Atlanta Sports – Page 4 – Braves Chop Chat

My Thoughts on the Braves vs. Mets Series:

I think it’s safe to say this series was disappointing, somewhat maddening, and even embarrassing. The Mets beat up on us in the four out of five games we lost, and even in the game we won, it got too close for comfort. Not to mention, when we would score, our bullpen couldn’t maintain that smaller run differential, and we would end up losing. These five games had a very tense, postseason-like atmosphere. Coming into this series we were 2.5 games out of first, now we are 6.5 games out of first. That is terrible. Let’s just hope, when we play the Mets next, August 15th-18th (at home) the Braves will do much better than this unfortunate series in New York.

STARTING PITCHING:

Our starters got pummeled in this series. NONE of them got a win in these 5 games. Out of Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson, Jake Odorizzi, Max Fried, and Spencer Strider, Ian Anderson was the only one who could have qualified for a win, but he couldn’t get through five innings. What was the most frustrating was that our pitchers would make good pitches, then the Mets hitters would make measly contact with them and get rewarded with an infield hit. The New York Mets get the most infield grounders for hits than any other team I have ever seen. Another thing that plagued our starters was the fact that they gave up too many walks. We were basically giving the Mets opportunities to score and they came through almost every single time.

RELIEF PITCHING:

Our bullpen was said to be the best bullpen in the MLB. But in this series, it definitely did not look the part. Even our bullpen’s best, A.J. Minter, Dylan Lee, and Tyler Matzek, struggled against the Mets. The bullpen struggled with inherited runners, they allowed WAY too many of those to score, they struggled with walks, and they failed to get the third out of an inning. Our relievers could come in and get the first two outs just fine, but then they got into trouble while trying to secure the third out. That was very frustrating to watch, and I’m sure it was even more frustrating for the Braves players and staff.

OFFENSIVELY:

Atlanta gave up too many situations in which they could have scored. They had first and third or second and third or even the bases loaded with one out in different situations, but almost every single time they could not come through and score. In game four, we had no problem scoring. Finally, the Braves hitters looked liked themselves in the batters box. But aside from that single game, we were swinging at pitches in the dirt and taking wimpy swings. Then we would get a burst of energy in the 9th inning, but we were either too far out of the game to make a comeback or we couldn’t get enough run support through.

—

The Mets are the Braves biggest competitor. We have seven games, all at home, left to play against them. These games are going to make or break us. This time last year our record was 55-55. We are currently at 64-46, so anything is possible. We cannot give up hope yet!

For the Braves, RHP Kirby Yates has been doing rehab games and is expected to return soon. And Ozzie Albies, Atlanta’s sparkplug, has been doing light baseball activity and his return is said to be around late August to mid September. So hopefully, with these two coming back soon for the Atlanta Braves, it will give us the boost we need with 52 games left to play!

GO BRAVES!!

Atlanta Braves Lock-up 3B Austin Riley With 10-year Deal:

Yesterday afternoon, Braves All-Star third baseman, Austin Riley, signed a 10-year, $212 million dollar deal with a $20 million option for the 2033 season.

This deal is huge! Not only is Austin Riley very deserving of this deal, but it means that the Braves will have him for a significant amount, if not all, of this young slugger’s career.

Austin Riley has certainly proved himself over the past two seasons with the Braves. When he debuted in 2019, he came up with some serious spark and lots of power, but then he cooled off and slumped for most of the remainder of that season. In 2020, he was very streaky and inconsistent at the plate. However, in 2021, we saw a drastic change in Riley. His defense was impeccable, and he was hitting consistently at the plate day in and day out. The same is true of him in 2022 – except better! Austin Riley has come through big for Atlanta in stressful, demanding circumstances. He has done this both offensively and defensively.

Overall, Austin Riley is a key player on this Atlanta Braves team and it will be very comforting and exciting to watch him play third base for the Braves in these next 10 years.

