How should the Atlanta Braves address third base in the coming months?
There’s a whole lotta infielders on the Braves’ roster. So let’s narrow the problem – and the discussion – down just a bit.
If there’s one thing most Atlanta Braves fans should have learned about their front office, it’s that no option is ever off of the table. Per ESPN’s Buster Olney on Twitter:
ATL indicating to others it will hold Matt Adams. He's cheap for them, he's been good, and it's a lousy market for position-player return.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 19, 2017
If Atlanta keeps Matt Adams at first base and Freddie Freeman at third for the rest of 2017, what does this mean for the future of Atlanta’s third base?
Atlanta’s current third base options, and potential Free Agency options…
- Freddie Freeman
- Johan Camargo
- Sean Rodriguez
- Rio Ruiz
- Adonis Garcia… Wait, you forgot about him, didn’t you?
Pulling the trigger on any third basemen before the trade deadline would be nothing short of premature.
With Atlanta apparently keeping Matt Adams for first base and Freeman at third for the remainder of the 2017 season, there is a possibility Adams could get traded during the off-season to a team in need of a cheap and productive first baseman. Besides, only the Yankees are in the market at the moment.
In the coming off-season…
Third base is going to be a mildly talented position with a decent amount of veterans and young, controllable talent:
- Todd Frazier
- Mike Moustakas
- Yunel Escobar
- Jed Lowrie
- Eduardo Nuñez
- Danny Valencia
- Trevor Plouffe
- Andrés Blanco
If Rodriguez and/or Camargo fall off in the second half, Freeman moves back to first base full time, and the Atlanta Braves are legitimately concerned about having someone to play third base, they could scoop up an all-star caliber third basemen in Mike Moustakas.
While Moustakas will cost a pretty penny, his all-star skills are guaranteed to come along with him. A Mike Moustakas addition to the Atlanta lineup would create an extremely intimidating 3-4-5 with Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp.
Todd Frazier will be on the free agent market after he completes the rest of the 2017 season with the New York Yankees. The talk of Atlanta acquiring him once again will more than likely resurface once the off-season begins.
Todd Frazier hits for an extremely low batting average, and a pretty low OBP. Mike Moustakas also has a sub par BA and OBP.
However, Mike Moustakas has provided much more production at the plate (with generally rising wRC+ and OPS+ in recent years) than Todd Frazier (his numbers are declining) has in recent years. The big point I’m trying to make, is that Moustakas can provide much more consistency at third base than Frazier could.
What would Frazier or Moustakas cost?
- As far as the cost for Mike Moustakas, when the 2017 season ends, he will have completed a 2 year/$14.3 million contract with the Kansas City Royals. More than likely, he will require a contract of upwards of $12+ million a year. This is only if the Royals don’t resign him with an ungodly large contract.
The Atlanta Braves currently have $122.6 million committed to players for the 2017 season. However, they will only have $75.8 million committed in 2018. They will have money available to spend.
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- Todd Frazier is currently on a 1 year / $12 million contract with the Yankees, and would require a contract worth as much, if not more than $12 million for the 2018 season.
Todd Frazier is a power hitter in the flesh and a solid baseball player, but could very well be a liability for the Braves, and result in an overpayment for underperformance in Atlanta.
Should the Atlanta Braves even do anything with 3B in the off-season?
We cannot forget, Atlanta still has Rio Ruiz in the shadows waiting to emerge as a full-time third basemen at the major league level. His stats were not eye-popping for his 31-game tenure in Cobb County in 2017: a .175 batting average, 9 BB, 26 SO, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 14 H in 91 PA and a -0.5 WAR.
Those numbers are obviously not amazing, but as a 23-year-old, Ruiz has the potential to bolster those numbers whenever he decides to step his game up. If Atlanta decides to keep Adams for the 2018 season, there is a good chance Ruiz may be on the move in a trade during the off-season for Atlanta to scoop up some starting pitching or relief pitching help.
So for Atlanta’s third base, we have:
- Freddie Freeman
- Rio Ruiz
- Johan Camargo
- Sean Rodriguez
Is it worth spending a lot of money on Moustakas or Frazier? In my opinion, the answer is NO.
There are thoughts that Atlanta may scoop up a starting pitcher this off-season – perhaps someone like Yu Darvish via free agency, as he is finishing up a 6 year/$60 million contract with the Texas Rangers.
Next: Baseball for the Retired
The smart move for Atlanta would be to stock up on pitching talent this off-season, but the possibility of signing a high caliber third baseman will definitely be available for the Atlanta Braves in the coming off-season.