Is Kelly Johnson On-Route To The Atlanta Braves?

Could Kelly Johnson Be Atlanta Bound?

Kelly Johnson‘s birthday was on Wednesday and what better way to celebrate than for rumors of Atlanta Braves being interested in him to come up again.

Rumors that the Braves were thinking about going after him started back in January, but have quieted down once Jeff Francoeur rumors started and Spring Training news began. However, in the last two days, talks of the team continuing to be interested in him picked back up.

Johnson turned 35-years-old on Wednesday and reports broke out the day before by Jon Heyman saying Johnson was still seeking a deal and that the Braves were one of the teams thinking about it.

The last two season, rumors that they were interested in Johnson also started and soon after the coverage changed to “Braves are in talks with Johnson,” which then lead to “Braves signed Johnson to a deal.”

What this means is that based on recent history, there is a high chance the Braves will sign him at some point. However the team is in a different stage this season in their rebuild. The Braves have improved both offensively and defensively.

As shown in their final month(s), the Braves became one of the more dangerous teams in the NL. They literally won out the season. So the percentage that they need someone like Johnson on the team is a bit different.

During this past off-season, the Braves added players like Brandon Phillips, R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colón and Jaime Garcia which to my opinion has only improved the team while stabilizing it with some veteran experience.

So when it comes to veteran presence, there is already a good amount there, so I think the reason the Braves would sign Johnson is for his utility skills and ability to provide a bench bat.

In his career, Johnson has played mainly at second base and left field but has also made appearances at first, short, third and right field; and has played all of those for the Braves.

As many know, Johnson debuted for the Braves back in May of 2005 and became part of the “Baby Braves.” Johnson, if he were to return to the team, would also benefit on the fact that his wife and three children live in Atlanta therefore allowing him to be with his family while playing for the Braves.

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The last two seasons that the Braves signed him, Johnson has done what was expected of him: be able to play multiple positions while producing decent numbers. His 2015 run was definitely better than his 2016 stint, producing a batting average of .265 compared to the .247, but in 2016, Johnson only committed six errors. He also hit 10 home runs and 44 RBIs in the two stints for Atlanta.

The Braves sent Johnson to the New York Mets back-to-back summers and received prospects in return. If the Braves re-signed him, there is a strong chance a similar flip will happen again.

The main issue is the fact that Johnson is now 35-years-old and if the Braves are willing to put him as the final member on the 40-man roster. There has been rumbling that the Braves want to keep that for a potential bullpen pitcher.

33-year-old and former Braves teammmate, Jeff Francoeur is still available, but Francoeur is not as flexible in positions as Johnson is as “Frenchy” only plays the outfield. Johnson would be a decent bench role that would substitute for the injured Sean Rodriguez and be available to fill in at spots.

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Based on the fact that Johnson rumors are the most recent of the two, it would seem more likely that he will be the one that gets the deal with the Braves. However, there is the chance that neither of them will get a deal at all; again only time will tell as spring training goes on and the Braves start cutting down on the roster.