The Braves are a nearly complete team, but they still have some winter work to do.
The offseason for Major League Baseball has begun. Trades and free agent activity are likely to pick up in the coming weeks before reaching a fever pitch at this year’s Winter Meetings (which begin next week). If the early offseason is good for anything, it’s halfwits pretending to be general managers and devising elaborate offseason plans. Does that sound appealing to you? Then today is your lucky day.
CBS Sports has played the role of Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos and laid out a few moves we believe he should make this winter. It should go without saying (but won’t) that this is strictly for entertainment purposes. Baseball executives cannot simply snap their fingers and make something happen because they want it to. Please suspend your disbelief and enjoy the gasbaggery.
After that, here are three moves we believe the Braves should make this winter.
1. Pursue a top-end starter
Last October, the Braves were undone in part due to a weakened rotation. So it makes sense for them to pursue a top-tier starter this winter, whether it’s a free agent like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, or Blake Snell or a trade target like Tyler Glasnow, Corbin Burnes, or Dylan Cease.
Aside from the obvious immediate benefit of strengthening the 2024 roster, adding a long-term starter to the books would be a wise move given the current state of the rotation. Max Fried could leave next winter, and it’s unclear how much longer Charlie Morton will pitch.
The Braves were reportedly interested in Aaron Nola before he re-signed with the Phillies, and Anthopoulos has a history of making risky moves. There’s no point in stopping now.
2. Figure out left field
The Braves declined Eddie Rosario’s club option earlier this winter. Atlanta will have plenty of options for filling that position, both internally and externally.
As of now, former future shortstop Vaughn Grissom appears to be the frontrunner. He struggled offensively and defensively in the majors last season, but he hit.330/.419/.501 with 48 extra-base hits in 102 Triple-A games. It’s easy to focus on what Grissom can’t do, most notably play a good big-league shortstop, but he’s only 22 years old and his offensive track record suggests he should be able to contribute in some capacity.
If the Braves decide to go outside, the free-agent market is brimming with familiar names like Rosario, Joc Pederson, and Jorge Soler. If Michael Brantley decides to continue his career, the Braves are one of the teams he should consider.
3. Address the bench
Let’s be honest: the Braves already have a very good team. This limits the number of realistic roster improvements they can make. Were we to suggest another moonshot, such as a trade for Willy Adames, the best we could come up with was to shore up the roster on the outskirts.
According to Roster Resource, the Braves will start catcher Travis d’Arnaud, infielder Luke Waddell, utility player Cody Milligan, and outfielder Forrest Wall. We believe the Braves can (and will) upgrade at least one of those players before spring training.
We’ll make one recommendation. Infielder Luis Guillorme, who was recently released, would be a good Nicky Lopez replacement. He’s been rated as a good fielder in the past, and he has a good feel for contact and the zone at the plate.
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