—

While this is a very big and exciting deal that I do believe needed to get done, it has left me with some looming thoughts regarding the offseason to come.

Among others, Dansby Swanson and Max Fried will both be free agents after the 2022 season is complete. These two are both key components of this Braves team. Both were All-Stars this year alongside Austin Riley!

Fried could easily be called Mr. Consistent in the starting rotation, and Dansby has shown out defensively this year and has been a very consistent second place hitter for the Braves. It is safe to say the Atlanta Braves would not be the same without Max Fried and Dansby Swanson.

Why I bring them up concerning Austin Riley’s deal is because $212 million is a lot of money. You have to keep in mind that money can’t just appear in organizations over night to pay players. And with the Braves signing Riley to this large deal, it leaves me wondering how the Braves are going to pay players like Dansby Swanson and Max Fried who both want to be Braves for the long run.

I’m sure that Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves general manager, could give Swanson and Fried good deals for maybe three or four years, but I’m not sure if he could sign them to a long-term deal this off season. It will ultimately depend on how much money these players want and the amount of money the Braves front staff will be willing to pay.

But as of right now, I know I don’t want to worry about what could happen too much. The Braves are on a great run right now and are coming into a HUGE series with the New York Mets this weekend. And it is also comforting to know that we don’t have to worry about where Austin Riley would end up after the end of this season, because he is going to be Atlanta Braves’ third baseman for a long time.

GO BRAVES!!

Braves vs Mets Series Wrap:

Well, this series didn’t go as well as it could have, but on the bright side, at least the Braves avoided a sweep. Coming into this series, Atlanta was 1.5 games out of first, leaving the series with a 2-1 split (the Mets winning two games) the Braves are now 2.5 games out of first place.

This series was very postseason-like. Sellout crowds every game, the atmosphere was loud, and the fans were into everything that was happening.

GAME ONE: Braves lost 4-1

This was certainly a pitchers duel…Max Fried for Atlanta vs Max Scherzer for New York. We all knew coming into this game it was going to be a battle of the pitchers. Unfortunately, it was Max Scherzer who came out on top. Fried didn’t really have his A-game stuff in this outing. He threw way too many pitches and didn’t seem to have any command of the strike zone. He gave up two runs over five innings, and he threw 99 pitches which is unusually high for him.

Offensively for the Braves, it just wasn’t there either. Their only run came on a solo home run by Austin Riley. They had multiple chances to score but were unable to bring the runners home. I believe that is ultimately what led to their loss – leaving good opportunities to score out to dry.

GAME TWO: Braves won 4-1

This game was much more like the Braves. They scored when they needed to score and pitching was much better. Spencer Strider pitched 4.2 innings and allowed only one run. He did not get the win, however, because the Braves did not score until the 6th inning.

Atlanta’s four runs came on a two-run homer by Matt Olson in the 6th and a two-run homer by Adam Duvall in the 7th. The Braves relied heavily on the home run ball in this game (they did in the whole series). In this game, at least it paid off!

GAME THREE: Braves lost 7-3

This game echoed game one of this series. Charlie Morton did not have his best stuff and threw 107 pitches just to get through five innings. He gave up five runs on six hits and three walks. The run support was also lacking for Charlie.

Atlanta scored three runs on three solo home runs. One by Matt Olson, one by Austin Riley, and the other by Eddie Rosario. The Braves couldn’t get hits with runners on base, but could hit home runs with no one on. If they could have just hit with runners on base, they would have had a better chance to win.

—

It will be exciting and nerve wracking at times to see how things play out between the Braves and Mets. But hey, games like these between two very good teams are very entertaining and exciting to watch!!

GO BRAVES!

My Thoughts on Braves vs Dodgers Series:

Coming into this series, I knew it was going to be an emotional one for Braves country and for Freddie Freeman. Freddie made his first appearance to Truist Park this year… but in a Dodgers uniform. He was presented with a very touching video to express Atlanta’s appreciation for him, and then he was given his World Series ring. I’ve always known Freddie was an emotional person, but I wasn’t truly aware how emotional he was. During his pre-game interviews he couldn’t contain the sobs, and walking onto the field to get his ring he was red and shaking from emotion.

