Braving the Rebuild

[Francoeurstein]

Early Off-Season Report:

The Yankees win the World Series over the Dodgers in 5 games. Tyler Wade wins the series MVP going 9 for 20 (.450) with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's.

Contracts:
-Zach Britton declines QO, becomes free agent
-Jeff Samardzija declines QO, becomes free agent
-Adam Eaton becomes free agent
-Chad Green awarded 1.75m
-Sandy Leon awarded 915k
-Grant Dayton awarded 1.0m
-Luiz Gohara awarded 915k
-Dansby Swanson awarded 8.9m
-A.J. Minter awarded 1.5m
-Jose Ramirez awarded 1.1m
-Johan Camargo awarded 915k
-Pat Neshek becomes free agent

Offseason Emphasis:
-Acquire a starting RF
-Acquire bullpen depth
-Acquire utility infielder

[Francoeurstein]

Off-Season Report

Transactions:
-Trade 3B Rio Ruiz to Arizona for LHP Jared Miller. Ruiz is considered a talented left-handed hitting 3B, but couldn't figure it out in Atlanta. Hopefully a change of scenery will do well for him, and he'll have an avenue for playing time in the desert. We recieve Jared Miller, a solid late-innings reliever who posted a 2.75 ERA in 72 innings last year. Miller is just 27.

-Traded C Brett Cumberland and $5m in cash to Milwaukee for OF Christian Yelich. We trade a young, high-upside catcher and cash to Milwaukee who is financially burdened. They send us an enstablished superstar in Yelich who is coming off a 6.2 WAR season. He will play LF for us as Acuna moves to right. Yelich is owed 42m through 2022.

-Resign Xander Bogaerts for 1 year/$2.2m

-Sign RHP Jun-seo Jeun to a 3 year/12.6m deal. Jeun is a 32-year old superstar reliever from South Korea who has decided to make his way to the states. He has an electric arm and can run it up to 102 - but sometimes he has command issues and is too hittable. If all goes well, we get a dominant reliever for dirt cheap.

Around the League
Awards:
MVP- Cody Bellinger (LAD) .266/.374/.653, 177 OPS+, 68 HR, 7.1 WAR
Mike Trout (LAA) .281/415/.628, 55 HR, 164 OPS+, 8.1 WAR

CYA- Noah Syndergaard (NYM) 17-6, 2.80 ERA, 9.9 WAR
Chris Sale (BOS) 18-9, 3.82 ERA, 5.3 WAR

ROY- Jose Siri (CIN) .262/.308/.525, 33 HR, 28 SB, 3.7 WAR
Gilberto Magana (TBR) .268/.337/.556, 45 HR, 3.3 WAR

-Ozzie Albies wins NL GG AT 2B!
-Zach Britton wins NL Reliever of the Year!

Around the League:
FA Signings
-CLE Cody Allen 2 years/23.6m
-CHC Jon Lester 2 years/22m
-CHC James Paxton 4 years/125.6m
-TOR Justin Turner 2 years/37.2m
-TEX Keone Kela 3 years/34m
-LAA Jose Quintana 4 years/119.2m
-KCR Robbie Ray 4 years/81.6m
-NYM Marcus Stroman 4 years/94.8m
-LAA Anthony Swarzak 4 years/49.8m
-CHC Devon Travis 7 years/93.5m
-CHC Masahiro Tanaka 5 years/117m
-MIA Dee Gordon 4 years/26m
-LAD Jeurys Familia 1 year/9.6m
-LAD Liam Hendriks 3 years/38.9m
-TOR Will Smith 1 year/10.2m
-MIL Craig Kimbrel 3 years/27.3m
-ARI Taijuan Walker 7 years/183.4m
-CHW Trevor Cahill 5 years/96.3m
-MIN Justin Bour 3 years/33.9m
-CLE Jeff Samardzija 3 years/52.8m
-CHC Zach Britton 1 year/25.2m

