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Atlanta Braves want an impact bat: what and who is that anyway?

By Fred Owens

Chris Harris (left), Director of Communications of the Mississippi Braves chats with Alex Anthopoulos, General Manager of the Atlanta Braves early in 2020. (No photo credit available)
Chris Harris (left), Director of Communications of the Mississippi Braves chats with Alex Anthopoulos, General Manager of the Atlanta Braves early in 2020. (No photo credit available) /
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Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves may not bring back Marcell Ozuna; if not, who fills that void? Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said on MLB Network Radio that he felt like an impact bat would arrive by next season, but they might not.

The Atlanta Braves GM sounded like a politician on the subject of an impact bat, and we know the hurdles the club faces. Not only did they lose money in 2020, but they also have no idea how to budget for 2021 as MLB and the MLBPA seem destined to argue about who has the biggest . . . feet rather than solve the simple questions like adding a DH and working on the big one’s together over time.

Someone close to MLB made things a lot worse (on purpose?) by saying they didn’t believe the season would start on time. MLBPA head honcho Tony Clark sprinted to the microphone to say it would:  knives out everyone!

The inability of the grown men on each side to work together for a solution means that, like the other 29 teams, the Atlanta Braves don’t know home many games they’ll play, when those games will start, or whether fans will attend. All of those things directly impact budget construction and payroll.

Ever the optimist – stop laughing over there, I hear you – let’s assume the team will play 162, with some fans but no DH. Anthopoulos said that he wasn’t “going to force trades or signings,” the club will let the deals come to them.

His position doesn’t mean the Atlanta Braves aren’t talking to free-agents and teams; they are. He meant that he wouldn’t be on the phone pursuing a player until he ended up over-paying for (or driving away) the party on the other end of the call. I digress.

If the Braves want an impact bat who plays defense well, who is that guy? Alan, Jake, and I kicked this around in the podcast and kept coming back to a trade the Anthopoulos statement almost surely puts on life support – Nolan Arenado.

Arenado qualifies as an impact bat, but assuming he doesn’t buy a home in Atlanta next year, who else that’s actually available, does?  I mulled this over for a few days and came up with options.

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