Although the Braves did not win the series, it was honestly nice to get it over with. And the atmosphere of the games were very much like the postseason. It was definitely a glimpse into the 2022 Postseason if you ask me. 😉

The Atlanta Braves played good ballgames throughout this entire series, but in their losses, leaving runners on base was ultimately their downfall.

In game one, the L.A. Dodgers started off with a bang, scoring two runs in the first against Ian Anderson, and then scoring two more in the fifth. The Braves were unable to score more than one run in a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth. Looking back on this loss, the sixth inning was where the Braves should have scored. They had a great opportunity but were just unable to take advantage of it.

Game two was exciting! The Braves started out scoring early, giving Max Fried a 3-0 lead after five innings. However, Fried got into trouble in the seventh allowing two Dodger runners to score making it a 3-2 game. And then, in the eighth inning, A.J. Minter gave up the tying run on a homer by L.A.’s catcher Will Smith making it a 3-3 game. That tied game didn’t last long though! In the bottom of the eighth inning, Travis d’Arnaud led off the inning with a double, and then Marcell Ozuna followed him with a gigantic home run, making it a 5-3 game. That was all the Braves needed to hold onto the lead and win game two.

It was really nice to see Ozuna get the big home run in game two. He has been seriously slumping at the plate…but hopefully he is coming out of this slump and will provide some pop in the Atlanta lineup.

Game three was frustrating and honestly disappointing. The Braves should have won. Atlanta faced the Dodger’s best pitcher; Tony Gonsolin who came into this game 9-0 on the year. He left the series without a blemish on his record. The Braves were able to score one run on Gonsolin in the sixth and another against Alex Vesia in the seventh. Then, in the ninth inning, the Dodgers tied the game 2-2 against former Dodger, Kenley Jansen. The game went into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth inning, Freddie Freeman had an RBI double down the right field line to give L.A. a 3-2 lead. But, in the bottom of that inning, Matt Olson had an RBI single down the right field line to tie the game back up at 3 apiece.

Darren O’Day pitched the eleventh for Atlanta and he did not do well. He gave up two runs and was not able to finish the inning. The Braves lost that game with final score of Dodgers 5, Braves 3.

—

Not only were there some rollercoaster type games in this series, but it was an emotional rollercoaster for Freddie Freeman and Braves Country. Freddie Freeman may no longer be an Atlanta Brave, but he will never be forgotten. Now, the Braves have a new (and very good) first baseman in Matt Olson. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angelas Dodgers, but I think it’s safe for both teams to say, “See you in October!”

GO BRAVES!

A Devastating Blow: Braves lose Ozzie Albies With Fractured Foot

On Monday, June 13th, during the fifth inning, Ozzie Albies was up to bat against Washington National pitcher Steve Cisheck. In a 3-2 count, he took an inside out swing on a ball that was on the inside of the plate. Attempting to run out of the batter’s box, Ozzie appeared to trip. He then immediately fell onto the ground in pain. Being the tough player that he is, he was able to gingerly walk himself off the field, but had to be assisted down the dugout steps.

It wasn’t exactly clear how he hurt himself, but from what I could tell, when he was starting to run out of the batter’s box, his left leg gave way and it twisted as he fell. Immediately after he got into the dugout, he was replaced by Orlando Arcia and evaluated by the training staff. We later found out that Ozzie fractured his left foot in that freaky incident.

This morning, Wednesday June 14th, Ozzie was placed on the 60-day IL and will be out until at least mid-August.

Ozzie Albies provides such a huge spark to the Atlanta Braves’ club. Not only on the field and batting, but also when he is in the dugout and showing his infectious smile all throughout the game. He provides so much joy to this club on a daily basis.

