Atlanta Braves’ Morning Chop: has the off-season really been that slow?

The number of players still left in the meat market are accurate enough, but the idea that there’s multiple teams having major holes to fill isn’t exactly correct.

Sure:  the Atlanta Braves haven’t exactly been heavily active in free agency… and certainly not in the trade market.

We had figured that the style of Alex Anthopoulos’ past transactions lent themselves heavily toward the trade market rather than spending a bunch of money.  But that has actually changed a bit in the past 3 months:

• Free agent signing:  Josh Donaldson (and the largest single-year deal ever for a free agent)
• Free agent signing:  Brian McCann
• Free agent signing:  Nick Markakis

We also learned over the weekend that the Braves nearly matched an Astros’ offer for then-free-agent outfielder Michael Brantley (darn it).

Yes – these completed signings are all deals that potentially are ‘1 (year) and done’, but it’s still a set of free agent acquisitions with zero major trades.

So then there’s this tweet yesterday from perennial Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander:

Is this true?  Maybe technically, but the MLBTR tracking tool doesn’t show that many… the number is in the high 70’s as of this writing (and it’s not up to date, either:  the list includes Ryan Flaherty, who signed with Cleveland, for example).

Even so, let’s say that the actual number is 75 for the purposes of both being conservative and because… math.

Based on that, you’d guess that every team has an average of 2½ open major league 25-man roster slots available… half with 2 and the other half with 3 empty slots… except that’s just not really the case:  the holes are not that obvious and there are players currently slotted for nearly every position.

Heck, here’s a prime example:  the Phillies have a full-enough 25-man roster that they could enter the season with.  Yet writers are talking about the hang-wringing going on there as there’s talk about adding a couple more players… a move that would displace others already in camp.

Upgrades thin out quickly

Could upgrades be made?  Among certain teams at certain positions, sure.  Certain players (Harper, Machado, Kimbrel, Keuchel, Moustakas and a couple others) would obviously represent upgrades on nearly any team.

But if you go through the list of available talent, you rapidly reach the point at which players aren’t demonstrably better than what is already on the roster… at least as ‘everyday’ options (which is the substance of the complaint… that there aren’t adequate options filling those rosters now).

Now take Verlander’s Houston, for example:  they lost multiple starting pitchers, and thus really need to get at least one more… that fact may be coloring Verlander’s own off-season angst a bit.

In Cleveland, they simply haven’t had a lot of success in replacing their outfielders (all of them).  The most serious effort was an attempt to land Markakis… and you know how that went:  his kids demanded that the All-Star stick around here a bit longer.

The Dodgers could use a catcher… the Red Sox (famously) need a closer… so yes:  there are teams with some real holes; but while you might question some of the choices, the actual “holes” are really not that large.

As for the Big Guys remaining (at least Harper/Machado/Kimbrel/Keuchel), they are unsigned simply because they are a product of their own making:  when you open the bidding by requesting an unprecedented, record-setting figure, you’d better be sure you’re worth that.

3 of these players are in that camp.  Keuchel isn’t, but his initial ‘ask’ of 5 years and over $100 million wasn’t going to wash, either… not at age 31.

But these are the special cases.  Others – Donaldson being one of these – saw the market differently and chose the 1-year route.

More from Tomahawk Take

• Braves News: Braves re-sign Stephens, Will Atlanta extend Max Fried?, more
• Notable Atlanta Braves Reunions Since 2003: Pitcher Edition
• Braves News: Braves re-sign Jackson Stephens
• Braves News: Braves prospect rankings, Correa deal with Mets at risk, more
• Why the Atlanta Braves won’t extend Max Fried

The Lion King Lesson

Every year, there will be players that can’t find a job.  Every year, players retire.  Every year, the minor leagues promote players that are believed to be major league ready.  Such is baseball’s version of the ‘Circle of Life’.

There’s also the practical view:  teams with needs will get what they need.  Players will skills will find jobs.  Those who don’t fit and can’t measure up will not.

At the same time, there is a new paradigm:  teams with no shot at winning aren’t bothering to invest in anybody that’s terribly expensive, and that’s impacting the ‘supply’ side of the market… hence prices are lower; teams are filling holes with less-proven talent.

So it’s a perfect storm of activity that had led us to this point… but honestly?  If each team signs one more free agent apiece, that will probably reduce the market to roughly the right level… and that will likely happen before March.

In the end, there will be landing spots for the Big Guys, too… just maybe not at a price they’d find appealing.

It’s just the way things are and how they have been… no matter how many we’re talking about.