Offseason '15-'16 thread....

[Jamaaliver]

I won't be have to trust rebuilding until our organization has gained trust.
Living off the past success with teams that have only been capable of winning division championships is not acceptable to me.

They also won 5 NL Pennants and a World Series...

But yes, your larger point is a valid one.

Hopefully the haul they got for Shelby Miller begins to restore a bit of the faith. This is the ideal scenario for all this minor league pitching we've acquired. Keep a handful as cornerstones, and move the rest for needed talent.

it's so basic and so brilliant if you think about it. We can cultivate pitching like few other big league clubs. So we use that strength and the unceasing need for big league pitching to strong arm teams into paying big bucks for what we provide.

They turned one year of Jason Heyward into three great young players who can contribute now and into the future. This has the potential to be our own version of the Mark Texeira trade.

And the BEST part: if they really wanted to, they now have the salary cap space to pursue Jason Heyward. (NOTE: They won't)

But having the flexibility and the assets to control the trade market on pitching for the coming 18 months is going to be a wonderful position of strength.

Much better scenario than the grasping at straws Frank Wren did during his last few years.

[Jamaaliver]

This trade might have expedited the rebuilding process by at least a year.

We already had the best farm system in the majors, and now we add the number 10 and 61 prospects to that, plus a very good outfielder in Inciarte.

I saw on Twitter a few analysts say that this package would be close to getting Jose Fernandez. I love Shelby, but Coppy and Hart have outdone themselves.

And if we can get Teheran back on track during the season, we could be looking at one last big haul before the trade deadline next season.

Going into 2017 in the new stadium with all these young studs could be like the 1991 Baby Braves all over again.

And Adnan...it was a wonderful time, man.

Plus, we'll have money to splurge on a big name bat or two.

This has me giddy as a schoolgirl!!!

[ATL Boy]

This trade might have expedited the rebuilding process by at least a year.

We already had the best farm system in the majors, and now we add the number 10 and 61 prospects to that, plus a very good outfielder in Inciarte.

I saw on Twitter a few analysts say that this package would be close to getting Jose Fernandez. I love Shelby, but Coppy and Hart have outdone themselves.

And if we can get Teheran back on track during the season, we could be looking at one last big haul before the trade deadline next season.

Going into 2017 in the new stadium with all these young studs could be like the 1991 Baby Braves all over again.

And Adnan...it was a wonderful time, man.

Plus, we'll have money to splurge on a big name bat or two.

This has me giddy as a schoolgirl!!!

It's a really good time to be a Braves fan right now. I've been behind Hart and Coppy with almost every move so far, except for the Simmons trade because he was my favorite (although getting Swanson certainly makes that move much more bearable). And hindsight being 20/20, the Gattis trade looks to be a failure so far as C-Beth has proven to be a bust, and Folty looks to be nothing more than a bullpen flamethrower. I must commend our GMs, however, for going all in in the rebuilding process and not just half assing it.

Part one of the plan was re-fertilizing the farm system with young armed studs, we've done that, and now part two of trading some of those young arms for young bats is in motion. As you've said, we can now also bring in a few bats through free agency next winter, before the move into Sun Trust. Swanson looks like a bonafide stud SS, and we even got another good young arm in Blair.

Dealing Shelby for Blair and Swanson would have been a good trade in my eyes. I have no idea how Coppolela managed to talk them into adding Ender Inciarte. He's a 25 year old OF who's under team control for another 5 years, and who will factor into our lineup come time for Cobb. He had 29 defensive runs saved last year, second in the majors, a +5 dWar, and batted .303. I couldn't have scripted a better trade of Shelby Miller.

[Jamaaliver]

I have no idea how Coppolela managed to talk them into adding Ender Inciarte.

Desperation my friend. Diamondbacks are putting all their money into becoming instant contenders. That is always a very pricey endeavor.

Now this:

In the immediate aftermath of the trade, the Braves began to be inundated by calls about Inciarte. The Braves plan to play him in center field, but they will listen to offers.

So many options when combined with our pitching. And I think the Braves GM is savvy enough to actually maximize the value on these guys. I expect us to keep him for at least a year. But we are in the driver's seat right now. Able to stand fast until we get another offer we can't refuse.

[Jamaaliver]

Arizona 's GM has been criticized so much for overpaying, he's had to publicly defend himself.

The latter move came with criticism as the D-backs have now traded their past three first-round picks to the Braves after dealing top-10 prospect Touki Toussaint to Atlanta in June and Aaron Blair and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson for Miller on Tuesday.

What would you do to win?" he asked reporters at baseball's winter meetings on Wednesday. "It's three players — believe me, they are very highly regarded players — but three players do not make our future. For me it's the cost to win. We have a long reputation of winning and that whatever that cost is — without demolishing our organization — it's not an over-pay if it means we are going to win."

Here

[Nemesis21]

Braves sign C Tyler Flowers, who used to be a Braves prospect.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/12/braves-sign-tyler-flowers.html

will be interesting to see how we try and use Albies, Swanson and Jace. Albies at SS, Swanson at 2B and Jace at 3B could work maybe.

possible roster in a couple years.

1B- Freeman
2B- Swanson
3B-Jace
SS- Albies
LF-Olivera
CF-Smith?
RF-Inciarte
C-?