In his absence, Orlando Arcia and veteran Phil Gosselin, who the Braves called up this morning from Triple-A, are going to have some big shoes to fill.

While it’s going to make an impact for the Braves without his bat in the lineup and his superb defense at second base, we also have to take into account the impact it is going to have on Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Swanson and Albies have been together in the Atlanta organization for six years, since Double A. They have grown into a defensive duo bond that few second baseman and shortstops seem to have. Since Ozzie made his debut in 2017, he and Dansby have been shortstop and second baseman along side one another that entire time. They get how each other likes to work and because of that, they know how to throw the baseball, cover the bag, etc. to where it serves both of their best interests. I’m sure it will take Dansby Swanson, as well as the other Braves fielders a little bit of time to get used to someone else playing second base. But at the end of the day, things like this happen and you’ve got to be prepared for it.

—

The Atlanta Braves are currently riding a 12-game win streak. For these twelve games, they looked to be untouchable and that nothing could stop them. But, as unfortunate as it is, the injury-bug finally got to them and they will be without their All-Star second baseman for most, if not all, of the summer.

It will be odd watching the Braves play without Ozzie Albies, but hopefully he will have a speedy recovery and will return better than ever.

GO BRAVES!

My Takeaways From Braves vs Rockies Series:

A sweep! This was Atlanta’s first sweep of the season, and boy did the Braves need it! Not only did this series give them their first sweep, it allowed them to have a five game win streak (the Braves won their last game in Arizona before heading to Colorado), and the Atlanta Braves now have an over .500 record of 28-27. This series has proven that the Braves are capable of being the good, strong team we know them to be. Hopefully, it will prove to be a good turnaround to get them going in the right direction.

MY TAKEAWAYS:

IMPROVEMENT IN THE ROTATION AND BULLPEN

All of the Atlanta starters in this series pitched very well. Max Fried especially had an outstanding performance. He pitched eight scoreless innings, allowed only two hits, one walk, he had four strikeouts, and ended his night with 102 pitches. Fried never seemed like he was uncomfortable on the mound and he showed much dominance throughout his performance.

The Braves bullpen has been questionable, to say the least, throughout the start of the season. However, in this series they were quite good. The Atlanta Braves won two games in extra innings… TWO! One of those games was scoreless until they scored in the 10th inning. And in another one of the games, the Braves didn’t capture the lead until the 11th inning. With Matzek on the IL, it was a known fact that people were going to have to start stepping up in the bullpen…and they have finally started to come through! Although he still has a flare for the dramatic, Will Smith has pitched pretty well, and Kenley Jansen is showing he can be that super-star closer that he was with the Dodgers.

CONSISTENCY IN THE LINEUP

At the start of the season, the Braves had a hard time getting runners on base. And when they got runners on base, they had an even harder time scoring them. It also seemed that they relied on a couple guys in the lineup to get on base, score, etc. However, all that has started to change. 1-9 in the Braves lineup came through in this series. Every player contributed in one way or another. They took their walks when they needed to, moved runners over, scored multiple times throughout an inning, and scored in multiple innings.

It was also nice to see Travis d’Arnaud and Adam Duvall get some good hits. Travis hit two home runs in the first game of the series, one of which was a Grand Slam!! He also continued to get hits of any kind. Duvall hit a home run in this series but he also had some doubles, singles, and a triple! It was nice to see Adam Duvall reduce his amount of strikeouts over these four games. Yes, everyone is bound to strike out, but he seemed to do it an awful lot. But in this series he showed much improvement in his pitch selection and how deep he allowed his counts.

—

The Atlanta Braves are currently 8.5 games behind the first place Mets, but with how the Braves have been playing lately, hopefully they will move closer in the standings and continue to win ball games at their full capacity.

GO BRAVES!

