Offseason thread

[Ruzious]

Gotta figure Angel Pagan would be an excellent fit for Atlanta. He's maybe the biggest loser and last man standing in this year's crop of name free agents. The Braves need a 4th OFer who can play a little CF, and he's available for pennies on the dollar. Sign him.

In an interview Coppy said he is fine with Chase backing up CF. I wouldn't be against adding Pagan personally.


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I can see Chase playing CF in emergencies, but he's no 4th OFer - he can't hit. What do the Braves do when one of the starting OFers is out for a month?

[Jamaaliver]

Braves Interested In Jose Quintana

Jose Quintana continues to be mentioned in trade rumors as Opening Day approaches. The Chicago White Sox are committed to rebuilding, but will only move Quintana for the right package. The Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates have been linked to the left-hander as of late. Quintana is owed $15.85 million in total over the next two seasons and two more club options at $10.5 million apiece that add up to four years at $36.85 million. Via Jeff Passan/Yahoo! Sports

Real GM


Any thoughts? Four years of team control sounds great!

But how good is he? Top of the rotation guy? Lights out closer?

What kind of package would you guys be willing to put forth for a more proven commodity?

[Nemesis21]

Braves Interested In Jose Quintana

Jose Quintana continues to be mentioned in trade rumors as Opening Day approaches. The Chicago White Sox are committed to rebuilding, but will only move Quintana for the right package. The Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates have been linked to the left-hander as of late. Quintana is owed $15.85 million in total over the next two seasons and two more club options at $10.5 million apiece that add up to four years at $36.85 million. Via Jeff Passan/Yahoo! Sports

Real GM


Any thoughts? Four years of team control sounds great!

But how good is he? Top of the rotation guy? Lights out closer?

What kind of package would you guys be willing to put forth for a more proven commodity?

Honestly, I don't think I or the Braves would pony up for what they want. They already turned down a deal for Quintana a few months ago, when the asking price was super high. I think we are good with Teheran Colon Garcia Dickey and Folty. Folty has had a hell of a Spring Training and has locked down the 5 spot.
Moving forward post Colon/Garcia/Dickey, we need to find out if Newbcomb,Blair, Wisler, Fried can prove if they are Major League ready, later this season or for next. We have top flight rotation pitchers waiting in the wings, they just need more development. A few of them are close.

[Ruzious]

Braves Interested In Jose Quintana

Jose Quintana continues to be mentioned in trade rumors as Opening Day approaches. The Chicago White Sox are committed to rebuilding, but will only move Quintana for the right package. The Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates have been linked to the left-hander as of late. Quintana is owed $15.85 million in total over the next two seasons and two more club options at $10.5 million apiece that add up to four years at $36.85 million. Via Jeff Passan/Yahoo! Sports

Real GM


Any thoughts? Four years of team control sounds great!

But how good is he? Top of the rotation guy? Lights out closer?

What kind of package would you guys be willing to put forth for a more proven commodity?

I think he's exactly what you want in a #2 starter - real consistent, goes 200 innings each year, a good contract for 4 more years (team options in both years 3 and 4), very strong peripheral stats, and 27/28 years old - not to mention he's a lefty.

I think you build a package around Newcomb - the Braves top lefty prospect. He's a phenom with a but around his control. And I think the Braves are losing patience with young guys with control problems. Braves have a LOT of highly talented lefties and can afford to trade Newcomb - especially getting a proven lefty back. I'd be willing to include Alex Jackson (rated the Braves 10th best prospect by Chop County. I would not be willing to include Ronald Acuna (14th).

[HMFFL]

If the price is right Quintana makes sense.

Here is another article that mentions Pittsburgh pursuing him for months and that the asking price was too high for them.

Pittsburgh has pursued a trade for White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana over the past several months, but Pirates general manager Neal Huntington found the asking price to be “well above where it made sense for us” (via ESPN’s Jim Bowden). With the Bucs seemingly out of the picture for Quintana, the Astros and Braves are the “best possibilities,” per Bowden, who notes that the White Sox “continue to work hard” to trade the 28-year-old. No deal is imminent, though, according to Bowden, who adds that the Astros would have to part with both right-hander Francis Martes and outfielder Kyle Tucker, two of Baseball America’s top 20 prospects, to acquire Quintana (all Twitter links). Houston balked at giving up a package of Martes, Tucker and righty Joe Musgrove for Quintana during the Winter Meetings. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/03/pitching-notes-quintana-ryu-weaver-iglesias.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MlbTradeRumors+%28MLB+Trade+Rumors%29

[ATL Boy]

I'd get on board for Quintana if he comes at a discounted rate on account of the White Sox trying so hard to shop him and being a clear rebuilding team. I don't think that'll happen however, and if they've been asking for two top 20 prospects from the Astros I can't even imagine what they'd want from a team like us, who has a better farm system.

