Dallas Keuchel
Arms Race
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For most of 2019 the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen has shouldered most of the criticism for the team.
Braves Country has clamored for relief help for months, decrying that Craig Kimbrel signed elsewhere when the Braves really needed him.
Despite the fact that the Braves have had one of the top bullpens in the National League since June 1st, the idea that the relief corps is struggling has continued, but that notion is starting to shift.
Max Fried hit the 10-day IL with an injury last week and it started off a chain reaction that has exposed the Braves’ actual need: depth of starting pitching.
With prospects coming out of their ears, this might sound crazy, but guys the Braves were counting on to be reliable this season – namely Mike Foltynewicz, Kevin Gausman, and to a lesser extent Sean Newcomb – have been anything but.
Even with the injuries and poor showings by those three, the Braves have roared to the top of the NL East behind a stellar season from Mike Soroka, consistently good outings by Max Fried, a return to form by Julio Teheran, and the recent addition of Dallas Keuchel.
But after Fried went down, the Braves starting plugging holes with pieces that haven’t been up to snuff.
Bryce Wilson and Kyle Wright are talented pitchers and may very well still be huge parts of Atlanta’s future, but they haven’t been able to perform at the level that a first-place team needs them to. Certainly not Wright, who couldn’t make it out of the 3rd inning in his start against the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
And that’s the biggest sign that the Braves don’t have the depth they need in the rotation: Going into a four-game series against the team directly under them in the standings (and a scorching hot team to boot), the Braves pitched an unproven rookie in the first game and turned to Gausman and his 6.21 ERA to prevent a second straight series loss in game four (that previous series loss, to the Brewers, came ominously after Fried hit the IL and was Atlanta’s first series loss since the first week in June).
The Braves have just about a week and a half before the trade deadline (remember: starting this year, July 31st is the ONLY trade deadline). Gausman and Folty might turn things around, but Alex Anthopoulos can’t bet the whole season on that.
Atlanta needs to start wheeling and dealing for rotation help or – even if they manage to hold on to their NL East lead – they’ll get eaten alive in the playoffs, again, probably by the Dodgers, again.
Marcus Stroman, Zack Greinke, Trevor Bauer, Zach Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner; these are all potentially available pitchers that could make a difference in Atlanta’s fortunes.
They don’t need to go out and try to pick up the most dominant ace in the history of the game, but they need reliability on the mound every turn through.
It’s always stress-inducing to give up prospects. No one wants to overpay, but the price for the kind of pitcher the Braves need to succeed in the postseason is going to be steep.
That’s okay. The time of considering the future is in the past. The Braves have a chance to win in the here and now, but only if they act.
The comfortable lead the Braves carved out for themselves is getting less comfortable, especially over the weekend during their series against Washington.
Atlanta needs to arm itself (pun very much intended) in order to keep some distance between themselves and the Nationals (and Phillies, who are still playing above .500 with a dangerous lineup).
Jason Bishop Show w Kipp Branch June 8
Jason Bishop Show with Kipp Branch June 1
Un-Armed
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The baseball gods can be a cruel, unforgiving higher power.
When the hubris of a front office interferes with their will, they can strike down upon a team with great vengeance and furious anger that would make Samuel L. Jackson proud.
The baseball deities seem to have made their displeasure with the Atlanta Braves known, though mercifully not to Sam Jackson levels just yet.
Instead, they have handed out minor injuries to the Braves pitching staff, apparently in retaliation for the Braves’ front office avoiding spending any significant money or prospect capital this offseason. More specifically, not acquiring a stud pitcher to stand alongside Mike Foltynewicz and lead the staff in 2019.
Hyperbole aside, it really does seem like the injuries to Folty and Kevin Gausman (not to mention to relievers Darren O’Day and AJ Minter) are, at the very least, correlated to Alex Anthopoulos’ failure to pick up a starter since October.
That isn’t how real life works, I realize, but the lack of a new Brave and the slew of pitching injuries simply cannot be separated.
Imagine if the Braves had gone out and miraculously picked up Patrick Corbin, the biggest free agent pitcher available on the market. With Corbin reported to Spring Training in a Braves uniform, a couple of minor injuries to Folty and Gausman that, at worst, hold them out until the end of the April don’t seem like the end of the world.
But the reality is that injuries to the top two pitchers on the team, even minor injuries, are concerning developments with no one to pick up the slack.
It seems like Gausman is likely to be ready for Opening Day and that’s great.
But Folty missing two or three weeks at the beginning of the season has the potential to be truly damning for the Braves’ early season success.
It adds extra shine to the fact that the Mets, the Nationals, and the Phillies have all improved themselves (yes, the Nats lost Harper, but they picked up the aforementioned Corbin to solidify a terrifying rotation and also Harper is supremely overrated).
