Are Atlanta Braves on borrowed time with Matt Adams; When can we dump Boni?

The Atlanta Braves appear to have found a suitable replacement for the next 10 weeks. Matt Adams is already making his presence felt, and he should stay, but is he on borrowed time?

Does Matt Adams Finish 2017 a Brave?

Matt Adams is only three games into his Atlanta Braves tenure. We know his everyday presence will be short-lived. However, at this particular moment in time, I see no reason to move him at the deadline. But are they on borrowed time with Adams?

Days after the Braves world stopped rotating on its axis, GM genius John Coppolella made the trade to get Adams. Prior to that, James Loney was working out some kinks in AAA Gwinnett.

My theory for the Loney sign: Leverage. The Braves tried to get Adams many times over, but the ask was never worth it for Coppy.

So, he signs James Loney to bring down the asking price for Adams. I think the plan behind the Loney deal was to never use him as a substitute for Freddie Freeman. It was to use him for leverage to knock down the price for Adams.

I believe that when the Cardinals saw the Braves’ need for Adams wasn’t as pressing as originally thought, the price for Adams went down. Juan Yepez then became enough for the Cardinals.

Adams was the target all along, it was never Loney. Now that the Braves have Adams, he has fit in perfectly with this group of guys.

After an 0-for-4 start to his Braves stint, Adams has gone 5-for-9. All three of his HR’s this year have come at SunTrust Park (1 as a Cardinal, 2 as a Brave).

Yes, it’s an extremely small sample. In his short time so far, he is at a level that is easing the blow of losing Freddie for an extended time. He won’t sustain it though.

He currently has an OPS of 1.308. His career average is .773, and in only 3 games has a WAR of .2. That’s 8th best of the position players, and is a career WAR of 4.3. But I’ll take this over the options we had.

Be that as it may, Matt Adams can be the guy off the bench when Freddie comes back. Freeman’s job won’t be lost, no matter how well Adams performs. This doesn’t mean that the Braves should automatically trade him when Freeman returns, though.

The only problem with Adams is he hates the bench. Honestly, though, what player doesn’t. Although, if he buys in on what the Braves are trying to accomplish, maybe he accepts the role and provides needed value and depth. Otherwise, he is trade bait and a great fit for a DH job in the Junior Circuit.

And I’m not even sure a trade is in the Braves mind right now. Should it happen, it will have to be during August’s waiver trade period (July 31 is the non-waiver trade deadline), since Freddie is on a timeline to return after August begins.

Bonifacio Has No Value

The wolf in a baseball player’s clothing, Emilio Bonifacio, has got to go, ASAP. He’s dead weight and right now, provides nothing of value to this Braves squad. I hope and pray that when Adonis Garcia returns, he’s the one to go.

The consensus in Braves Country is that Bonifacio HAS to go. Think of a possible bench depth with Johan Camargo, Rio Ruiz, and Lane Adams to go with Jace Peterson and Kurt Suzuki. Lane would, I assume, be the man called up after a Danny Santana DFA.

Yet, if what Mark Bowman is saying comes to fruition and Ruiz becomes the primary third baseman after Adonis Garcia returns, Garcia wouldn’t be a horrible bench player either.

There’s also the Danny Santana situation. He’s maybe a tick better than Bonifiacio, but not by much. I would much rather see both Santana AND Boni gone.

The Future is (Almost) Here

Either way, this Atlanta Braves team is competitive. At 20-23, they are 6 games back in the NL East and in 2nd place.

They are the only team in the division to be above .500 in the last 10 days. They are 5.5 games out of the Wild Card.

I know it’s way too soon to be scoreboard watching, but this team is exciting and are turning a corner right before our eyes.

Highly touted prospects are now making their way to Atlanta. Dansby Swanson, Ruiz, Lane Adams (who has been up and down a couple of times now), and Camargo are all in or have been to Atlanta in 2017.

Next: Adonis Returns Friday

Rebuilds aren’t done overnight, but there’s a good possibility we are seeing the fruits of John Coppolella’s labor transpiring now. The light, as they say, is getting bigger! It’s becoming more of a matter of ‘when’ than it is ‘if’.