Does The Atlanta Braves Future Rely On One Neck?

A Neck Of Pain and The Future Of The Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves signed Nick Markakis in December of 2014 to a four-year, $44 million dollar deal.  The then 31-year-old knew he needed to have fusion surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck.  A few days after signing with the Braves, Markakis underwent the surgery.

Markakis took the appropriate time to heal during the offseason and was on the field game one of the 2015 season.  Though his stats dipped in quite a few categories, many question was he back to normal after the surgery?  Was he fully healthy in 2015?  Or is this what we can expect from him moving forward?

Now, 32-years-old and 10-years of professional ball under his belt, how much more can Markakis provide to a struggling team?

The goal for the Braves is to be competitive in 2017 when they move into their new facility in Cobb County.  With so many questions already, here is one more…is Nick Markakis in the Braves future plans?

My Take

I’m leaning towards the ‘no boat’ on Markakis serving out his four-year contract with the Braves.  Rumors, yes they could have just been rumors, this offseason mentioned that the Braves were interested in moving Markakis, but weren’t able to.  The dipping of stats, his age, contract, his 2015 defensive play and a once strong arm, now almost gone.

In 2015, Markakis only threw out four baserunners in his 1249.1 innings patrolling the outfield in Atlanta. He cost the Braves eight runs by rARM and 5.8 runs by ARM.  These numbers are considered to be league average or below average for an outfielder.

His defensive and offensive play in 2015 could be directly related to the offseason neck surgery.  Manager Fredi Gonzalez said this earlier this offseason…

"“I think the whole game will come back,” Gonzalez said. “I think you’ll see his arm strength even come back, I really do. Because what did he have, two weeks (of games) in spring training? And really, going into that it was nothing. He couldn’t do anything…”"

I’m hoping Markakis can return to his form of yesteryears during the first half of 2016 and then the Braves trade him to a contender.  One statistical category that hasn’t dropped off is him getting on base.  Many teams that should be contending in 2016 would love a guy who routinely gets on.

This isn’t just looking out for the Braves long-term, but this will also help Markakis get back to a winning team and increase his chances of winning a World Series.

Let’s hear your opinion…take the poll and leave your comments below

Braves beat writer Mark Bowman talked about Markakis and the Braves plans for him in the future

"…What if Nick Markakis never regains the arm strength that he had before undergoing neck surgery?…There might come a point where it makes sense to transition Markakis to left field and move Inciarte over to right field."

A move to left field for Markakis would make sense because of the arm issues.  Runners know they can advance to third or even home when it’s hit to right field.  This is especially the case when prospect Mallex Smith is ready to make the jump to the majors.

One thing is for sure, a healthy neck for Nick Markakis will pay dividends to the Braves to either trade him before the deadline or as he plays a role in Atlanta’s future.