Nick Markakis Has Been “Hot” Since 2006 – Why Trade Him?
By Josh Brown
Since last week every baseball writer and their mother has been writing and tweeting about how hot Nick Markakis is. Newsflash – he’s been hot since 2006.
In seven games last week, Nick Markakis went 9-for-25 (.360) with five doubles and eight RBI. He is currently slashing .333/.423/.533 with 12 RBI and seven runs in 45 at-bats. His .667 average (8-for-12) with RISP and ranks second in the majors, and Markais is also near the top at .550 (11-for-20) with runners on base.
But, here’s the thing. Sure, he’s certainly hitting more doubles (9, which is leading the league) than he ever has in this very small sample size, and he certainly is on a bit of a hot streak during the last two weeks, but Nick Markakis’ “hotness” is not unusual. It’s Nick Markakis. He’s as consistent as the sun.
Nick Markakis is perhaps one of the most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Some of this is probably due to his quiet personality. If you’ve seen Nick in interviews, you know what I mean. Here’s an example of how underrated and under-appreciated he his – Last season, Markakis had an average year for him, while Jason Heyward had his best year and all we heard about all year and all off-season was Jason Heyward and nothing about Nick Markakis. In 2015, Markakis hit for a better average, had a better OBP, and had more hits than Heyward, yet no one except me and like three others guys talked about it. Because it’s Nick Markakis. And then Jason Heyward got way to much money.
This leads me to my big question – Why trade Nick Markakis? Back during Spring Training, when Hector Olivera was hot and we knew that Mallex would earn a promotion in the near future, it sort of made sense to trade Markakis given his age and contract. And, I really thought it was going to happen. I was neither for it nor against it, but the more I think about it, the more I lean on the Braves keeping him. Now with Hector Olivera gone, and Ender Inciarte‘s soon return, you’re looking at an outfield of Inciarte, Smith, and Markakis.
Plus, Markakis’ contract is a bargain for a player of his caliber. He is owed $31.5 million the next three years; pretty reasonable considering the current market. But, even if it were more, does it really make sense to trade Nick Markakis right now? Take money out of the equation real quick. It’s clear that the Braves don’t mind eating money in order to improve. So, even if Markakis was making $50 million instead of $31.5 million, it still might not make sense for the Atlanta Braves to trade Nick Markakis.
Think about it this way – Who would the Braves trade Nick Markakis for? Another pitching prospect? A better right fielder? Better right fielders don’t exist. I could see the Braves trading him for a promising catcher, but that’s about it.
When you have an affordable Nick Markakis, and you don’t want to lose EVERY game, and you’re stacked with prospects already, it might make sense just to keep Nick Markakis. Sure, he’s 32 years old and had medical concerns, but I’m not worried about neither, and I think time will prove me right.
Next: Is There a Draft in Here?
Prospects are fun. Rebuilding for the future is fun. But, winning baseball games is also a really good time.