Braves should bring back Adeiny Hechavarría with Charlie Culberson gone

Now that the Atlanta Braves have officially moved on from Charlie Culberson, they should look to a familiar face to replace him.

It certainly was not an easy decision when the Atlanta Braves moved on from fan-favorite Charlie Culberson. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a little upset about the move.

But when you take a step back and take off your Culberson blinders, it actually makes a lot of sense.

I still hope Culberson can come back to Atlanta somehow as I think he’s worth $2 million just for what he brings to the clubhouse.

However, I believe the Braves wanted to get a true back-up at shortstop for the oft-injured Dansby Swanson.

And it was clear when Dansby went down this past July they didn’t feel comfortable with Johan Camargo or Culberson filing that role.

That’s why they made the trade for Adeiny Hechavarría, and that’s why I think they should go after him again.

Also, I think Camargo is the primary plan at third base until another move is made.

But going back to Hechavarria, he’s a player that I’ve always loved and he was great for Atlanta at the end of last season.

Now don’t get me wrong, Swanson is my favorite Braves player right now and he’s my starting shortstop.

But you can’t ignore the fact that he has trouble staying on the field.

Hechavarria hit .328 in 61 at-bats with the Braves last year with a .400 OBP and 4 home runs.

The 30-year-old (who will turn 31 in April) has never been much of a hitter. His 162 game average according to Baseball Reference looks like this: .253/.290/.352 with 7 home runs.

But what he does give you is Gold Glove caliber defense at the most important defensive position on the field. And he’s capable of carrying that defense to second and third base as well.

The thing is, there are a number of guys just like Culberson and Hechavarria that are available right now.

Why not bring back someone like Hechavarria who is a veteran, had a good experience in Atlanta last year, and who was great in the clubhouse?

If the reason for letting Charlie go is because the Braves wanted a more capable back-up at shortstop, then Hech seems like an obvious choice to me. Let us know what you think in the comments below.