Atlanta Braves Market for Starting Pitching in 2017
By Ryan Cothran
As the 2016 season wraps up…the seemingly never-ending conundrum of “wait ‘til next year” might actually come to fruition in 2017…if Atlanta can find some reliable pitching.
Our beloved GM John “Coppy” Coppolella has let Atlanta Braves fans know that there will be bucketloads of cash – upwards of $50 million – that can be spent on the free agent market and/or in trades this upcoming off-season.
Adding on to that, it’s not hard to look at this team and see a competitor. With the lineup looking solid as of late combined with talent a-plenty in our relief staff between 3-4 on the team now, a few on the DL, and an elite arm like A.J. Minter chomping at the bits, and last but not least, our young impact starting pitching staff in the Majors (Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler) combined with up and coming guys such as Sean Newcomb and Patrick Weigel, there’s reason to believe that the rebuild really is coming to a close and that as soon as next year the Braves can compete for a playoff position.
But there’s an elephant in the room. It’s big. Everyone who follows closely to MLB news knows the stench that is the 2017 free agent market. On the latest #AskCoppy, Braves GM stated they’re in the market for 2 starting pitchers and that learning on the job isn’t going to happen at the MLB level anymore. It’s poop, or get off the pot for the Braves starting staff!
Potential Free Agents Atlanta Brave could Entice
So 2 Starting pitchers, eh? Welp…here’s the list via MLBTradeRumors (with next season ages):
Brett Anderson (29)
Clay Buchholz (32) — $13.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Andrew Cashner (30)
Jhoulys Chacin (29)
Bartolo Colon (43)
Jorge De La Rosa (36)
R.A. Dickey (42)
Doug Fister (33)
Jaime Garcia (30) — $12MM club option with a $500K buyout
Gio Gonzalez (31) — $12MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jason Hammel (34) — $10MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Jeremy Hellickson (30)
Rich Hill (37)
Derek Holland (30) — $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Scott Kazmir (33) — can opt out of remaining two years, $32MM on current contract
Mat Latos (29)
Colby Lewis (37)
Kris Medlen (31) — $10MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Charlie Morton (33) — $9.5MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
Jon Niese (30) — $10MM club option with a $500K buyout
Ivan Nova (30)
Jake Peavy (36)
CC Sabathia (36) — $25MM vesting option with a $5MM buyout
James Shields (35) — can opt out of remaining two years, $44MM on current contract
Alfredo Simon (36)
Edinson Volquez (33) — $10MM mutual option with a $3MM buyout
Jered Weaver (34)
C.J. Wilson (36)
Now the nitty-gritty…
Who’s likely to get a Qualifying offer?
Due to the poor quality of this market, anyone that’s resembled a halfway respectable pitcher could get a qualified offer (unless traded mid-season of which a qualifying offer cannot be made). Hart has stated that the Braves are reluctant to give up a draft pick so pursuing qualifying offers are likely off the table.
Who’s likely to have an option picked up?
As you can see, many on the above list have 2017 options and due to the poor market and the extreme overpay that happened in last year’s market for starting pitching, some of those options will be picked up.
Gio Gonzalez and Jason Hammel are no-brainers, and Jaime Garcia is also a likely candidate to have his option picked up.
Guys like Charlie Morton and Edinson Volquez are fence-straddlers and could go either way, but for the sake of finality, let’s pretend those 2 hit the free agent market in 2017. So scratch off Gio Gonzalez, Jason Hammel, and Jaime Garcia.
The one true free agent with actual value would appear to be Rich Hill. His timing couldn’t be better – for himself. But would you want to offer a 37-year-old pitcher a 3 year deal that might approach $20 million per season?
Minus those, what do you have left? Mostly a group of has-beens, never wuzzes, injury-riddled reserves, or under-performers. Hardly the stuff of legends, for sure. So back to the money that Braves have burning a huge hole in their pockets this winter. Where does it go? Well, there’s another route they can take…