Takeaways From Braves vs Mets Series:

The Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets split their four game series. Although this is not the best outcome, it certainly isn’t the worst. Atlanta came into this series six games back and in fourth place. They left the series six games back and in third place. So, although they moved up a place in the standings, they didn’t gain any significant ground on the first place Mets. The Braves showed some improvement, and some struggles in the same areas.

THE POSITIVE:

When the Braves won, their offense was clicking. All throughout the lineup in games one and four (the games they won), the Braves players were getting on base and scoring. In game four, everyone in Atlanta’s lineup reached base, and they scored seven of their nine runs without hitting a home run. That was huge for this Atlanta offense who can rely so heavily on the home run ball. It was also good to see the Braves score runs with two outs. That is something they have struggled with this season. If they can come up clutch in those moments more often…it is going to get them a lot farther this early in the season.

Max Fried and Ian Anderson pitched so well in their starts. In game one, Fried pitched six innings, allowed four hits, two runs, zero walks, and he had six strikeouts. It was very good to see him come off of two good back-to-back starts. Hopefully, he has found his groove and is once again becoming the dominant ace we know him to be. In game four, Anderson pitched 5.1 innings, allowed five hits, one run, four walks, and one strikeout. He also ended the day with 84 pitches, which for Ian, is very good. It was very nice to see these two show some dominance on the mound and come through when they need it.

Ronald Acuña Jr. — He is back for the Braves, and looks healthy! He is not playing every day as they are trying to ease him back in…but he has shown that he isn’t afraid to slide into second base, third base, or home plate. He already has two stolen bases! It has been good to see him back in the lineup and on the field.

THE NEGATIVE:

Charlie Morton. I don’t know what his problem is, but Morton has had his fair share of struggles on the mound. To me, he just doesn’t look comfortable. We know the pitches he is capable of making and the numbers he can produce, but right now, he just can seem to get his pitches how he wants them. He is hanging his off-speed pitches, and the opposing batters aren’t missing them. Hopefully, Charlie Morton will get everything under control (and soon) because the Braves need him in their starting rotation! They need dominant Charlie Morton so they can win more than two games in a row!!

The Braves have shown what they are capable of…they just can’t seem to keep it up multiple games in a row. It seems like when they win, they win by a lot and everything is clicking. And when they lose, they lose by a lot, and things don’t seem like they are working. It is safe to say they look like two different teams sometimes. Consistency is what I believe they need to work on the most

—

Hopefully our World Series Champion Atlanta Braves will figure things out within this next home stand and play like we know they can!!

GO BRAVES!

My Atlanta Braves Lineup Predictions

With Opening day just a couple of weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about lineups, rotations, and rosters. The Atlanta Braves are going to have a very fun lineup this year. It will start without Ronald Acuña Jr. given that he is still healing from a torn ACL, but once he is completely healthy and ready to play it is going to be a SOLID lineup. But hey…we won a World Series without Acuña, so I think we can manage without him until he is healthy enough to play. 😉

LINEUP WITHOUT ACUÑA:

Eddie Rosario (Left Field)
Ozzie Albies (Second Base)
Matt Olson (First Base)
Austin Riley (Third Base)
Marcell Ozuna (Designated Hitter)
Dansby Swanson (Shortstop)
Adam Duvall (Right Field)
Travis d’Arnaud (Catcher)
Guillermo Heredia (Center Field)

Having the lineup like this makes sense to me. Eddie Rosario has proven to us that he can get on base. In the 2021 postseason, he was hitting singles, doubles, triples, home runs, and drawing walks… everything that you would want a lead-off hitter to do. To be a lead-off hitter, you don’t have to have crazy power and hit a homer with every swing. You just need to be able to get on base so the players behind you can drive you in and score runs for your team.