The Braves were falling behind even at full strength, but losing their ace for the first few weeks of the new campaign could put them in a deeper hole than necessary. Especially, since the Braves open the season in Philadelphia and host a four-game set against the Mets with the first two weeks.
Couple those tough series with tough draws like the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies in Denver, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Indians in Cleveland and not having someone to step into Folty’s shoes may cause the Braves to be looking up in the standings by a significant margin well before the close of April.
It was foolhardy for Anthopoulos and company to do nothing. Even signing a 3- or 4-type pitcher would have strengthened the Braves’ ability to weather this injury storm, but as it stands right now Julio Teheran is looking like the team’s number 2 to start the year (assuming Gausman’s health), and that is not a position Atlanta should be comfortable with if they intend to repeat or even compete for another division title.
Gausman may take the mound on Opening Day, or the Braves could turn to Sean Newcomb. Neither scrape the bottom of the barrel, but neither are who the Braves nor Braves Country want to see throwing the first pitch of the season.
There is still one avenue the Braves could take to remedy this situation and that is by calling Dallas Keuchel’s agent and paying him what he wants.
There is an ace-level pitcher sitting at home while Spring Training games are being played and the Braves are scrambling to fill their rotation.
Of course, even if the Braves do sign Keuchel, he won’t be ready for Opening Day on account of missing the start of Spring Training.
Never piss off the baseball gods.
Brave Silence
By: TJ Hartnett
GeorgiaSportsEdition.com news services
The MLB Winter Meetings are always an exciting time in the baseball offseason. Each teams’ front office in close proximity and free agents’ representation present too. The chance for trades and signings is high.
This year’s meetings saw some movement, with the likes of Joe Kelly, Charlie Morton, Ian Kinsler, and Andrew McCutchen signing with new teams. Edwin Encarnacion, Ivan Nova, and Carlos Santana being traded (Santana was moved twice).
The Atlanta Braves, however, remained quiet, with their only transaction being one of deduction after the Baltimore Orioles claimed Rio Ruiz off of waivers.
The lack of moves is surprising only in relation to the amount of times Atlanta was mentioned in relation to trades or free agents. It seemed like every day the Braves were name-dropped, be that as a potential trade partner with the Marlins for JT Realmuto or as a destination for a free agent like Michael Brantley.
However, the Meetings ended (Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos actually left early to attend a Liberty Media meeting in Denver) and no triggers were pulled on any front.
It’s easy to look at what the Braves have and haven’t done and be worried. The signings of both Josh Donaldson and Brian McCann made for an exciting Monday, but the three things the Braves really needed to address – a front-line starter, bullpen help, and a starting catcher – remain on Atlanta’s to-do list as the new year draws closer.
However, just because the Winter Meetings have ended without those holes being filled, there is no reason to panic. After all, despite a few big moves there is a lot left to do in the offseason for many teams and several free agents. The two big fish that are Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still swimming around the pool, for example.
JT Realmuto is a still a Marlin, though that is still likely to change before Spring Training. That being said, the news regarding a trade with Atlanta is contradictory: on Saturday, the Braves were reported as frontrunners to land the All-Star catcher, followed by a report just a few hours later that Atlanta was no longer pursuing a trade for him. Believe what you will, but just because the Braves didn’t make a move doesn’t mean that they no longer can.
The same goes for filling a corner outfield spot. While McCutchen could have been a fit, there are other outfielders that might serve Atlanta well.
The biggest issue caused by Cutch’s deal with Philly was actually how much he was paid – $50 million for a 3-year contract. That obviously doesn’t hurt the Braves’ wallet directly, but the former NL MVP is on the downslope of his career. Thus, signing for that average annual value drives up the cost of younger outfielders like Brantley and AJ Pollock.
Unless the Braves want to pony up for those guys, a trade, like the rumored trade for the Tigers’ Nick Castellano, might be the road Anthopoulos could choose to take.
There’s also the possibility of a reunion with Nick Markakis, who will be cheaper than the aforementioned outfielders even after his All-Star campaign in 2018.
While he shouldn’t be expected to repeat that production, he was an integral part of Atlanta’s clubhouse last season, so he would still be welcome there.
The point is, there are still plenty of options, not just in the outfield but on the mound as well. Patrick Corbin has been signed, but Dallas Keuchel remains a free agent; Corey Kluber and Madison Bumgarner have not been traded; relief pitchers can come from nearly anywhere (there’s also Craig Kimbrel, but if his rumored asking price of 6 years, $100 million plus is to be believed, he’s not coming back to Atlanta).
The Winter Meetings may be over, but the Braves’ offseason is far from it.
