Atlanta Braves said to be showing interest in Nunez, but how much?
So there’s still that third base situation sitting out there. The Braves are still looking for another infielder… is Nunez the one?
Word from earlier in the off-season came from Alex Anthopoulos that the Atlanta Braves were looking for a veteran with the possible aim of filling the third base position for 2018 – at least.
The default option – which is still highly in play, of course – is to have a Spring competition between Johan Camargo and Rio Ruiz.
Late last week, we saw word that there’s been some action toward one free agent – Eduardo Nunez. The Boston Herald reported on January 19 that Nunez had worked out for the Red Sox – his most recent team – in the Dominican Republic recently, a move that should give all prospective suitors some confidence that his knee issues are now behind him.
Nunex first injured his right knee on an attempted slide – diagnosed as a sprain to the posterior cruciate ligament – in early September. He rushed back to action once and aggravated the injury on September 25th. Then he rushed back again in the playoffs with Boston and had to be carried off the field after his leg simply collapsed in their series against the Astros.
At least the slow off-season has allowed him time to heal.
The Party Invites
The Red Sox are interested in bringing Nunez back after seeing him in 38 games of 2017 and hitting .321 in the process with an .892 OPS.
Those numbers are easily the best of his career over that stretch, though he did post a .308 average in 78 more 2017 games for a bad Giants club.
At 30 years old, it’s hard to say whether this production is sustainable, but his career trajectory actually continues to be heading upward, having seen his OPS climb from the high-600’s to the break through the .800 barrier last season.
The Red Sox aren’t the only ones milling about the dance floor in the hopes that Nunez will choose them. Jon Heyman reported that teams are practically standing in line:
- Mets – would like Nunez for second base
- Red Sox – second base until Dustin Pedroia can return, then a super-utility role
- Blue Jays – their interest will depend on a lot of things, including the basic answer to their question “Are we ‘in’ or ‘out’?”
- Giants – third base, but it’s also not likely that they could really afford him
- Brewers – supposedly they are after Mike Moustakas, but probably ‘super utility’ role for them as well
- Royals – third base, replacing Moose
What He Brings
Heyman also mentions the Atlanta Braves in the midst of his list of teams with interest in Nunez. For Atlanta, this could be for third base, for a super-utility role, insurance against a bad start for Dansby Swanson… or all of the above.
Nunez doesn’t have great power, but does have some pop in his bat: he did have 16 homers in 2016 and 18 in 2017 with a slugging %age solidly in the .400’s before getting hurt.
Additionally, he’s getting on base better (low-mid .300’s OBP) and putting the ball in play (11% strikeout rate). In that regard, he’s not too dissimilar to the Johan Camargo we saw in 2017… with fewer K’s.
Having a pair of players with the ability to either perform off the bench or move around the infield would certainly be a plus, but that starts getting to the tricky bit.
Pros and Cons
Nunez is going to be getting close to 31 years old on Opening Day, though he doesn’t have a lot of playing time on those legs: 6 years of service with 669 games played and just 2330 plate appearances.
MLBTR was estimating that the free agent utility man would get a 2 year deal at $7 million per season, though that was before the bottom dropped out of the market. But even so, is that the right kind of deal for a part-time role player?
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- Atlanta Braves 2023 Preseason Top 30 Prospects List: 16-20
- Braves News: Reacting to Dansby’s departure, Michael Brantley, more
- Atlanta Braves: Best Option at Shortstop Now That Dansby Swanson is Gone
- Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos’ views on the offseason so far
- Braves News: Dansby goes to the Cubs, prospect rankings, more
Combining the idea of that role and the current market, I would expect that 2 years/$10-11 million might end up being the right numbers, and the Braves could afford that. Whether another team would jump in ahead of them at that level or above is another question.
Above, I suggested that it would be Nunez selecting his own dance partner. He certainly could, but at this point, it’s really that other clubs are instead trying to be coy about their own choices for the left side of the infield: Moustakas, Todd Frazier, etc.
Nunez may simply have to wait out these guys before filling out his own dance card.
Would the Braves jump in? Well, somebody has to get this party started. But right now, I’d still rank the Red Sox as the favorites with Atlanta waiting to see who or what falls to them.