LINEUP WITH ACUÑA:

Ronald Acuña Jr. (Right Field)
Ozzie Albies (Second Base)
Matt Olson (First Base)
Austin Riley (Third Base)
Marcell Ozuna (Designated Hitter)
Eddie Rosario (Left Field)
Travis d’Arnaud (Catcher)
Dansby Swanson (Shortstop)
Adam Duvall (Center Field)

We pretty much already know that once Acuña is back, he will probably be hitting lead-off. My opinion, however, is this: with Acuña’s homer-heavy power, wouldn’t it make sense for him to hit clean-up? I think Ronald Acuña Jr. would make such a good clean-up hitter. If he had Eddie Rosario, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson in front of him in the lineup, and then he was hitting fourth, he would have the opportunity to drive in so many runners. Not only would that give him a ton of RBI’s, it would also give the Braves more runs on the board and potentially lead to more wins. Although this seems like such a solid idea, I don’t think Acuña would give up hitting first. He likes hitting first and getting those first-pitch, attention-grabbing home runs. Sometimes I feel he needs a reminder that the game and the lineup isn’t about him…ahem. Maybe his time on the injured-list will remind him that baseball is about getting wins for your team, getting to the postseason, and having another shot at winning the World Series.

NOTE:

I have stacked up the bottom of each lineup differently. All of those players (Rosario, d’Arnaud, Swanson, and Duvall – plus Heredia) are very good. They can hit anywhere in the lineup, which is why I have placed them differently in each one. Looking at both lineups next to each other, they are both very deep and none of those players are considered an easy out.

—

This is going to be a very exciting season for the Atlanta Braves and I cannot wait to see how it all plays out!

GO BRAVES!

My Thoughts on the MLB Lockout and CBA Negotiations

Let’s face it: this stinks. It really, really stinks. The thought of having no baseball is devastating. This is the first lockout since the 1995 season. The League and the Union (managers and players) thus far, have been unable to come to an agreement regarding the CBA. Both sides have certain areas/propositions that they seem necessary in order to make a deal.

What exactly is the CBA?

The CBA stands for Collective Bargaining Agreement, and it is the agreement between an employer and the union. In this case, it is between the League and the Players Union. Neither the Players nor the League wanted this to happen. It is a very sad thing for the sport. Now that the CBA has expired, MLB placed the players under lockout. This means that no deals can be made between clubs regarding the signing of players. You cannot show interest in a Free Agent or talk to them, because they are essentially “locked out” of the sport.

—

Last week the MLB requested assistance from a Federal Mediator to help communication flow between the MLB and the MLBPA. 24 hours later, the MLBPA refused the request for a mediator, so both sides are right back where they started. The ONLY way that we are going to get a 2022 baseball season is by these two sides sitting down at the negotiations table and sorting things out. That means communicating with each other! I’m not quite sure why the Players Union denied the request for a mediator, other than the fact they think they can work things out for themselves…but if both the League and the Players are going to be stubborn about the whole situation, we aren’t going to get anywhere and would most likely end up saying “goodbye” to a 2022 season.

It is my understanding that the two main wants from either side are what is holding back an agreement. The MLB wants an expanded postseason. This would mean 14 teams get to compete in the playoffs, rather than the normal 8. In all honesty, I do not like the idea of a 14-team postseason. Yes, I understand that it would give more teams a chance and for their players to get to experience the magic of the postseason, but it takes away a lot of the competitiveness.

14 teams. That is one team away from half of the MLB! There is one goal on every team and every players mind at the start of the season, “make it to the World Series and bring home the trophy and title of World Series Champions.” That is what drives a team through the entire season – one goal. However, if you have 14 spots that guarantees 14 teams to make it to the postseason, it takes away all the chase between each division and the competitiveness from each side of the field. With 14 teams in the postseason, that would mean that not only the team that finishes first in their division would make it to the postseason, but so would the team that finishes second. That’s basically giving out trophies to the second place team. Baseball is not a sport of “we are all winners.” Yes, each team wins their fair share of games within the season, but in the end, only one team comes out on top.

