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The Atlanta Braves Opening Morning Chop

By Alan Carpenter

Apr 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of Turner Field before the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view of Turner Field before the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 3, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; A general view at sunset of the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariners at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Final Turner Field Opening Day is Upon Us – What will the Braves do with that this season?

For better or worse, we’ve now got a 25-man roster… one that will definitely be changed next week, and likely dozens of more times before season’s end.  But here’s our starting grid:

Next week, someone from the bullpen (almost certainly Gant unless there’s an injury) will have to be optioned out to make space for 5th starter Jhoulys Chacin.  Bummer for Gant, but he needs to stay on track as a starter candidate, and holding the title of ‘Long Man in the Bullpen’ won’t give him the innings to do so.

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Several players were also added to the disabled list:

  • Manny Banuelos (elbow soreness, 15-day list)
  • Jessie Biddle (TJ recovery, 15-day list… could go to 60-day if his slot is needed)
  • Andrew McKirahan (TJ recovery, 15-day list… could go to 60-day if his slot is needed)
  • Pace Rodriguez (TJ recovery, 60-day list)
  • Shae Simmons (rehabbing from TJ surgery; 15-day list; could be back by June)

I will have details later this week, but all together, that puts my estimated Opening Day Payroll up to a surprisingly high figure:  $94,401,500.  The active roster… those actually on the field today… will have a total payroll of $66,291,250.

This is a roster clearly built for flexibility, as every bench player can handle multiple positions as necessary.  Fredi Gonzalez will have the ability to platoon… well, virtually any player he wants at any position.  Whether that translates into better overall hitting or specific situational hitting is open for debate, but that’s at least what the Braves have put together on paper.

It is that kind of planning that led the team to cut Michael Bourn this weekend… which could be a matter of overthinking the equation.  Sure, if this were a club built for the post-season, I can see swapping in the RHH Stubbs for the LHH Bourn.  But that’s not the case here.  So instead, the Braves went out and spent another $1.5 million to put Stubbs under contract while jettisoning Bourn and his $14 million deal… in a move that chose between a pair of 5th outfielders on a team not expected to exceed 75 wins.  A classic case of throwing good money after bad for a marginal benefit.

Don’t think this team is exactly ‘young’, either:  the average age is 29.7 years right now – and that counts Chacin, who actually lowers that figure slightly.  Obviously that’s expected to change a bit by next season, but it isn’t like Atlanta is going to suddenly have a dozen 23-year-olds running out there even then.  So even without Bourn, there’s certainly enough ‘veteran presence’ to go around.  And that could help.

The best thing I can say about this is that the club is perhaps sending a statement:  that they are willing to spend and willing to tweak to get the best out of this team.  It may take a bit to determine how effective that is, given the nasty schedule that Atlanta faces in April and May.

If the Braves can hang in there for these first 7-8 weeks – at least within sight of the .500 mark – then the rest might be worth a watch.  It certainly would be nice to see a team that’s actually improving through the Summer months… that hasn’t been the case for a while.

Next: You Gant Top This!

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