Trades:
-KCR sends 2B Nick Solak and 1B Samir Duenez to TBR for RHP Yonny Chirinos
-CHW sends RHP Ryan Tepera to LAA for OF Steele Walker, LHP Bryce Tucker, and IF Drew Bowser
-KCR sends 1B/3B Cheslor Cuthbert and 1B Tristan English to LAD for RHP Ross Stripling
-PHI sends RHP Hector Neris and C J.J. Schwarz to CHW for C Evan Skoug
-TBR sends RHP Chris Archer to HOU for LHP Tim Keck and UTIL Yuliesky Gurriel
-CHC sends 3B Ramsey Romano to LAD for RHP Michael Feliz and RHP Damon Casetta-Stubbs

[Francoeurstein]

2021 Season Preview

--We absorbed a couple of significant losses this off-season: namely Zach Britton and Jeff Samardzija. Fortunately, we made some acquisitions to make up for our losses, the biggest one being superstar Christian Yelich. We think that the moves we made this off-season will allow us to be postseason favorites and the first Braves squad to win it all in 26 years.

Lineup
C: Joey Bart- A strong finish to the regular season and a red-hot playoff run was more than convincing enough for us. Bart is 24 and ready to take over as the starting catcher, and he has the chance to be a perennial All-Star with plus power and defense.

1B: Freddie Freeman- The heart and soul of this team whose on the last year of his contract. At age 31, we are at a crossroads as to whether on not to extend him.

2B: Ozzie Albies- A true 5-tool player and major league superstar. Hard to believe he's only 24.

3B: Austin Riley- He posted a solid 116 OPS+ as a 22-year old last year and we think he has room to get even better. Wouldn't surprise me if he hit .260 with 30 home runs.

SS: Dansby Swanson- Another cog in the fantastic, well-oiled young Braves machine. He's posted two straight 5.0 WAR seasons, a third would be perfectly acceptable.

LF: Christian Yelich- Hits for average, power, and plays elite defense. What else could you ask for in a player? He'll fit perfectly in the #3 hole.

CF: Ender Inciarte/Aaron Hicks- Both guys provided above-average production in a platoon role last year. Why not do it again?

RF: Ronald Acuna- We're all still waiting for him to take the next step forward. He posted a 4.5 WAR as a 22-year old last year - and we still want more. That'll tell you how talented he is.

Grade: A

Bench
C Sandy Leon
IF Xander Bogaerts
OF Kyle Lewis

Grade: B+

Rotation
1. Clayton Kershaw- Ace

2. Erasmo Ramirez- Good control pitcher with a low-to-mid 90's fastball. Proven himself to be a solid #2 guy.

3. Mike Soroka- 23-year old that already has 368 major league innings under his belt. He is a big league finesse pitcher and has proven himself as a reliable mid-rotation option.

4. Danny Duffy- Will be out until the end of April with an injury, but will be a solid option when he returns. Lefty with good stuff and an extreme flyball tendency that is beneficial with our outfield.

5. Luiz Gohara- Still only 24-years old, but possesses plus stuff. His high 90's fastball and slder are elite, but his changeup lags behind. We're hoping that he can produce from the back of the rotation.

6. Anthony DeSclafani- Signed to a minor-league contract after Duffy went down in Spring Training. We called on him to throw strikes and eat innings.

Grade: B

Bullpen:
CL- A.J. Minter
SU- Chad Green
SU- Riley Ferrell
MR- Jun-seo Jeun
MR- Jasseel De la Cruz
MR- Grant Dayton
LR- Kyle Wright
LR- Brett Adcock