So, with all that being said, I personally do not like the idea of a 14-team postseason. I think that the MLB should stick with what has been working for the past 40+ years: an 8-team postseason. That keeps the competitiveness in the sport, and the momentum of striving to be the best between each club.

The MLBPA key want/issue is: Super Two Eligibility. This means that the Union wants all players with two years of playing time to be eligible for arbitration. This would mean younger players would get paid more without having been signed to a long-term contract. It also means that MLB would have to invest more money into the arbitration pool.

To me, it seems like the MLB doesn’t want to spend any more money than necessary, which is why they don’t want to agree to this. Per sources, the MLBPA offered to reduce their proposal figure for a pre-arbitration pool from $105 million to $100 million. The League and owners still did not agree to this proposition, but came up with a counterproposal- they proposed a $10 million pool which would reward the top players of pre-arbitration with extended pay. It is my understanding that the Union did not like this idea because it didn’t mean extended pay for all younger players.

In the end, for us to have a 2022 season, it is going to take communication and negotiations between the two sides. Both need to realize they aren’t both going to get exactly what they want and come up with a compromise.

—

What does the lockout mean for the Braves?

The reigning 2021 World Series Champions had a lot of unanswered questions. The Braves had a great team in 2021, but now a lot of their key players face Free Agency. The most significant of those being Freddie Freeman, Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario. I speak for all Braves fans – we cannot imagine an Atlanta Braves team without Freddie Freeman. He has played his ENTIRE career in Atlanta, and he doesn’t want to play anywhere else. The team and the Atlanta fans don’t want him to go anywhere else either! Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario played HUGE parts for the Braves coming down the stretch and easily became fan-favorites.

Re-signing Freddie is obviously the top priority for the Braves, but they will also have to look at how they are going to structure their outfield. With Ronald Acuña Jr. set to return in 2022, that automatically fills right field. Adam Duvall stayed with the Braves so he would most likely fill center field. That leaves left field up for question. Eddie Rosario played left field for the Braves. He did a decent job considering he had never played left field before. Although he did make a couple jaw-dropping plays, they were more luck than skill. With more training he could fill that position for the Braves. Marcell Ozuna will most likely not play another game for the Atlanta Braves, so we can almost completely rule him out as a contender for left field.

That leaves us with Jorge Soler. He is a gigantic man with gigantic power and came through clutch for the Braves on several occasions. He did play right field for the Braves and did a decent job, but even he admitted he wasn’t too to comfortable. Soler came from the Kansas City Royals as their Designated Hitter. If the DH were to come to the National League in 2022, that would give the Braves a perfect reason to resign him – he would be a perfect Designated Hitter. After all, that’s the position he is the most used to playing.

—

There are still SO many questions to be answered. With Spring Training scheduled to start next week, negotiations and deals are going to be made quickly so that there can be a 2022 season. Time is needed for teams to sign players and make the moves needed before the start of the season in April.

Only time will tell what’s going to happen. All we can do now is hope and pray for a 2022 season.

My Offseason Predictions: Who I Think the Braves Should Re-Sign

Now that the World Series is over, it’s now time to start looking into the offseason. 2021 was a very exciting season, especially for the Atlanta Braves! #worldchamps They had a rough start but came through big-time at the trade-deadline. That being so, a lot of the players they acquired are now going to be free agents.

Here’s a look at the Braves 2021-22 free agents:

Ehire Adrianza (SS), Jesse Chavez (RHP), Freddie Freeman (1B), Chris Martin (RHP), Joc Pederson (OF), Tanner Roark (RHP), Eddie Rosario (OF), Jorge Soler (OF), Drew Smyly (LHP), Josh Tomlin- he has a club option (RHP), and Stephen Vogt (C).

There are a lot of names on this list, obviously some stick out more than others. Every single one of these guys on this list helped the Braves get to their World Series title in some way or another, and you would want to keep every single one. But realistically, that won’t happen.

