2018 Offseason Thread....(The search for a SP, corner OF and bp arms)

[HMFFL]

Braves manager Brian Snitker announced Monday that Julio Teheran will be the team's Opening Day starter.

This will Teheran's sixth straight Opening day assignment. He's the logical choice with Mike Foltynewicz (elbow) set to begin the season on the injured list.
Source: Gabe Burns on Twitter
Mar 18, 2019, 11:29 AM

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[ATL Boy]

Liberty Media is really about to shorten our window by 3 years.

[Nemesis21]

Liberty Media is really about to shorten our window by 3 years.

It's disgusting isn't it?? Injuries in our rotation and pen, but let's stand pat and not sign Keuchel and Kimbrel. And I don't really care about losing a draft pick for Kuechel. We need him badly.

[Ruzious]

Liberty Media is really about to shorten our window by 3 years.

It's disgusting isn't it?? Injuries in our rotation and pen, but let's stand pat and not sign Keuchel and Kimbrel. And I don't really care about losing a draft pick for Kuechel. We need him badly.

And it would only be our 3rd highest pick. The less money they spend, the less money they'll make. They better understand that if this keeps up, they're hurting their asset's value.

[ATL Boy]

It's us vs. Brew Crew for Kimbrel according to DOB. Man this is something we really need right now.

[Ruzious]

It's us vs. Brew Crew for Kimbrel according to DOB. Man this is something we really need right now.

I'll maybe believe it when I hear the Braves actually make him an offer.

Btw, Brian Goodwin was just released - he'd be good 4th OFer, the Braves could probably use him.

[Nemesis21]

Read on Twitter

[Jamaaliver]

Law: Predicting 2019 win-loss record for every MLB team

NL East



...with the three other contenders in the division improving, I'm sure it's disappointing to Atlanta fans to see their team largely stand pat. The Braves have starter depth for days, though, and that will probably keep them competitive all year.


Postseason predictions

NL wild card: Philadelphia over St. Louis

NLDS: Los Angeles over Philadelphia; Washington over Milwaukee

NLCS: Washington over Los Angeles

World Series: Houston over Washington

ESPN Insider

[Nemesis21]

Law: Predicting 2019 win-loss record for every MLB team

NL East



...with the three other contenders in the division improving, I'm sure it's disappointing to Atlanta fans to see their team largely stand pat. The Braves have starter depth for days, though, and that will probably keep them competitive all year.


Postseason predictions

NL wild card: Philadelphia over St. Louis

NLDS: Los Angeles over Philadelphia; Washington over Milwaukee

NLCS: Washington over Los Angeles

World Series: Houston over Washington

ESPN Insider

Depending on moves made during the season, I could see that. With the Braves being very quiet this off season, I don't expect us to finish better than 3rd or 4th in the division. Liberty Media and McGuirk have set us up to takes steps back instead of forward.

[Ruzious]

Law: Predicting 2019 win-loss record for every MLB team

NL East



...with the three other contenders in the division improving, I'm sure it's disappointing to Atlanta fans to see their team largely stand pat. The Braves have starter depth for days, though, and that will probably keep them competitive all year.


Postseason predictions

NL wild card: Philadelphia over St. Louis

NLDS: Los Angeles over Philadelphia; Washington over Milwaukee

NLCS: Washington over Los Angeles

World Series: Houston over Washington

ESPN Insider

Depending on moves made during the season, I could see that. With the Braves being very quiet this off season, I don't expect us to finish better than 3rd or 4th in the division. Liberty Media and McGuirk have set us up to takes steps back instead of forward.

It might come down to whoever beats up on the Marlins the most wins it. It looks like Washington will be better without Harper - especially having a guy like Robles replacing him.

Grats to Wes Parsons for making the Braves opening day roster after having a tremendous Spring.

[Jamaaliver]

The Ringer Staff’s 2019 MLB Season Predictions

Opening Day is finally here, which means it’s time for our annual insightful, 100 percent accurate picks for the playoffs, World Series, and league awards



Flop Team

Atlanta Braves

The Braves are relying an awful lot on a pitching staff anchored by Mike Foltynewicz, who prior to 2018 was a bad pitcher, and is now hurt. Aside from Foltynewicz, they’re going to need breakouts from Touki Toussaint and Mike Soroka, the latter of whom threw 25 2/3 promising innings in the majors last year, but only averaged about 7.6 K/9 in his two full minor league seasons before 2018. Ronald Acuña Jr. is a bona fide superstar, Freddie Freeman will finish in the top five in MVP voting like he always does, and I’m actually bullish on Ozzie Albies. But four teams can’t make the playoffs from the NL East, and I’m not tying my wagon to Kevin Gausman and Julio Teheran. -Bobby Wagner


There’s a lot to like about Atlanta: The Braves are the defending NL East champs; they boast a tremendous position-player core of Ronald Acuña Jr., Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, and new third baseman Josh Donaldson; and they’ve collected plenty of pitching talent in the minors. But the current rotation is rather shaky with staff ace—but regression candidate—Mike Foltynewicz hurt, and the bullpen is kind of a mess. Sprinkle in any pullback from the offense and Atlanta could struggle across all facets of the game; as it stands now, they might already be the fourth-best team in a four-team division race, after the Nationals, Phillies, and Mets all spent the winter making greater roster improvements. -Zach Kram

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

The truth hurts! Realistic 2019 goals for all 30 MLB teams



How to avoid pain: Of all the teams that brought self-inflicted cellar-dwelling upon themselves this decade, the Braves might trail only the Astros in how much patience they asked of their fans. The Braves tore down what was essentially a first-place team after one bad half-season, firing the entire front office and trading a bunch of aesthetically pleasing, young or youngish stars who were under team control for a long time. (They could still have Andrelton Simmons at shortstop this year and next, had they wanted to.) But the Braves had a plan, the plan brought them through three 90-loss seasons, they emerged on the other side with a solid-enough 2018 season, and then ... they almost immediately got lapped by three other teams in the division. At least, that's what the projections say.

Now, that's only one way of surveying where the Braves are. Most projection systems have the Braves just behind the Mets, Nationals and Phillies in a very competitive NL East. They're right in the thick of things and could very easily win the World Series this year, or they could keep promoting prospects from a deep system until they win one. That's the plan. But the Braves were fairly passive this offseason, and they have a lower payroll (by some accounting) than the Reds and Diamondbacks. They could just as easily win 82 to 86 games in each of the next three seasons and emerge, for all they put their fans through, with just the one postseason series to show for it all. The chances of An Open Letter Of Apology From Our Owners To You, The Fans after the 2021 season remains disconcertingly non-zero.

ESPN

[ATL Boy]

Braves and Acuna agree to an 8-year, $100 mil contract which could swell to 10 years and $124 million through team options. Buys out his arbitration years and first two FA years in a similar structure that the Astros set with Alex Bregman.