Top 10 Prospects:
1. OF Jasiah Dixon A+- Maybe the best athlete in all of the minors. He plays an unreal CF and has 70-grade speed. Pretty good contact skills, with decent raw power that's in development. He's only 19, but even if he becomes an average hitter, he'll be an All-Star.
2. OF Whitney Sceviour Rk- 18-year old Canadian with a gorgeous swing and a natural feel for hitting. I could envision him being a middle of the lineup threat down the road - but he's still got a while for his ETA. He is a slow, lumbering outfielder who will likely be hidden in a corner.
3. OF Josh Shuler Rk- Lefty with a sweet, sweet swing and plus raw power. There are concerns about his high strikeout rate and contact ability. He has a good arm but a lack of range in the outfield. Will probably fit best in right.
4. OF Kyle Lewis MLB- Good defender in the corners with some plus raw power. He'll be a solid contributor for us this year, and has the upside to be a good everyday player.
5. RHP Kendall Williams A+- He's been progressing well, and we're excited about it. He's still only 20 and likely a few years away, but he's got a mid-90's fastball, good command, and an array of average to plus pitches.
6. RHP Dutch Landis Rk- 80-grade name and 60-grade stuff. His upper 90's fastball and power curve gives him some solid upside. However, he's just 19 and fairly injury prone.
7. LHP Brett Adcock MLB- 25-year old lefty acquired in the Nick Markakis trade. He looks to be a solid bullpen piece for us, with a mid-90's fastball and an absolute hammer curveball. Upside as a strong setup man.
8. LHP Cooper Benson A- Good pitchability, but mediocre stuff. Has the upside as a back of the rotation arm.
9. IF Lency Delgado AAA- The former 2018 2nd rounder has turned himself into a formidable defensive 3B. He has plus power and could probably hit 20+ jacks in the majors right now. He will probably never hit for average, but he could be effective if he makes just enough contact.
10. OF Cabera Weaver A- Like Dixon, he's an elite runner and defensive outfielder. Unlike Dixon, he doesn't project very well as a hitter. His other tools give him the floor as a major league pinch runner/defensive replacement.

[Francoeurstein]

April 25, 2021
12-8, 3rd place (2 gb), 7th in Power Rankings
--Uh oh! We are dealt a significant blow as Kershaw goes down with shoulder bursitis shortly after recording his 200th career win. He will miss six-ish weeks, which definitely stings. Luckily, we've gotten off to a respectable start and we have the talent to stay afloat until his return. Aside from Kershaw, youngsters Soroka and Gohara have gotten off to promising starts, while Erasmo Ramirez has struggled early in the season. The bullpen has been rough - posting a 4.89 ERA as a unit on the young season. On offense, nobody has really stood out. Christian Yelich leads the team with a 117 OPS+. Freeman, Inciarte, and Hicks have all struggled so far. The offense is due for major positive regression, which is a good sign.

Transactions:
4/14: Brett Adock is out for 11-12 months with Tommy John Surgery. Danny Duffy activated from the DL.

4/25: Clayton Kershaw placed on DL with shoulder bursitis, set to miss 6 weeks. Philip Pfeiffer is recalled from AAA.

Around the League:
-Juan Soto's 28-game hitting streak is snapped on Opening Day
-Aroldis Chapman (LAD) records his 300th save
-Kershaw records his 200th win!
-Chris Archer signs a 4 year/70m extension with Houston
-24-year old Freddy Peralta is out for the season with Tommy John for Milwaukee
-The Tigers, who have lost at least 90 games in the past four seasons, are 17-4 to start the season

[Francoeurstein]

May 19, 2021
21-19, 3rd place (6.5 gb), 13th in Power Rankings
--It's mid-May and we've yet to hit our stride. Another member of our rotation has gone down and our pitching corps is extremely thin. Joey Bart has struggled thus far, as has Freddie Freeman. Austin Riley has been benched recently due to poor play and good play by Xander Bogaerts. Thankfully Yelich and Acuna have kept the offense afloat, with a 1.3 and 1.2 WAR, respectively. We are not in panic mode yet, we've got plenty of season left.

5/3: Kyle Lewis sent down to AAA. Isranel Wilson called up from Gwinnett.

5/7: Jared Miller suffers a setback in his recovery. He is now likely to miss the entire season.