—

Freddie Freeman. He is BY FAR the biggest name on this list. It is crazy to think about a Braves team without Freddie. Freeman has been with Atlanta for his entire career, and he has been the face of the team for many years now.. Through the highs and lows, Freddie Freeman has always been here, giving everything he’s got in him to help his team win. Personally, I don’t think the Braves will let Freeman go. Millions of Braves fans would be very disappointed if they did!

The Braves front office has offered Freeman a qualifying offer of 18.4 million dollars for one year. This isn’t another long-term offer like the one Freeman signed back in 2014, so he will most likely reject the offer. However, Freddie has made it very clear he wants to remain with the Braves for the rest of his life, and the front office and the whole team wants that as well. It’s just a matter of time, money, and negotiations.

Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Jorge Soler, and Adam Duvall are all outfielders. With Ronald Acuña Jr. expected to come back and play outfield full time in 2022, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Braves to resign all of these players and let them sit on the bench and have an occasional pinch-hit appearance. It wouldn’t be fair to these very talented players, and it would not make the most sense for the team as a whole.

Joc Pederson. Pederson has declined his mutual option with the the Braves and has now become a free agent. Because of this, in my opinion, resigning Pederson is completely off the table for Atlanta.

Adam Duvall. Like Pederson, Duvall also declined his mutual option, but he is still Arbitration-Eligible. With the strong possibility of there being a universal DH in 2022, Duvall, a very powerful hitter, could fill that role for Atlanta. However, he is quite a good defender. He played every single position in the outfield for the Braves, and sometimes he would switch positions during games. He also won his first Gold Glove this year, proving his defense is better than most give him credit for. Duvall has come through for the Braves in the three seasons he has played for them. I think it would make sense for Atlanta to bring him back as an outfielder.

Jorge Soler. This man not only has a big stature, but BIG power. Soler came over to Atlanta after the trade deadline and was huge for the Braves. He brought big-time power to their offense and filled their leadoff spot. He also came through huge in the postseason. He hit a home run that left the Houston Astros ballpark in game six!!! To me, it would make sense for the Braves to resign Soler. Once again, with the strong possibility of the DH, it makes a lot of sense to bring him back to fill that roll. After all, when he was with the Kansas City Royals, he was their DH. And, he isn’t the greatest defender, but he has a very good eye at the plate and a lot of power. I think it would be a great decision for Atlanta to bring Soler on as our DH (should we have one).

Eddie Rosario. Talk about an exciting player! Not only was he the NLCS MVP, he had some other huge moments for the Braves in the short time that he played. After all, the Atlanta Braves front office signed him while he was injured, because they saw his possibility. Yes, he wasn’t known to be a great defender, but he made some very good plays for Atlanta while he was in left field. So, I think it would make sense to resign him with Marcell Ozuna’s legal affairs still up in the air, and not anticipating the Braves to resign him.

—

After going through the bigger names on this list, there are still some others on here that proved useful for the Braves: Jesse Chavez and Ehire Adrianza, especially.

Adrianza came through being on the Braves’ bench. He proved he could come off the bench and come up with a clutch hit…which is what your bench players are supposed to do. Johann Camargo was the Braves bench man, but he did not have a single hit for Atlanta this year, so he will start next year in Triple-A Gwinnett. It makes sense for the Braves to resign Ehire to add extra depth to their bench, but if the DH does come to the National League, a bench player wouldn’t necessarily be needed.

Jesse Chavez pitched very well for the Braves in his appearances. He was their opener for a couple games, and got Atlanta out of some tough spots in close games. While a player like Chris Martin is also a free agent and has pitched for Atlanta, Chavez was overall more constant. To me, that gives him the edge on being resigned.

After a review on these players, here is who I think the Atlanta Braves should bring back: Freddie Freeman, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Ehire Adrianza, and Jesse Chavez.

These are just my picks, and of course, I don’t have any say in who the Atlanta Braves bring back. It will be an interesting offseason for the Braves, and hopefully the decisions they make won’t hurt them in the long run!