Atlanta Braves should go big and sign Gerrit Cole
By Fred Owens
In 1992, the Atlanta Braves signed a Cy Young winner to a five-year deal and changed the franchise for the next 11 seasons. It’s time to do that again.
After the Atlanta Braves lost the 1992 World Series, they were still a young team on the rise. Their rotation featured two of the league’s best starters – John Smoltz and Tom Glavine– and an up and coming lefty that everyone predicted for stardom.
The Braves had a farm system with depth, and many said all they needed to do was find more production in a couple of spots, and they’d be ready to win again. Instead, they traded a 15-game winner and made Greg Maddux the second-highest-paid pitcher in baseball.
There’s a long history of acquiring pitchers to push a team into postseason play and help win the World Series. Making those moves isn’t cheap or without pain. If you want quality, you must pay for quality; it’s that simple.
After losing the NLDS in 2007, the Phillies traded Michael Bourn and three other players for Brad Lidge. They won the World Series in 2008 and the NL Pennant in 2009 but lost the World Series.
That winter, the Phillies traded Baseball America’s #81 prospect Travis d’Arnaud, and their #25 ranked prospect Kyle Drabek, along with Michael Taylor for Roy Halladay. They lost to the Giants, but Halladay pitched a no-hitter… their trade of Cliff Lee to the Mariners probably cost them the series.
After two seasons when the Houston Astros came up short after 2016, they traded baseball’s #75 prospect Daz Cameron, baseball’s #59 prospect at the time Franklin Perez, and two other players for Justin Verlander.
After winning a World Series and retaining one of baseball’s best rosters, they traded a player Baseball America ranked #83 and 2016 and three other players for Gerrit Cole.
The Atlanta Braves are ready; it’s time to remember what history tells us and make a franchise-changing move.