Atlanta Braves potential offseason deals : Free agent outfielders
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves need at least one corner outfielder, maybe two, depending on how they fill that vacancy.
Our Atlanta Braves outfield for 2020 as of this morning, includes Ronald Acuna Jr., Ender Inciarte, and Adam Duvall. Nick Markakis said he’d go the dance with us, but we have a roving eye, and there are some pretty good-looking alternatives around. Not to be cruel, but Nick’s getting a little old for us, he wants us to wear a tie everywhere. I mean, who wears ties anymore?
The Braves need to find a couple of better dates than last year. They were nice guys, but aside from RAJ, they didn’t produce much for us. Looking at the bigger picture, without Acuna, the .248/.288/.459/ .747 slash line produced by our left fielders is making some worry about our abilities with the wood.
The left-field group hit for a little power – mostly Austin Riley – but their slash line rankings finished 24th/30th/13th in MLB and 12th/15th/11th against the NL.
The qualified right field duo looks cute from across the room with their .288/.373/.803 line but up close their combined 111 wRC+ came in at #12 in MLB and number six in the NL due in large part to Matt Joyce’s unexpected surge after Markakis went on the IL. That isn’t awful, but it won’t make us homecoming king next year
I’ve been checking out the available talent using the profile I provided yesterday and came up with an eclectic group of potential Atlanta Braves for your review.
It includes well known, and not so well known players, who provide at least a 2% bump for next season.
I’m starting with the free agents.
Corey Dickerson – L/R – plays at 31-years old
Corey Dickerson’s three years that in Colorado saw him bat a combined .299/.345/.534/.876, but the Rockies had excess outfielders and needed pitching, so he started the 2016 season in Tampa.
He continued to rake during his two years with the Rays batting .265/.310/.480/.790 with 51 homers. The penny-pinching Rays traded him to the Pirates and sent cash (I know, makes no sense to me either) for Daniel Hudson and a minor league second baseman.
Dickerson picked up where he left off with the Bucs, batting .300/.330/.474/.804 in 533 PA in 2018, Injuries were the story of his 2019 season, he started the season on the 60-day injured list with a strained shoulder, returned in June only to hit the IL again a month later with a left abductor strain.
He returned to the lineup, found himself traded to the Phillies, and continued to hit as if he’d never been away. He hit eight homers in 137 PA with the Phillies before a broken foot ended his season. He finished 2019 with a .304/.341/.565/.906 line, but his 2018 line looks more like his expected production.
Fangraphs shows a L/R split that affected his power stroke but isn’t enough to force a platoon.
| Split | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | wRC+ |
| vs. LHP | .293 | .328 | .407 | .735 | .318 | 100 |
| vs. RHP | .302 | .331 | .496 | .827 | .348 | 120 |
Dickerson is a very Atlanta Braves style player: unassuming, professional, talented. He also checks off the Anthopoulos requirement for good defense.
In 2018 he posted 16 DRS and 10.7 FRAA (Defensive Runs Saved / Fielding Runs Above Average) and earned his first Gold Glove.
The contract just ended brought him $8.5M in 2019, and I’d expect him to get at least three years and $33 million as a projected six-win player. His injuries might bring the AAV down a bit; he’s a fine player and worth the money.