Teheran
Newcomb
Blair
Allard
Touki

our only holes are at C and lack of power hitting.

By the the time Albies & Swanson are in the bigs, Rio Ruiz will likely be at 3b. Leave Swanson at SS, move Albies to 2b.

[Jamaaliver]

And if we can get Teheran back on track during the season, we could be looking at one last big haul before the trade deadline next season.

Braves stating publicly they won't move Teheran...very interesting.

The Atlanta Braves do not intend to move starting pitcher Julio Teheran, according to team president John Hart...

Hart said that the Braves are "not trading any more of our starters."

Hart was asked specifically about the 24-year-old Teheran, who has gone 39-29 over the last three seasons and is entering the third year of a six-year, $32.4 million deal.

"We love Julio," Hart told the radio station. "Julio is going to be the anchor of our [rotation]."

[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mlbtraderumors/status/674994296370655235[/tweet]

[Jamaaliver]

Sports Illustrated deems us the undisputed winners of the Winter Meetings....

That's almost as good as a Division Title. Right?

No team did better over the last three days than the Braves, who landed a jaw-dropping haul from the Diamondbacks for Shelby Miller...Atlanta acquired five years of Ender Inciarte, who will start in centerfield, mid-rotation prospect Aaron Blair and, almost unbelievably, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft: shortstop Dansby Swanson, a Georgia native who could be the face of the franchise in the next decade.

On top of that, the Braves also signed non-tendered catcher Tyler Flowers to a two-year, $5.3 million deal. Flowers was among the best pitch-framers in baseball in 2015 and a league-average hitter at his position over the last two.

Here

[JDR720]

traded CB for P Casey Kelly and C Ricardo Rodriguez.

Kelly is a former 1st round pick that has injury problems and Rodriguez is a 17 year old defensive C. was a top 30 Intl. Prospect in 2014

[ATL Boy]

A more under the radar move made by Coppy yesterday was trading Bethancourt for Casey Kelly and 17 year old catcher Ricardo Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is clearly the prize here, he has the chance to be a good catcher down the road.

It was time for us to cut ties with Bethancourt, trouble with work ethic, he's the reason we traded Gattis for Folty, and was out of minor league years.


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[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mlbbowman/status/675413073792999424[/tweet]

[Ruzious]

I have no idea how Coppolela managed to talk them into adding Ender Inciarte.

Desperation my friend. Diamondbacks are putting all their money into becoming instant contenders. That is always a very pricey endeavor.

Now this:

In the immediate aftermath of the trade, the Braves began to be inundated by calls about Inciarte. The Braves plan to play him in center field, but they will listen to offers.

So many options when combined with our pitching. And I think the Braves GM is savvy enough to actually maximize the value on these guys. I expect us to keep him for at least a year. But we are in the driver's seat right now. Able to stand fast until we get another offer we can't refuse.

I think they'd be smart to trade Inciarte. He's never been much of a hitter - even in the minors, and even though he hit a little over .300 last season, it was heavily ball-park related, and he had an OPS+ of just 102 - which I question if he'll ever improve on. And are his defensive numbers something we can expect to continue? I think his value is as high as it's going to get. The Cubs seem like a very good trade companion. They just signed Heyward - who they want to keep in RF - so they need a relatively inexpensive CFer. They are basically looking to trade Soler - who is probably a better fit for Atl than Inciarte. Soler for Inciarte makes sense for both teams. The Braves are DESPERATE for power, and Soler would help there. Soler power, get it?

[Jamaaliver]

I think his value is as high as it's going to get. The Cubs seem like a very good trade companion. They just signed Heyward - who they want to keep in RF - so they need a relatively inexpensive CFer. They are basically looking to trade Soler - who is probably a better fit for Atl than Inciarte. Soler for Inciarte makes sense for both teams. The Braves are DESPERATE for power, and Soler would help there. Soler power, get it?

Agreed. The name I keep hearing is Soler and based on what you and others have said...he would be a better fit moving forward.

Though I wouldn't be surprised to see us get more young pitching either.

[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DOBrienAJC/status/676778338963333121[/tweet]

[JDR720]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Braves/status/677580970632048641[/tweet]

[HMFFL]

^
It's nice to have Chipper Jones part of our organization again.
I hope he continues to have fun with the game and makes public appearances.

[HMFFL]

Atlanta Braves on the 2016 Hall of Fame ballot

As we speak, writers are filling out and sending in their 2016 Hall of Fame ballots. With names like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa cracking the list, the ballots aren't lacking controversy. The ballot also isn't lacking former Atlanta Braves. Billy Wagner, Garrett Anderson, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield, Troy Glaus and Mike Hampton are the former members of the Braves organization looking to find their way to Cooperstown this summer. http://www.talkingchop.com/2015/12/31/10692860/atlanta-braves-news-and-links-what-will-2016-bring-the-braves

[Nemesis21]

Welcome back Kelly Johnson!

http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/161164488/source-kelly-johnson-to-return-to-braves

[HMFFL]

Glad to have Johnson back.
Excellent locker room guy to have and veteran leadership.
It will be much needed considering the upcoming season will be a brutal one.