5/7: Luiz Gohara is placed on the DL with biceps tendinitis. He is expected to miss 4 weeks.

Around the League:
-Corey Ray (MIL) hits 3 homers against San Franscisco
-Alex Verdugo (PIT) records 6 hits against Miami
-Anthony Rizzo signs a 5 year/84m extension with Chicago
-Christian Villanueva (DET) hits 3 home runs against Tampa Bay
-Trevor Rosenthal (LAD) is out for the season with a torn labrum

[Francoeurstein]

June 4, 2018 (Draft Update)
24-31, 13 games back, 27th in Power Rankings
--We've gone 3-12 since the last update. Our finger is now officially on the panic button. Fortunately, Kershaw and Gohara have returned from the DL - but it's gonna take a lot of good fortune to turn things around. We've pretty much fallen flat on our face in every aspect of the game. Almost every player has underperformed relative to their talent level. It doesn't make sense and is very frustrating.

5/24: DFA Anthony Desclafani. Call up Bryse Wilson from AAA.

5/29: Demote Isranel Wilson. Recall Kyle Lewis.

6/1: Demote Joey Bart to AAA. Promote Kade Scivique.

6/4: Activate Luiz Gohara and Clayton Kershaw from the DL.

Around the League:
-Andrew Benintendi hits for the cycle
-Stephen Strasburg (TOR) is out for the season with a torn labrum
-Evan Longoria records his 2,000th hit
-Greg Holland (STL) is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff
-Brandon Nimmo (NYM) is out for the season with a torn PCL

Team Stats:

[Francoeurstein]

2021 Draft

Miami selects LHP Brad Degenhardt 1st overall out of an Ohio high school. Degenhardt is an imposing 6 foot 8 lefty with a low-to-mid 90's fastball and room for more. He's got an absolutely devestating changeup and plus control. He gets comparisons to a more powerful Cole Hamels.

Braves Picks:

1st round, 26th overall: LHP J.P. Gates- Gates is an All-American from the University of Miami. He throws his fastball 91-94, but can reach back for 96. He's got a solid slider and a good changeup. He is 21 and shouldn't take too long to develop into a major league option

1st round, 32nd overall: RHP Franco Aleman- "Frank Nasty" is a projectable arm out of FIU. He throws 94-97 and has four potential plus pitches. He struggles with his control at times, but has an extremely high ceiling.

1st round, 36th overall: IF Jared Poland- Another first rounder college player. Poland is a middle infielder from Louisville who looks like he could stick at short. He's very quick and athletic and could be a good shortstop or a stud second baseman. He's got a pretty good stick, with 20 home run potential, but he strikes out a bit too much for his position.

2nd round, 67th overall: RHP Pat Zeger- Zeger is a high-schooler from the Houston area with arguably the highest ceiling out of all of our draft choices. His fastball-slider combo is elite, but his changeup lags way behind. If he doesn't develop a reliable third pitch, then he looks like an absolute shutdown reliever.

3rd round, 101st overall: C Dominic Keegan- Catcher from Vandy with some serious raw power. He's also a good leader and solid behind the dish. Unfortunately he is incredibly prone to striking out and may never be able to hit for a decent average.

[Francoeurstein]

July 2nd, 2021
35-46, 4th place (16.5 gb), 23rd in Power Rankings
--Pretty much everything has gone wrong this season and we can't seem to get rolling. Freddie Freeman getting injured on the 18th was pretty much the straw that broke the camels back. At this point, barring a serious hot-streak, it's looking like we will be sellers at the deadline. Somehow we are still only 6.5 back of the second Wildcard spot, so we won't give up just yet. However, if that gap increases we will reload for next year. Our offense has been slightly better as of late, we're just missing an impact bat that Freddie Freeman usually provides. Prior to his injury he had a 113 OPS+, which is lackluster for him. Pitching and bad luck (Pythagorean record of 39-42) have been the major concerns. Clayton Kershaw is pitching well, but hasn't been up to standards. Erasmo Ramirez looks like he has fallen off the face of the earth and has been demoted to the bullpen in favor of Kyle Wright. Young Luiz Gohara and Mike Soroka have struggled. Danny Duffy has been our only reliable starter all year.

