Atlanta Braves need to keep Matt Adams around

Freddie Freeman has been, and will continue to be an outstanding first baseman for the Braves, but when an opportunity as great as Matt Adams comes around, the team almost has to capitalize. Freddie’s eventual move to third while Adams is in Atlanta could – and should – carry over into next season, at the very least.

Amidst all the veteran guys who will inevitably be traded at some point in the near future, there lies Matt ‘Big City’ Adams. Adams’ still has one year left on his contract and Atlanta Braves fans have almost unanimously decided that he is to be traded at the trade deadline.

Why??

Matt Adams is only 28 years old. Freddie Freeman, who is just a year younger, has committed to moving to third base to accommodate Adams’ arrival and subsequent offensive tear. Matt Adams has driven in 6 more runs in 4 fewer games with the Braves than Freeman this year. These are facts.

Why lose stability?

One of the biggest issues of the past few years, and really since Chipper Jones‘ retirement, has been finding production at third base. Chris Johnson had one great year, but was ultimately a bust. Adonis Garcia hasn’t lived up to the hype that surrounded him, and we all know how well the Hector Olivera experiment turned out.

So, now we have Freddie Freeman, the face of the Atlanta Braves, and NL MVP candidate prior to his wrist injury, voluntarily shifting over to third. At first base, we have a guy in Adams who has all but matched Freeman’s offensive numbers this season.

But yeah, let’s trade a relatively young Matt Adams, move Freddie back to first base, and leave a hole at third until if/when Austin Riley (MLB ETA: 2019) makes it to Atlanta. GREAT idea.

A better idea…

Instead of screwing ourselves out of a scary good lineup for the next year or two, why not re-sign Adams? Some seem to forget that this is a possibility.

If I’m John Coppolella, I’m seriously considering offering Matt Adams a three-year deal following this season. I know we still have to see how Adams performs from July through September, as well as how Freddie adjusts to third base, but the idea has a huge upside with very little risk.

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This three-year contract is not to say that Matt Adams will stay in Atlanta for its entirety, though. Once the Braves have Riley or Travis Demeritte fully developed and MLB-ready – presumably in the second year of Adams’ hypothetical contract – only then should the Braves consider trading Adams away.

Not only does this ensure that the Braves get maximum production from their lineup throughout the early stages of the rebuild, but it would also bump up his trade value a bit with the appeal of club control for another season, assuming Adams’ production continues at its current pace.

What about the other guys?

While Johan Camargo has been nice so far and Rio Ruiz has shown signs of a good ballplayer, neither are worth losing the production of the Freeman/Adams duo.

Veteran infielder Brandon Phillips is not likely to be re-signed by the Braves, and Camargo could easily take over at second base until Ozzie Albies forces himself into Atlanta. As of now, Ruiz is in AAA, and would serve as nothing more than a bench piece for the Atlanta Braves.

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No one is going to offer the Braves anything great in return for a two month rental of Matt Adams. Besides, I believe that with Freeman AND Adams in the lineup every day, the Atlanta Braves will be fighting for a Wild Card spot, or even the NL East crown, this season.