The Atlanta Braves Are On The Clock to Make a Splash of Their Own

The Mets’ new acquisitions in Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco puts the Braves on a clock to make a big splash of their own.

If you are not living under a rock, you may have heard that the New York Mets have recently acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland earlier today. This definitely makes things interesting within the NL East which means that the Atlanta Braves — although still favorites in my eyes — must make a splash of their own.

Although it was assumed the Mets would attempt to go “all-in” once Steve Cohen took the ownership reins, this news confirms those assumptions.

At first glance, this news struck me as worrying, but comparatively the Braves do not have nearly as many holes to fill as the Mets. Yes, Lindor makes the Mets a lot better and narrows the gap between the two teams, but the Braves are still the team to beat!

But how can the Braves widen the now narrow gap in the NL East after this acquisition? 

Of course, there are obvious signings that can shore up the bullpen as well as the depth at the catcher position and infielder positions as stated before many times.

But the real game-changer will come with an outfield signing. And it really comes down to one of two players.

Marcell Ozuna

The upside: A big power bat to place behind Freddie Freeman that we’ve seen be massively successful this past season (although it was not over 162 games, it was still very impressive). Marcell Ozuna managed to bring new life to this lineup and why would you not want this beast in your team’s lineup?

The downside: The liability of Ozuna being the primary left fielder for at least one whole season is kind of scary to me. The man is not totally incapable of holding his own in left, but it was a little cringeworthy (to say the least) trying to watch him track a ball down and heave it into the infield.

Plus, there is no guarantee that the DH will even be implemented in 2022. But that bat is just too valuable. So, there is value there!

George Springer

The upside: A multifaceted player that can provide just as much value as Ozuna at the plate, but also provides a lot more value in the field.  George Springer can play every outfield position, which would allow Pache and Acuna to do the same. Need I mention that Springer could also be a threat on the base paths which would definitely come in handy.

The downside: One could assume Springer will be looking for a massive contract. This could be the one thing that hinders the Braves from actually considering him, but Springer would be the splash the Braves could make to counter the Mets.

There are obviously a lot of options the Braves have and different ways they can approach certain signings, but bringing back Ozuna or going all out and acquiring Springer is what I feel the Braves need in order to widen the gap a little further in the NL East.

So what do you think? Should the Braves bring Ozuna back while dealing with the defensive woes, go all out for Springer, or go after another name not mentioned?