The Atlanta Braves started the process a year ago.
The plan, wisely implemented and shrewdly executed by a new front-office regime led by president of baseball operations John Hart and general manager John Coppolella, was to build the franchise into a youthful contender by the time it opened its new suburban stadium in 2017. That meant trading away much of the club’s core and stockpiling young pitching.
Gone are Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Craig Kimbrel and now shortstop Andrelton Simmons, a defensive wizard and fan favorite who hauled in two pitching prospects from the Los Angeles Angels. All the moves were necessary for this rebuild, and a couple of others may be on the horizon as the Braves still have coveted pieces in first baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Julio Teheran.
"The focus for me is to get really good talent," Coppolella told reporters after the Simmons trade last week. "I'd be happy if we got arms in every deal. We're built around pitching and defense. The more arms we can get, the better off we're going to be."
Freeman has questions surrounding him regarding a lingering wrist injury, but he is just 26 years old, could eventually be a 30-home run bat and has a 140 OPS+ over the last three seasons. Those are reasons why Freeman possibly being on the trade market was “the talk of the [Arizona] Fall League,” as one club official told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal also said officials from three teams told him the Braves are shopping their first baseman. However, Coppolella shot down that report Sunday, telling David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has no intention to trade Freeman or Teheran.
I asked again about Freeman and Teheran, was told no talks and no intentions to move either of them. https://t.co/e9eJWd8LyZ
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) November 15, 2015
Teheran also would carry huge value. He will be 25 next season, has been durable and in 2014 had a 2.89 ERA. Even though he had a down year in 2015, he is under control through 2019 at $29.6 million, so his contract is quite manageable.
Also, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported there is “a good chance” the Braves make Teheran available at some point during this offseason.
If the Braves were to move out Freeman, who is owed $118.5 million over the next six years, or Teheran they could certainly ask for more pitching prospects in return. That would add to what is already recognized as the deepest pool of pitching talent in the game.
Rosenthal’s report also quoted another team official as saying the Braves are “shopping everyone owed money.” That would mean players like Nick Markakis, Cameron Maybin, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn might be dangled. O’Brien speculated the Baltimore Orioles might have interest in bringing back Markakis, and Roch Kubatko of MASN reports people within Baltimore’s organization have interest in broaching the subject with the Braves.
The problem with such a sell-off is that Coppolella has already told reporters he wants the team to be competitive next season. He believes the Simmons trade makes the Braves better because pitching prospects Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis could be in the rotation in 2016 and shortstop Erick Aybar, also acquired in the deal, is an offensive upgrade.
“We can’t have a year like we had last year,” Coppolella told reporters, referring to the team’s 95 losses.
That makes it possible that the Braves do not deal Freeman or Teheran and instead flirt with free agents, especially if they shed the contracts of guys like Swisher and Bourn. It would be feasible for the team to add payroll in free agency since chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk said the Braves could end up with a top-10 payroll by the time they open their new ballpark in 2017, according to Phil W. Hudson of the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
However, because the Braves have the third overall pick in next June’s draft, they likely will not want to sign a free agent tied to draft-pick compensation. And if they decide to deal a player like Freeman, it would put them in line for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft as 100 losses could be a serious reality.
The Braves are clearly building around pitching, much like they did in the 1990s when they eventually won 14 division titles and a World Series. The Simmons trade showed they were committed to that plan, and the next deal or deals they make are likely intended to do the same.
They are clearly in full rebuild mode now, and while they might publicly say they aren’t willing to trade Freeman or Teheran, everyone can be had for a price. If a team comes calling for either, they better be prepared to offer top pitching prospects in return.
All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired first-hand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.
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