The MLB division analysis is back after a short hiatus. We've been inundated with a lot of baseball news thanks to the general managers meetings, but we return on Friday with a breakdown of the possibilities during the offseason for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Washington Nationals. The Braves are up first.
Atlanta Braves (79-83), 3rd in NL East
After finishing the first half of the 2014 season with a 52-43 record, the Atlanta Braves endured an epic slide and went 27-40 to close out the season and missed the playoffs. As a result, the team dismissed their general manager and hired John Hart to become their president of baseball operations. Based on rumors and reports, it looks like Hart and the Braves' front office are going to have a busy offseason. Atlanta's underperforming outfielders and banged up starting rotation indicates needs in those areas. Let's take a look.
Outfielder: Justin Upton is all they got out there, but he might have to be the one traded this offseason if the team wants to drastically improve those positions, especially since they have no options in their depleted farm system. Upton has batted .267 for the Braves over the past two seasons, but has smacked 56 home runs and 172 RBIs in 303 games. Most MLB teams would be willing to take Upton and his $14.5 million salary for 2015, but can the Braves get what they want in return? It's tough to tell because Upton will be a free agent in 2016 so he'll merely be a rental for the 2015 season.
The team is also exploring trades for Jason Heyward and catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis. Heyward is perhaps the best value another team could get in a trade because he's only 24 years old, still has a lot of potential and is owed only $7.8 million in 2015. However, he's largely been a disappointment over the past two seasons, batting just .263 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs in 253 games. On the other hand, the power-hitting Gattis could interest some teams since he has the ability to play catcher and outfield. Over the past two seasons (his first two in the MLB), Gattis batted .253 with 43 home runs and 117 RBIs in only 213 games. This could attract teams in need of a catcher, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and others.
Their center fielder, B.J. Upton is essentially impossible to trade since he has three years and $46.35 million remaining on his contract. Sure it doesn't sound too excessive at-a-glance, but Upton has batted a dismal .198 with only 21 home runs and 61 RBIs in two seasons with Atlanta. He's the one the Braves want to get rid of most, but he's the least likely to garner any trade interest. In fact, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported other teams have called with interest in Justin Upton as well as Heyward and Gattis.
If the Braves can get one or two of these guys off their hands, they can open up some room in the payroll and sign perhaps free-agent outfielders Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Yasmany Tomas, Nori Aoki, Torii Hunter, and a few others. I would suggest they make a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for one of their outfielders, but LA is looking to get other position players in return. Sometimes teams are willing to trade a bad contract for another, but it doesn't look like it would work out there. Right now, unless Hart can deal one of these three guys, the Braves may have the same outfield in 2015.
Starting Pitcher: This isn't an immediate need, but it does require some attention. The 23-year-old Julio Tehran had a tremendous year, posting a 14-13 record with a 2.89 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 33 starts. Mike Minor was injured during the offseason and it reflected his 2014 campaign (6-12 with a 4.77 ERA in 25 starts), but that should be different in 2015. Starters Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy underwent Tommy John surgery last year, so their status for opening day is iffy and their past ability to perform isn't guaranteed. Aaron Harang is a free agent as well, but they have a full rotation with Alex Wood (11-11 with a 2.78 ERA in 35 games, 24 starts) so they should be OK if Medlen and Beachy can return in a reasonable amount of time. Ervin Santana also declined his qualifying offer and the team might not be interested in signing him long-term. So unless the Braves pursue Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields, there remain cheaper options at the starting pitcher position, including Jason Hammel, Francisco Liriano, Edinson Volquez, Brandon McCarthy, Justin Masterson, A.J. Burnett, Jake Peavy, Chris Young and others.
The New York Mets are up next. Stay tuned.