6/5: Clayton Kershaw activated from DL. Philip Pfeiffer demoted.

6/12: Joey Bart recalled. Kade Scivique demoted.

6/18: Freddie Freeman suffers a strained hamstring - set to miss 5 weeks. Lency Delgado called up to the bigs.

Around the League:
-Superstar 1B Jose Osuna (PIT) snaps his hitting streak at 31 games
-Daniel Norris (DET) is out for the season with a ruptured bicep tendon
-Kenta Maeda (TEX) is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff
-Anthony Rizzo hits his 300th career homer
-Miami sends RHP Jimmy Nelson to the L.A. Angels for OF Josh Reddick and LHP Brock Burke
-Jeff Samardzija (CLE) is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff
-Elvis Andrus records his 2,000th career hit


Mid-season top 10 prospects:
1. OF Jasiah Dixon A+ 19
2. LHP J.P. Gates A+ 21
3. OF Whitney Sceviour R 19
4. OF Josh Shuler R 19
5. IF Jared Poland R 21
6. RHP Franco Aleman R 21
7. RHP Kendall Williams A+ 20
8. OF Cabera Weaver A 21
9. RHP Dutch Landis R 20
10. LHP Cooper Benson A 20

[Francoeurstein]

TRADE UPDATE
--We are now 36-54 on the season, losing 9 of our last 10. Competing for a playoff spot is out of the question this season, so we are deciding to load up for next year. Here's what the trade looks like:

Los Angeles Angels get:
LHP Danny Duffy (3*) 7-5, 3.46 ERA, $15.2m thru 2021
LHP Grant Dayton (3*) 2.51 ERA in 32.1 IP, $1.0m thru 2021

Atlanta Braves get:
1B Seth Beer (2/3*) 1.026 OPS in 12 major league games
RHP Juan de Dios Nunez (0.5/2*)

Analysis: We are able to cut ties with two pitchers that are becoming free agents after the season. The Angels are in a playoff push at 56-34 and are in need of pitching depth. In return, we get our first baseman of the future in Seth Beer, a 24-year old former 1st round pick who can absolutely rake. He has the upside of a .280 hitter with 35+ bombs per annum. He doesn't offer much defensively, but he should more than make up for it with his bat. We also acquire Nunez, who is 25 years old and should be solid pitching depth.


Transactions
7/3: Demote Lency Delgado to AAA. Call up 1B Drew Lugbauer.

7/11: Trade LHP Danny Duffy and LHP Grant Dayton to the Angels for 1B Seth Beer and RHP Juan de Dios Nunez

[Francoeurstein]

August 1, 2021
43-62, 4th place, 28th in Power Rankings
--Man, oh man. We certainly didn't see ourselves almost 20 games below .500 at the trade deadline going into the season. It's just been a tough season in all phases. For the All-Star Game, youngster Ronald Acuna was our lone representative in his first ever ASG appearance. We have decided to let Freddie Freeman play out what is likely his last season in Atlanta, sending Seth Beer back to AAA to get regular at-bats. By doing this, we're hoping that we can retain his rookie status for next season. Speaking of next season, it can't come fast enough...

7/23: Activate Freddie Freeman from the DL. Option Seth Beer to AAA.

7/28: Trade IF Michael Chirinos (0.5/1.5*) to Milwaukee for 25-year old LHSP Jairo Pacheco (2/2*). Pacheco has been added to the active roster.

