll space, but at the end of the day, the Braves ended up with 30 players on the 40-man roster.
This allows the Braves to re-tool the bottom of the roster and bolster the organizational depth with key bench pieces and Triple-A players that, frankly, has been a weakness for the Braves in the past few years.
So far, the Braves have also added to the bullpen as well by signing the hard throwing righty Reynaldo Lopez, who struck out almost 30% of the batters he faced last season between the White Sox, Guardians, and Angels.
This could be a bigger addition to the Braves than it appears on the surface with Lopez potentially being able to serve as a back-end starter, if need be, but also be a high-leverage reliever.
I say all of this as what seems like one of the few Braves fans that are encouraged by these moves that “Headline Only Readers” are upset with.
I completely understand. Soroka, Wright, a couple former first round picks, and on the surface not getting much back, but when you dig deeper, it’s some crafty moves to get anything back for it, and oh by the way, I think we’re just getting started with the off season shuffle we’ll see out of the right field offices at Truist Park.
Not Just The Windmill At Third Base
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This month news broke that beloved Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington was getting the nod to take over as the new manager for the Los Angeles Angels.
This will be the second stint for Wash as a big-league manager after piloting the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014.
Ron Washington will be dearly missed in Atlanta after becoming an infectious personality around the clubhouse, while also being a gold mine of knowledge for infielders especially.
Washington has become a fan favorite around Braves Country because of the energy that David O’Brien of The Athletic described as “more energy at 71 than many 21-year-olds.”
Alex Anthopoulos, Braves GM, encapsulated the impact of Ron Washington on the Atlanta Organization by saying, “Presence, intellect, respect, work ethic, integrity. Off-the-charts ability to lead. I mean, that guy walks in a room, it’s over. He’s special. I’ve been in baseball since 2000. I’ve never been around someone like (Ron Washington).”
Ron Washington is a “baseball guy” through and through. A native of New Orleans, Washington was signed by Kansas City in 1970, and has been in professional baseball ever since.
He spent the next ten years primarily in the minor leagues for the Royals, Mets, and Dodgers organization. ‘Wash’ made his Major League debut in September of 1977 with the Dodgers as a September call-up but returned to the minors until 1981.
In 1981, Washington was on the active roster for the Minnesota Twins and would stay in the Bigs until 1986 scattered between the Twins, Orioles, Indians, and Astros. The end of his playing career came with his playing retirement in 1990 with the Oklahoma City Triple-A club.
After hanging up the glove (at least as a player), Washington set sails on his coaching career starting with the Mets organization for five years.
Washington made his Big-League debut as a coach in 1996 as the first base coach with the Oakland A’s where he would be until 2006 and return for the 2015 & 2016 season.
November 6th, 2006 will be a day that Ron Washington will always remember. It was the day the Texas Rangers announced they were bringing in Washington to manage the Rangers. Washington spent 8 years in Arlington and led the Rangers to two World Series appearances in 2010 & 2011.
While in October of 2016, Ron Washington was a finalist for the Braves vacant managerial position (that would inevitably be filled by Brian Snitker), Snitker elected to bring Ron Washington on staff as 3rd base coach. Since 2017, Washington was always around Truist park with the undeniable Wash Smile.
Washington’s pre-game routine with all the infielders, and even non-infielders, of throwing and hitting short hops to them blew up and became a must for all nationally televised game to show at some point.
Braves Country knows, and sometimes takes for granted, how underrated and top notch the coaching staff Brian Snitker has assembled over the years.
Ron Washington was a huge piece of that and will have some additional fall out I suspect. It has already been reported that Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr will be going with Wash to LA to join the Angels staff as their third base coach, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two others from the Braves staff joined as well.
Every offseason, each team has losses that fans will say “man that stinks” (sometimes a more colorful rendition of that), but not often is it a club’s third base coach.
Heck, many times when a coach leaves (outside of a manager or pitching coach), fans don’t realize it until opening day, and say “Hey who’s that new guy!”
Ron Washington is different. He was an incredible asset for the Braves and the Angles are getting a great baseball mind and great motivator. Grant McCauley, Braves beat reporter for 92.9 the Game, said on X what a lot of Braves fans are feeling. “It’s possible to be simultaneously thrilled for someone’s opportunity while being exceptionally sad to see them go.”
