Atlanta Braves Discussion Board: Completing the Rebuild
By Ryan Cothran
If you haven’t taken a look at the current Atlanta Braves depth chart…
DON’T DO IT! Oh… you already did. Well, Merry Christmas! Not only did you get coal in CF, but there’s a sloth in LF, a super-glued old toy in RF, and a screaming child at 3b that has broken all of his toys.
Yes, I’m over-exaggerating and, aside from B.J. Upton, I like parts of all of the other players’ games. Just not all the parts. And yes, all of those guys can play baseball much better than I ever could. I’m just to that bitter stage in my fandom right now…
I’ll get over it. However…
If it doesn’t get worse than the current Braves depth chart, you’re not going to want to click on the New York Mets depth chart…or the Marlins...or the Nationals. And then there’s the…
Phailies. And we can’t really even properly make fun of them anymore. Heck, there’s 2 frontline starters on that team, and, to be honest, their team is likely just as good as the Braves as both teams currently stand. Yes, they might trade Cole Hamels, but they might have also just won the bidding for Jung-Ho Kang (edit: Well, that didn’t happen, thank you Pirates).
So, what’s best-case scenario for our beloved Atlanta Braves?
The best-case scenario is that Andrelton Simmons, B.J. Upton, and Chris Johnson re-learn how to hit, Freddie Freeman and Evan Gattis continue to do their thing, Nick Markakis puts up a year like 2014, Alberto Callaspo finds his LH stroke and puts up a .750-.800 OPS between 2nd and 3rd, Jace Peterson a .750 OPS above average defender at 2nd base, Christian Bethancourt finally shows that he is capable, both offensively and defensively, to hold down a starting catching role, and the pitching staff stays in the top-5 in the MLB., and the Braves sneak into the Wild Card. Worst case scenario?
Not near half of those things happen and the Braves are well out of contention by the All-Star break. You look at that depth chart and let me know what’s more realistic right now. I’m down…like an old race horse named Gluestick. Put me out of my misery, you all!
That is where you all step in! I need help. My offseason outlook has become a little bit foggy and I can’t dream like I used to. The Braves have much money to spend, yet they’re likely not going to spend it on any top-tier talent (not that there’s much left anyway). In my opinion, that means they should finish the rebuild and trade anything that’s not “franchise material”. In my opinion, that means: Chris Johnson, Mike Minor, Evan Gattis, B.J. Upton.
Honestly, I have nothing. Let’s hear from you lot! Who’s bold enough to start this discussion?