3 Things We Learned In The Braves Offseason:
- Frank Wren has his eye on the future. We all would have been thrilled if the GM had locked up a couple of the core young players but Frank grabbed most, if not all, of the vital young talent. It's great to have your eye on 2014 but without a nucleus of talent to build on the future would be bleak. In a span of 17 days, from February 4th to the 20th, the Braves signed the following extensions.
- 1B Freddie Freeman : 8 years, $135 million
- OF Jason Heyward : 2 years, $13.3 million
- RP Craig Kimbrel : 4 years, $42 million
- SP Julio Teheran : 6 years, $32.4 million
- SS Andrelton Simmons : 7 years, $58 million (SportingCharts.com)
- The Braves aren't that sentimental. Truthfully, you cannot afford to keep players simply because they are fan favorites. The Braves made the right decision when they let fan favorites Brian McCann and Tim Hudson walk. McCann, a 30 yr old catcher, had been declining in batting average, RBI, on base % and slugging %. The 5 yr $85 million he got from the Yankees is far too much. The Yankees are a team with money to burn - the Brave are not. Tim Hudson probably has another year or two of solid pitching left in the tank. However, a 2 yr $23 million contract with the Giants will let him run out of gas on their dime. After the devastating ankle injury it was too much of a gamble for the Braves. Although we hate to see them go, both were good moves.
- We obviously have Dr. James Andrews on retainer. Kris Medlen. Brandon Beachy.
2 Things We Need To See Soon:
- Uggla and BJ Upton hit. I won't chronicle their complete failures in 2013 here. Here's all you need to know. Uggla's BA hasn't been within 50 points of his final season with FL. Upton's BA was over 60 points lower in 2013 than in 2012. Neither finished above the Mendoza line. That's bad. Both worked on their swing in the off season and both want to simplify at the plate. The rest of us just want to see them hit. If they batted .250+ we would be thrilled (assuming the other stats didn't take a nose dive).
- Teheran step into the #1 role. He wasn't supposed to have to assume the mantle in 2014. As late as last year his ceiling was projected as a #2 starter. Now is the time for him to exceed expectations and prove he has the stuff and the grit to be a #1. If he can anchor the #1, the Braves can patch #2-#5.
1 Thing That Makes Me Glad:
- Thank goodness the Frank Wren and the Braves love to stockpile arms. When we brought Garcia back most of us thought it was unnecessary. We had youngsters like Wood and Hale to take that spot. When we signed Gavin Floyd it again seemed superfluous. Now, whew! At least we have some warm bodies above the age of 25 who can eventually take the mound, eat some innings, and hopefully win some games. Other teams, suffering our injuries, would be in far worse shape.
....and the #1 off season surprise - Pack your bags, kids, we are moving!!
