Z Train The curse of being a Braves fan is that you fall in love with just about every player on the roster, regardless of how well they play or the value you bring. The easiest way to win us Atlanta fans over is just by being genuine. Looking back at my childhood, I was shocked to learn that Gary Sheffield, JD Drew and Mark Teixeira all stayed just one season apiece in their long careers because in my head I always thought of these players as Braves. That being said, as you grow up, you start to learn a little bit about the business of baseball and how few players are safe. Realistically, we all know the Braves aren’t making the playoffs, and our Top 3 farm system is setting us up for the future. While Swanson has famously struggled in 2017, we’ve seen great strides in the development of Mike Foltynewicz (arguably our best pitcher this year), Sean Newcomb, Ender Inciarte (Gold Glove winner last year, .300 hitter this year) and the emergence of Johan Camargo from the depths of AAA Gwinnett. We’ve got countless big arms developing in the minors (Ian Anderson, Mike Soroka and Kolby Allard are all Top 10 picks and 19 years old), and several hitters on the cusp of breaking through to the big time, like Ozzie Albies (Top 5 MLB prospect), Ronald Acuna (future 5-tool player) and we all know Dansby Swanson will be back with a vengeance. My point being: 2017 is not the Braves year, but 2018 might be, 2019 will probably be and 2020 will definitely be. I know, the classic Atlanta argument of “next year is our year” but with a star-studded farm system filled with prospects of all ages, it’s time to cash in on the Major Leaguers that have upped their value tremendously this season. Like I said, it’s really hard to want to trade anyone as a Braves fan, but we can command at least a decent market and move forward in 2017, giving reps to younger guys and maybe taking on a bad one year contract to just see out the season with (Brooklyn Nets-style). In the same spirit of the one-year players mentioned above, these three guys need to be shipped out for at least something before the trade deadline is over. It will hurt, but will be necessary for our greater good: Kurt Suzuki Possibly the easiest to part with of the bunch (and most likely), Kurt Suzuki is hitting a solid .267, and recency bias from his 2 bombs Tuesday night(adding to 10 on the season) make him look like a pretty great backup catching option for a contending team. He’s a plus defender, and might be worth a shot for a team like the Cubs recovering from Miguel Montero, or a team like the Indians whose catchers have struggled. He’s on a pretty good contract ($1.5m) and would be a decent cheap rental for a postseason run. His market could command a mid-level pitching prospect that are never a bad idea to stock up on. Brandon Phillips Dat dude BP. It’s been awesome watching Brandon Phillips return home to Atlanta after being a perennial All-star fixture at second base. His bat has been solid this year, hitting .286 with 8 bombs and a respectable OPS of .762. The Braves traded two bullpen grade pitchers for the last year of a 36 year old’s contract to mentor the young core the Braves are developing and hold down the middle infield spot until Ozzie Albies is ready for the spotlight. This is the best-case scenario for us, he’s done spectacularly, helped mentor and sell out some seats in the new stadium with his fun, relaxed brand of baseball, and now it’s time to cash in. He’s the perfect veteran leader in a contender’s clubhouse. While he’s on an expensive $14m contract, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Braves bought out the rest of his contract to move him to a team for a good young player or two. Our ROI has already been met, and if we can flip him for prospects a little better than two average bullpen guys, you have to chalk this as a win. The only issue is that lots of these contending teams already have solid second basemen. Outside of the Dodgers (who could maybe move to add another veteran), most have positive WAR 2B’s, and the Rays moved for Trevor Plouffe, Sergio Romo and Hechavarria in the last 20 days, so they could be done with any other playoff-push trades. If a team I can’t think of has a need, BP is the perfect veteran rental for a contending team whose plus defense and bat could command a prospect or two in return for the Braves. Matt Adams
This one hurts the worst. Matt Adams has gotta be one of my favorite trades the Braves have ever made. The 28 year old is hitting .284 with 16 bombs and has been an absolute spark plug in the middle of the Braves lineup. With Matt Kemp and Freddie Freeman in and out of the lineup with injuries, Adams has been a consistent performer on a great contract, only giving up corner infield prospect Juan Yepez who has done next to nothing in Class A Peoria this year (.222 avg). With Freddie Freeman playing third base coming back from injury, it doesn’t seem as though the Braves are keen to move on from Adams, and I don’t blame management at all. He’s performing well, has settled in to the ballpark and is a likable guy (locker room glue). He was totally OK with being a part of the Cardinals winning teams, even when it meant playing second fiddle, often undeservedly. He’s in top shape and I hope he sticks around for a while in Atlanta. …all that being said, the trade value for Matt Adams is immense. While most contenders in the AL already have a solid DH prospect, he is an underrated defensive first baseman, and has experience in left field. With his power bat, locker room presence and current form he is the perfect fit for a team trying to break through to the next level. The team has another year of control of Adams with arbitration, so he would be a little more than a rental, but could command some serious trade value. Big bats and playoff experience are essential commodities for a contender, and he offers both. The Indians could look to upgrade the struggling Carlos Santana to solidify their lineup, and the Yankees could definitely use an upgrade to Chase Headley. I’m so torn with the Matt Adams scenario. BP would be a little easier to let go of, and Suzuki would be very easy, but Adams is an awesome player. I would love to see what kind of market he could command and see if we could add another strong, young arm or outfield prospect, and maybe a solid big leaguer with a good contract. But, the Braves seem to be linked to every young pitcher on the market (Jose Quintana, Chris Archer, Sonny Gray, Yu Darvish) so Coppolella might just blow up our farm system in the next few days, who the hell knows. Chop on motherfuckers.
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