Atlanta Braves: Update on Free Agent options. MLB QO's, and more.

Some significant free agents that were on the radar for the Atlanta Braves this off-season have been offered qualifying offers of $17.4mil.

Even if these players decline their qualifying offers, this does not mean that the Atlanta Braves would actually pursue them this off-season.

There are some highly regarded players that were not given a qualifying offer, and there is also another Japanese player looking for a spot in the MLB.

To sum up the QO’s made today that had something to do with Atlanta signing speculations:

Mike Moustakas

Offered $17.4mil by the Kansas City Royals. I hope that Moose stays in Kansas City, or signs with a team other than the Atlanta Braves, if he declines his QO. Having Moustakas in a Braves uni seems like a great thing, but we would not be able to utilize his skill until our youngsters begin making an impact, which may not be until 2019 or 2020.

Also, Austin Riley has been making a big splash in the Arizona Fall League. Signing the Moose to potentially block Riley if he keeps this pace would be against Atlanta’s best interest.

Alex Cobb

Offered $17.4mil by the Tampa Bay Rays. The prospects are beginning their movement into Atlanta, and signing Cobb or Lance Lynn this off-season would be a premature inking for the rotation without knowing how well the youngsters turn out.

Lance Lynn

Offered $17.4mil by the St. Luis Cardinals. I hope Lynn stays with the Cardinals, as they need the stability for their rotation. Lynn is a quality pitcher without a doubt, but with the future of Sean Newcomb, Luiz Gohara, and Max Fried looking mighty bright, signing a random Starter in the free agency seems like a bad move for the Atlanta Braves.

Players that were not offered a QO, released, or declined their player option that Atlanta could pursue:

I’ll end the suspicion about this Japanese Pitcher I mentioned earlier:

Kazuhisa Makita

Makita played for the Saitama Seibu Lions in the Japanese Pacific League since 2011. He made the transition from Starting Pitcher to Relief Pitcher in 2016. During his two years of relief pitching in 2016 and 2017, he has a combined 1.95 ERA through 141.1 innings pitched in 108 games.

Makita has an ungodly low WHIP through ’16 and ’17 at 0.955, with a H/9 of 7.4, a BB/9 of 1.25, and a K/9 of 4.9. There were talks of Atlanta trying to bring the talents of Japanese Superstar Shohei Otani, but the Braves could try to go after the next-best Japanese import.

Oh, did I mention that Makita is a submarine pitcher? From the Jordan Walden hop, to the R.A. Dickey knuckleball, could Atlanta add to the unique pitcher list by adding a submarine pitcher? I know I would enjoy it. Would you?

Tommy Hunter

Hunter has been dominant the past few years, and is only 30 years young. He absolutely has a few more years left in the tank, and seeing those years at SunTrust Park would be a nice thing to see. Hunter has a career 4.13 ERA and a career 1.249 WHIP, but the past 2 years have been a different story. Through ’16 and ’17, Hunter owns a 2.89 ERA, a 1.119 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, and a 2.1 BB/9 through 94 games

Trevor Rosenthal

Now this was not a surprise to me – but still a big of a shock – when the Cardinals released Rosenthal. Rosenthal is a high quality reliever with a career 2.99 ERA and 1.305 WHIP since 2012, and is only 27 years old.

Rosenthal would fit in nicely to the Braves bullpen, but at the price of a pretty penny. In 2017, Rosenthal made $6.4mil, and should be expected to make much more in years to come… except…

So why did this happen? In short: Tommy John. He probably won’t pitch at all in 2018 – his final arbitration year – so the Cardinals cut him loose. Nonetheless, it’s not unprecedented to see a team take a flier on a pitcher like Rosenthal: a 2 year guaranteed deal with the hope of getting maybe one useful season. Possible, but don’t hold your breath.

Tony Barnette

This would be an interesting move by the Braves if they pursued Barnette. Barnette is 33 years old with only 2 years of MLB service, but has plenty of professional experience as he played for the Yakult Swallows in Tokyo, Japan from 2010-2015.

His first year in the MLB was a very solid year with a 2.09 ERA and 1.160 WHIP through 53 appearances. Then, 2017 happened… This year was shaky for Barnette as he had an 5.49 ERA and 1.500 WHIP through 50 appearances. His age may have attributed to his lack of success in 2017, or it may not have.

Through looking at his stats in Japan, whenever he was a year that he pitches a high ERA and WHIP, the following years, he pitched a much lower WHIP and above average ERA. He could have a bounce-back year in 2018, but that could be questionable with his age.

Yearly ERA and WHIP while playing in Japan:

Mike Minor

Ahh, I bet you remember this name. The Braves 7th overall pick in the 2009 draft? Yeah, he recently declined his player option to become a free agent.

The possibility of a reunion definitely lingers in the balance, which would be awesome for the Atlanta bullpen. To add Minor’s southpaw skills with fellow southpaws Sam Freeman, A.J. Minter, and Rex Brothers would be great for the Braves bullpen.

Addison Reed

Reed is in the 3rd year of his prime. At 29 years old, Reed owns a career 3.40 ERA and a career 1.160 WHIP, but get this… Over the past 3 years, Reed owns a 2.73 ERA and 1.123 WHIP with an average of 70 games per season.

The chances of Reed ending up in Atlanta could be slim as he is high on the list of many teams this off-season to acquire, but lets hope the Braves strike first.

Next: Atlanta Braves relief pitcher, Jason Motte elected free agency

As an honorable mention, Zack Cozart is available to play third base is needed. He is available as an alternative to Moose or Todd Frazier, and would be cheaper if the Braves decide to add a position player with relief pitchers.

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Atlanta Braves: update on free agent options, MLB QO’s, and more.

By Dalton Skaggs | Nov 7, 2017