Confirmed? Atlanta Braves Shopping Freeman… and Likely Everybody

Sep 25, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Nick Markakis (22) looks on during batting practice before a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This suggests that Coppy believes he can do better than virtually every veteran on the roster

Ken Rosenthal has just posted a new piece that primarily discusses whether the Red Sox made the right move in acquiring Craig Kimbrel.  Later on, however, he discusses the Braves.  And his information seems to confirm our worst fears from Friday, when we reported information we had from both Martin Gandy and our own source indicating that Freddie Freeman and Julio Teheran were being shopped.

Rosenthal tells us today:

"Officials from three different clubs told me that the Braves have indeed shopped first baseman Freddie Freeman, with one saying such a possibility was “the talk of the (Arizona) Fall League” among scouts about 10 days ago.The Braves, another official says, are “shopping everyone owed money” – a group that would include right-hander Julio Teheran, right fielder Nick Markakis and center fielder Cameron Maybin, among others."

There continues to be denials of this information from the beat writers – including David O’Brien just this afternoon in direct response to this revelation:

That said, the smoke around this rumor continues to swirl and the denials are sounding less credible than the rumor.  Especially when the source count keeps adding up.

Everyone Owed Money? Seriously?

• Markakis:  owed $31.5m more, having completed just 1 year of his 4 year contract
• Freeman:  just barely started on his extension, he’s owed $118.5 million through 2021
• Maybin:  not surprise here, owed $8 million for 2016 plus a $1m option buyout
• Teheran:  $30.6 million remaining (guaranteed money), again barely started on his extension that runs through at least 2019
• Jason Grilli:  probably not tradeable at this time, given his achilles injury, but still owed $3.75m guaranteed
• Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn are obviously on this list, too.

Given this information, you’d have to include Hector Olivera and Dian Toscano, since both have extended deals, but would Coppolella go there too, especially given what the team did to acquire Olivera?

What is Going On Here?

More from Tomahawk Take

• Atlanta Braves 2012 Prospect Review: Joey Terdoslavich
• Braves News: Braves sign Fuentes, Andruw’s HOF candidacy, more
• The Weakest Braves Homers Since 2015
• Atlanta Braves Sign Joshua Fuentes to Minor League Deal
• Braves News: New Year’s Eve comes with several questions about the 2023 Braves

If you take the Rosenthal information at face value, then you’d have to conclude Hart and Coppolella aren’t simply polishing off a rebuild:  the Braves are doing a total reboot.  This suggests that Coppy believes he can do better than virtually every veteran on the roster

Clearly, the loss of Andrelton Simmons via trade would be consistent with that thinking.  At the same time, if you believe that and start the ball rolling by selling off the best shortstop in the game, then you’d have to forgive the fans for questioning your sanity.

Recall what we’ve seen in the past 6 weeks:

• There was the message “Never again” made to fans and season ticket holders after season’s end
• There’s the hollow-sounding claim that the team might be better after trading Simmons
• There’s no improvement to the offense that has been made thus far, and Rosenthal’s information suggests that the Braves are actually heading in the other direction.

There is still plenty of time to turn this around… and we’ve all got ideas on how the Braves could add offense and become competitive quickly.

Next: Wags is Looking for Hall Votes

But so far all we have is the suggestion that there’s a stream of fan favorites heading for the exits.

If that keeps up, fans will follow.