Braves named potential fit for free agent star shortstop
This has been the season from hell for the Braves, and a lot of it can be attributed to injuries.
Whatever happens this season, this isn’t who the Atlanta Braves will be next season. Ronald Acuna Jr., even if he’s hobbled by the ACL injury, will be back. Spencer Strider will be back, and so will Austin Riley, along with Ozzie Albies and any other injured player.
A.J. Minter and Max Fried will test free agency, but I think there’s a good chance the former re-signs with Atlanta. Even though Fried may walk, the Braves have plenty of starters vying to make the big league rotation.
Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Strider, and Spencer Schwellenbach will likely be the meat of next year’s rotation with Ian Anderson, Hurston Waldrep, and A.J. Smith-Shawver battling for the final spot.
For the most part, next year’s club has already been decided outside of a couple of spots. One obvious area the Braves can upgrade is shortstop, and one obvious candidate to target in free agency is Willy Adames, who Robert Murray believes is a potential fit.
On paper, the fit is perfect.
He leads the National League with 121 RBI, to go with a .253/.334/.470 slash line, good for a 121 OPS+ while playing solid defense at shortstop. Moreover, Adames receives rave reviews for his presence in the Brewers locker room, which is an underrated factor of any potential Braves free agent target.
Alex Anthopoulos values that aspect as much as any other. However, the question is whether Anthopoulos values him enough to give him the lucrative contract that he’ll garner on the open market. I imagine he’ll be looking at a contract in the range of $150-200 million.
There are not many spots for the Braves to shake up this lineup without moving one of their long-term contracts. Left field and shortstop are really the only spots.
The Braves did invest considerable assets in Jarred Kelenic, taking on a lot of salaries in exchange for the former 6th overall pick, but if it’s not working, it’s a sunk cost. Orlando Arcia, on the other hand, can easily slide into a bench role.
It’ll be interesting to see what Alex Anthopoulos does this offseason. I imagine a lot of the attention will be focused on the rotation if Max Fried and Charlie Morton depart, as many expect. But the lineup cannot be ignored either, especially after this season.
When the Falcons hired Raheem Morris, a breath of fresh air took over in Atlanta. The skies opened up and the sun came shining through.
As the 48-year-old said, he’s going to breathe life into this organization and the city. Flowery Branch immediately became a beacon of hope, instead of despair. That belief only grew over the course of the offseason.
The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins, solidifying the quarterback position for the first time since Matt Ryan. They capped it off with acquisitions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons, filling the two biggest holes on the roster.
