The Atlanta Braves have been dead silent this offseason. They haven’t signed a single free agent to a major-league contract and have watched several key pieces walk out the door, such as Jorge Soler, Travis d’Arnaud, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton. That’s a lot of production lost that needs to be replaced as Spring Training approaches.
Pitchers and catchers are expected to report in just five short weeks. That doesn’t leave Alex Anthopoulos a lot of time to fill a number of critical needs. Among them, the outfield feels like the most glaring, but the Braves also have a ton of innings that need to be covered with the losses of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, A.J. Minter, and Joe Jimenez.
It’s been a frustrating couple of months for Braves Country, but MLB insider Ken Rosenthal still expects Alex Anthopoulos to make some significant acquisitions before the start of the season.
“The Braves also lost Joe Jimenez for pretty much the season, and they need to replace him. He’s one of their valuable late-inning relievers, and I do expect they’ll sign a reliever,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal also reported that the Braves are also looking for a playoff-caliber starter.
“They’d still like to add a starter, and they’d like to add a good starter, someone that could start a playoff game. But to this point, nothing in their minds has arisen that satisfied what they are looking for and what they were willing to pay in trade or free agency.”
However, the outfield situation might be a little more complicated for the Braves.
“The expectation with Acuña is he too will be back sooner rather than later, not to start the season but maybe early May, something along those lines barring no setbacks. So, when you’re looking for an outfielder, as the Braves are, it’s gotta be a guy who can fill in for like a month and then accept a backup role.”
Ken Rosenthal is a far smarter man than I am, but I don’t agree with this sentiment at all. The Braves need a starting outfielder. Nothing suggests Jarred Kelenic can be an everyday player, and nobody knows what Acuña’s limitations will be once he returns. It’s possible that they need two starting outfielders. So, suggesting that whoever the Braves sign will be limited to a bench role once Acuña is healthy couldn’t be further from the truth. It will be a mistake if all Alex Anthopoulos comes away with this offseason is a journeyman option that is best served as a fourth outfielder.
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Photographer: Justin Berl/Icon Sportswire