Around the League:
-Minnesota sends OF Alex Kirillof to Milwaukee for RHP Adrian Houser
-Dallas Keuchel (STL) is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff
-Giancarlo Stanton hits his 500th home run!
-Houston sends LHP Drew Pomeranz (2*) and RHP Charles King (1/2*) to Pittsburgh for OF Gregory Polanco (2.5*)
-Arizona sends IF Cadyn Greiner (0.5/3*) to Kansas City for RHP Fernando Romero (1.5*) and OF Isaiah Smith (0.5/2*)
-Milwaukee sends RHP Cory Knebel (3.5*) to Pittsburgh for RHP Max Kranick (0.5/1.5*)
-Alex Reyes is out for the season with a fractured elbow. This is the second straight season in which an injury has cut his campaign short.
-San Diego sends RHP Bryan Mitchell (2.5*) to Washington for 3B Josh Smith (0.5/2.5*) and OF Ignacio Camargo (0.5/1.5*)
-Seattle sends RHP Edwin Diaz (4.5*) and RHP Sam Knowlton (0.5/1.5*) to Colorado for RHP Christopher Bonilla (1.5/3*), OF Tristan Pompey (0.5/2.5*), and RHP Anthony Molina (0.5/2*)
-St. Louis sends C Andrew Knizner (2.5*) and LHP Brant Hurter (0.5/1*) to Oakland for SS Cam Shepherd (0.5/2*) and LHP Kale Breaux (0.5/2*)

Team Stats:

[Francoeurstein]

October 2, 2021
66-96, 4th place, 26th in Power Rankings
--Finally - the never-ending season is over. Just about everything that could have went wrong did. In mid-September we were dealt a devestating blow as Dansby Swanson tore his PCL in his right knee, which could have him out until July 2022. Also, Seth Beer got hurt in the beginning of the month and was not available for a September call up. Just about every player on this team underwhelmed. Clayton Kershaw was merely "good" this year with a 5.2 WAR, far from his usual dominance. Freddie Freeman strangely fell off a cliff at age 31, hitting .209 and posting the worst season of his career. His days in Atlanta are likely numbered. After a promising start to the season, Christian Yelich ended the season with a pedestrian 100 OPS+. Did anything good happen? Sure. Kyle Wright finally lived up to his prospect billing, with an 116 ERA+ in 153.1 innings. Also, rookie South Korean Jun-seo Jeun established himself as a reliable bullpen piece for relative pennies.

8/15: Riley Ferrell is out for the season with a torn back muscle\

9/14: Dansby Swanson is out for 10 months with a torn PCL. Placed on DL.

9/16: Anthony DeSclafani is out for the season with shoulder inflammation.

9/26: Jared Miller is activated from the DL

Around the League:
-Ian Happ hits 3 home runs against us
-Jose Osuna (PIT) hits 3 home runs against Milwaukee
-Justin Upton hits 3 home runs against Texas
-The Angels lose rookie Daulton Jefferies for the season with a torn labrum. He was 5-3 with a 2.59 ERA
-German Marquez is out for the season with a stretched elbow ligament
-37-year old Joey Votto records his 2,000th career hit
-Bryce Harper (TOR) hits his 300th career homer
-Corey Seager signs a 7 year/193m extension with Los Angeles
-Grant Dayton (0.93 ERA with LAA) is out for the season with shoulder inflammation
-J.D. Martinez belts his 300th career HR
-Manny Machado hits number 300
-Matt Chapman hits 3 home runs against Texas
-MVP Candidate Shohei Ohtani will miss the playoffs with a ruptured finger tendon
-Jose Altuve records his 2,000th career hit
-Vlad Guerrero Jr. (.324) and Ryan McMahon (.325) win the batting title
-Vlad Jr. (8.1) and Cody Bellinger (7.5) lead their respective leagues in WAR
-Luis Severino (6.5) and Noah Syndergaard (9.0) lead their respective leagues in WAR

Playoff seedings:
AL
1. Los Angeles 100-62
2. New York 97-65
3. Detroit 85-77
4. Boston 94-68
5. Houston 89-73

NL
1. Chicago 109-53
2. New York 103-59
3. Los Angeles 96-66
4. Philadelphia 102-60
5. Washington 93-69

Team Stats: