Atlanta Braves: The One Free Agent to Rule Them All
We look at the one free agent the Atlanta Braves could sign this offseason that would impact them the most towards winning a World Series.
I’m not sure if just one move this offseason would be enough to make the Atlanta Braves World Series contenders next year.
But then again, they were one win away from possibly advancing to — and winning — the World Series in 2020.
For this exercise though, we going to see what it would look like if the Braves put all their eggs in one basket this offseason to try and win it all next year.
If you look at the top eight MLB free agents out there this offseason, that list includes George Springer, J.T. Realmuto, Trevor Bauer, DJ LeMahieu, Marcell Ozuna, Charlie Morton, Nelson Cruz, and Michael Brantley.
You could probably cut that list off at five for this sake of this exercise, but I wanted to include Brantley as I really like him for the Braves’ lineup.
Let’s consider you can sign anyone of those players this offseason, but it’s the only move you can make — who are you taking?
For those fans who loved the Ozuna experience, you might be screaming for him to come back, but I don’t think that’s a wise choice here.
Springer could certainly make a huge difference, but him being 31 already scares me a bit. And the Braves are pretty set in the outfield.
Realmuto is the best catcher in the game — hands down — but the Braves already have a pretty solid catcher in Travis d’Arnaud. Still, this wouldn’t be a bad pick either.
However, I think the easy and obvious choice here is Bauer.
I would be a little concerned about the offense if no other bats were brought in — and they can’t be in this scenario.
But I think it’s pretty apparent the Braves need another shutdown guy atop the rotation.
Could you imagine a 1-2-3 of Mike Soroka, Max Fried, and Bauer? You wouldn’t need much offense at that point.
I think he’s the one guy on this free agent list that could instantly make the Braves the favorites to win the World Series next year.
Who knows how much it will cost, and I highly doubt the Braves would actually make a serious run at home, but one can dream.