ATLANTA -- There is plenty to unload as the Braves transition from a nightmarish 0-7 road trip to their home opener against the Marlins on Friday night. Here are some of my thoughts about the first week: Bullpen construction: Multi-year deals for free-agent relievers are risky because of the volatile nature of the average reliever’s performance. So, I didn’t hate the attempt to round up as many non-roster invitees as possible to see if you could find a Tyler Matzek-type gem in Spring Training. Craig Kimbrel could end up bringing some value, but for now, this approach was like coming up empty with a handful of $1 scratch-off tickets. That happens. And even if Kimbrel proves effective, the 'pen is still at least one arm short. So, yeah, many of you were justified with your complaints about not addressing the losses of A.J. Minter and Joe Jiménez. What remains questionable was the decision to designate Héctor Neris for assignment two days after asking him to protect a one-run seventh-inning lead on Opening Day. He had just three weeks of Spring Training. Still, he was deemed the best option there. What does that say about the other options? And better yet, what does the quick DFA say about the evaluation that he was ready and capable of getting big outs? |
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Rotation loss: The Braves will spend most, if not all, of this season without Reynaldo López, whose 2024 late-season shoulder issues filtered into this year. Transitioning him from reliever to starter seemed like a good idea for about four months. But you now have to think his shoulder issues were influenced by last year’s big workload jump. After not completing more than 66 innings in 2022 and ’23, he completed 135 2/3 innings in ‘24. López was on the injured list in August and September. But the Braves were still comfortable with committing to another season by restructuring his contract in November. So this is the first year of his three-year, $30 million deal. The fact that López, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach all significantly exceeded expectations from a durability standpoint last year was the primary reason the Braves needed to add starting pitching depth. They agreed to a five-year, $45-48 million deal with Jeff Hoffman in November, but backed out because of concerns about his shoulder. Hoffman would have been used as a starter and Grant Holmes would have likely filled a bullpen spot. But even with the addition of Holmes and Kimbrel, we may still see the bullpen as thin. As for the rotation, Spencer Strider will likely make two more rehab starts before joining a group that is now going to heavily depend on AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder. |
Profar’s suspension: Remember how angry Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, A.J. Pierzynski and other Braves players were at Andrew McKirahan when he was suspended for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2015? Why didn’t we hear the same anger aimed at Jurickson Profar this week? McKirahan was a Rule 5 selection who didn’t factor into the team’s long-term plans. Profar is in the first week of the three-year, $42 million deal he signed in January. He’ll be playing alongside most current Braves for a few more years. Profar will have to regain the favor of teammates and fans, who now have reason to be skeptical about his 2024 season. He homered once every 67.7 at-bats and produced a .793 OPS over 232 plate appearances at Coors Field in 2023. He then homered once every 23.5 at-bats while setting career highs in homers (24) and OPS (.839) with the Padres last year. He said he made some mechanical adjustments while working with Fernando Tatis Sr. None of this will minimize the skepticism. The Braves viewed Profar as the second-best free agent hitter this winter. Can he still be the guy they envisioned? |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Who had the walk-off hit in the Braves’ 6-5, 10-inning win over the D-backs in last year’s home opener? A. Travis d’Arnaud B. Ozzie Albies C. Luis Guillorme D. Jarred Kelenic |
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No team has reached the playoffs after starting 0-7. But I still think this team will be 8-11 entering its April 18 game against the Twins. If this proves horribly wrong, my laptop was hacked. |
Sports fans love to see heads roll when things go wrong. But it’s far too early to view this road trip as anything more than just a bad week. The Braves actually chased the Padres’ top two starters -- Michael King and Dylan Cease -- before the end of the fifth in both of the first two games. They did very little over the next four days. Then they chased Blake Snell after four innings on Wednesday. So, they’ve just needed to face Cy Young Award candidates, right? Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson are the only Braves getting on base consistently. But they too have squandered too many run-producing opportunities. Austin Riley called his first week embarrassing. These three stars squandered a prime bases-loaded threat in Wednesday’s sixth inning against the Dodgers. It will get better, especially when Ronald Acuña Jr. returns next month. The biggest void right now is in the leadoff spot. Profar was supposed to provide the production the Braves lacked at the top of their lineup after Acuña was hurt last year. Now, it might be Michael Harris II against right-handed starters and Albies against left-handed starters. |
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Remember Monday, when I wrote how it’s no longer ridiculous to think Nick Allen will become the primary shortstop? Well, he’s started the past two games and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the lineup for Friday’s home opener. |
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