What if Atlanta Braves hold on to all of their prospects?
It was widely speculated that this was the winter the Atlanta Braves would finally move some of their prospects in a big trade, but that has not happened. Maybe holding on to prospects is the right move for the short and long term.
What if the Atlanta Braves don’t trade any of their prized prospects and choose to spend their money on free agents or in-house?
While this seems like a far-fetched notion, because not all prospects work out, it is an interesting exercise to see just how good the Braves can be with what they currently have.
Show us the money!
From a financial standpoint, the Braves have a lot of money coming off the books after this year. Assuming they do not bring back any of their impending free agents, the Braves will have close to $70 million to spend next offseason.
If you factor in non-tenders and potential trade chips, that number could grow as high as $80 million.
Related Story. Braves setup to be big spenders. light
So that’s where it might be wise to hang on to the prospects and spend the money on extensions and upcoming free agents.
The 2021 free-agent class is loaded with outfielders like George Springer, Mookie Betts, shortstop Andrelton Simmons and starting pitchers Trevor Bauer, James Paxton, and Marcus Stroman.
The 2022 class is even more loaded. Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard and veteran starting pitchers like Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander all could be available.
Hold on, though…
Certainly, there are some question marks with these prospects.
Can Ian Anderson be an ace like Mike Soroka? Will Austin Riley make enough adjustments at the plate? Will Shea Langeliers or William Contreras emerge as the future catcher? And there are more.
Let’s take a look at what the lineup and rotation could look like two years from now when most of the high-level prospects will be ready for the big leagues.
Disclaimer: for the sake of this exercise Ender Inciarte was traded and Mike Foltynewicz was either traded or walked as a free agent.