Braves bring back Nick Markakis, but what will his role be?

The Atlanta Braves brought back outfielder Nick Markakis for 2020, but will he have an everyday role once again?

It really wasn’t much of a surprise that the Atlanta Braves brought back Nick Markakis on a one-year deal for $4 million.

As much as the fanbase is split on the veteran outfielder, $4 million is still a pretty good price for what Markakis can offer.

The Braves gave Markakis the same deal they gave Tyler Flowers in that they declined the $6 million team option for 2020, gave him his $2 million buyout, and then resigned him for $4 million for 2020.

By doing that with both players the Braves were able to save $4 million towards their 2020 payroll.

On the flip side, by doing that they increased their final 2019 payroll to over $140 million, which is significant when you start thinking about the team’s budget for 2020.

But going back to Markakis, it was a pretty much a no-brainer to bring him back on such a cheap deal.

Now the Braves can either keep him for 2020 as a solid bench bat or look to trade his small contract in the offseason if they are able to make a significant upgrade somewhere.

I think where most Braves fans will agree, is that the Braves can’t bring Markakis back to be the teams everyday right fielder and hit fifth in the lineup.

While Markakis is a good hitter who hit .285 last season, his days as an everyday player are over.

If he ends up playing 150-plus game again for the Braves in 2020, this team is in trouble.

It’s possible the Braves use him in a platoon situation with Adam Duvall, but I still don’t love that idea.

I’d rather see Atlanta make a significant move in the offseason to get a big bat in the corner outfield — much like we were hoping to get last offseason.

A lot of that may depend on whether or not they are able to resign Josh Donaldson.

But still, corner outfield is a spot where they could make a significant upgrade in the lineup.

My hope is that Markakis either becomes a platoon player or a bench player and essentially takes Matt Joyce‘s spot on the roster.

Joyce played in 129 games in 2019, and I think we see Markakis around that number in 2020.