5 Black Friday ideas for the Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have quite a shopping list for next Spring, but are any real bargains available?

The early bird may get its worm, but there’s often a high cost — such as when the Atlanta Braves inked Drew Smyly recently to a deal that made him ignore other multi-year offers.

But when you go shopping on Black Friday, there are several things you expect to see:

• Low prices
• Low inventory
• (more often than not) Low quality

Unfortunately, the best merchandise seldom gets priced at a point that makes people run to their vehicles, and the same is true for baseball players, too.

Still, if you’re looking for that 26th, 27th, or 28th man on the bench… sometimes all you really need is a reliable body — someone who can be ready at a moment’s notice.

That’s why the Braves already brought in Jack Mayfield and Josh Tomlin:  these are the kinds of players we’re talking about today.

Need a big bat?  Yep – but that guy isn’t in the sales flyer.  Big arm?  Likewise.  But here are a few free agents that the Atlanta Braves could get on the cheap:

5. Catcher Kurt Suzuki

At 37, Kurt Suzuki is not the oldest free agent backup catcher available, but he’d definitely be comfortable with the team he spent 2017-18 with, and somehow… he’s still hitting just enough  (99 OPS+) to bring on in support of Travis d’Arnaud.

Of course, he’s also sporting a new ring from 2019, courtesy of the Nationals, and that would bring some higher credibility as he enters the clubhouse.

The Nationals threw some considerable change at him — $10 million (before pro-ration) in 2019-20 — but something closer to what Atlanta paid him ($1.5m, $3.5m in 2017-18) is more likely at this point.

A $2 million backup catcher who’s probably just happy to still get paid at this age is not a bad idea.

Backup plan:  bring up William Contreras.

4. OF/RH Bench Bat Yasiel Puig

Yeah, I know: we tried this last year and it didn’t quite pass muster… or least not the COVID-19 test.  But as long as it seems Yasiel Puig has been around, would you be surprised if I told you that he will finally turn 30 years old on December 7th?

The Braves were going to throw a million dollars at him to play one month last year… and he never did find a team, so Puig will have been idle for close to 18 months come next Spring… but he’s still a threat and maybe he might give the Braves another chance — and vice versa.

His last real contract was for $9.7 million with the Reds (in 2019).  A deal for $3 million seems plausible.

Backup plan:  see if Marwin Gonzalez would consider $2 million.  His offense was much worse in 2020 during his age 31 season, but a .250 bounce-back year would not be unexpected.  He’s also a switch-hitter.

3. OF/LH Bench Bat Nick Markakis

You might have heard of this guy… and $1 million should be enough to get him back as a late-inning bench bat.

This is a case of going with the guy you’re familiar with who also plays the role of “Dad” in the clubhouse worthy of an Academy Award:  re-signing Nick Markakis would be like having an extra coach on the team… and maybe if he isn’t playing the field very often, his bat will tick back up a notch for the Braves.

Backup plan:  Jay Bruce.  He might be expecting a bit more — though his bat didn’t live up to that in 2020.

2.  Starting Pitcher Michael Wacha

This is a flyer pick… like when you’re standing in line on Black Friday and see something that you can’t quite explain on a table but impulsively tell yourself “I gotta have that!”.

Michael Wacha hasn’t pitched particularly well since leaving St. Louis, but the potential is there for this 29-year-old… and face it:  some guys just aren’t “New York players”.

His 2020 contract was for just $3 million, but word is that buyers are watching Wacha intently as the holiday shopping season approaches, thanks to excellent control.

So while this price could be a bit higher — say a $6 or $7 million dollar “prove myself” contract — he could be that extra arm that Atlanta Braves need… if they don’t land a bigger fish in the meantime.

Backup plan:  too many options to list.

1. 1B Freddie Freeman

Guess what?  This is a product the Braves already have in their home inventory.  But what would improve that future outlook would be for Atlanta to buy more of Freddie Freeman — a contract extension!

After all, he’s the perfect gift:  already unwrapped, works consistently, friendly, and he just works… every day.

He’s not a traditional Black Friday bargain, of course, but it would not be unexpected for him to come to friendly terms in a deal that should keep Freeman in Braves’ colors for the rest of his career.

Backup plan:  none.

So there are some ideas for the Atlanta Braves.  On-line shopping options are not typically available, and though shipping is extra, taxes are paid by the player.

It does appear that the Braves have a bit of money to spend… let’s see that they spend it wisely on some of these bargains… or others who have the same production.