[Ruzious]

Otoh, maybe Keith Law's rankings are what the White Sox go by. Law has Martes ranked 37 and Tucker at 57.

Law has the following Braves players ranked in his top 100 (as of 1/27/17):

Swanson 2
Albies 26
Allard 32
Acuna 36
Fried 50
Anderson 52
Maitan 59
Gohara 77
Newcomb 81

Allard has #1 starter potential, but if the price is Allard and Fried for Quintana, I think I pull the trigger - just because 1) the Braves need to compete this year, and 2) The system is freakin loaded with talented pitchers. Using Law's ratings, that offer tops the Astros offer (32+50 is better than 37+57).

No way I'd include Swanson, Albies, Acuna, or Maitan.

[Nemesis21]

Read on Twitter

[Nemesis21]

No way I give up Allard for Quintana. I have a hard enough time parting with Newcomb for him. Price is too steep IMO.

[Ruzious]

Quintana pitched 5 and 2/3rds perfect innings yesterday. Realistically, it probably makes sense for the White Sox to wait till the non-waiver trade deadline to trade him. Take advantage of teams desperate to make the post-season.

[Nemesis21]

Phillips - Swanson - Freeman

Read on Twitter

[Nemesis21]

Read on Twitter

[Ruzious]

Fwiw, I like the David Hernandez acquisition - having followed him since he was in the O's system - a good hard 95 MPH SO reliever - he's a notch better than Chaz Roe - who also spent time in the O's system. Roe's out of options, but I hope they don't use that as a reason to keep him on the 25 man roster.

[Nemesis21]

I like that pick up to. ^

[Ruzious]

Josh Collmenter = real solid. Am I right in saying he just needs to stay healthy?

[Nemesis21]

Agreed, solid addition by Hart & Coppy

[Ruzious]

It's good to know why Atlanta hasn't signed Angel Pagan. Apparently, he's been holding out for about $5 million. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/03/braves-notes-pagan-cabrera-offseason-albies-prospects.html He has value, but that's a bit much for a 35/36 year old 4th OFer with little bargaining power. How about 1.5 million plus incentives? Take it now, or leave it.

[Ruzious]

and we are interested in wellington castillo. i would sign him, he is better than flowers and recker IMO.

In the category of - I didn't know where else to put it, and I was too lazy to start a new thread: Flowers has become a fascinating player - particularly in the new stats craze for catchers - where he is ranked the top catcher in baseball - by a large margin. http://www.statcorner.com/CatcherReport.php. Not to mention, he's having a career year offensively.

Full disclosure - I agreed with JDR and thought Wellington Castillo would be a nice upgrade. And going by traditional stats, Castillo's doing great - near .800 OPS and leading the lead in throwing out runners % as well as having the most double play putouts by a catcher. But the new catcher stats put Castillo near the bottom - apparently there are pitch framing stats that kill him... and Matt Wieters, btw. So much for Wieters getting credit for Gio Gonzales' career year. Btw, I have no understanding of these new catching stats, so I'm not prepared to believe in their validity, but stat geeks seem to buy in.

[Nemesis21]

Bump this up, maybe add 2018 in the thread?



So Snit stays, Dayton Moore likely stays with Royals. I'll take Dan Jennings please. Replace pitching coach Chuck Hernandez. Here is what I would like to see this offseason,

1 of Kemp/Markakis will be traded, Acuna likely makes the team in ST. I'm going with Markakis as his contract is more movable then Kemp's. Trade Markakis and M Adams for prospects. Sign FA SP Masahiro Tanaka, FA 3b Todd Frazier(stop gap until Riley is ready, upgrade over A Garcia/Camargo) and FA closer Greg Holland.



CF Inciarte
2b Albies
1b Freeman
LF Kemp
3b Frazier
RF Acuna
SS Swanson
C Flowers


Tanaka
Teheran
Folty
Newcomb
Dickey

S Freeman
Ramirez
Minter
L Jackson/L Sims
Vizcaino
Holland


OF Santana
INF/OF Peterson
C Suzuki
3b/1b Camargo
3b Ruiz


I have Dickey sticking around one more year, the Braves are very open to it and would give us one less starting pitcher to look for. I have Luke Jackson and Lucas Sims battling it out for final bullpen spot in ST. I think there are too many good young starters close to the bigs, for Sims to be a starter for us. Let's see if he can be good out of the pen, if not move him later.

[Nemesis21]

The Braves exercise Tyler Flowers 2018 option, decline Dickey's option.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/10/braves-exercise-tyler-flowers-option-decline-r-a-dickeys-option.html