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Gerrit Cole To Braves Still A Fantasy; Atlanta Is Betting On Youth Upside

This article is more than 4 years old.

The suggestion the Braves chase free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole was fantasy a month ago, and it’s fantasy now as the general manager meetings are underway in Arizona. If the Braves cannot even summon the money for local product Zack Wheeler, another high dollar free agent pitcher, they are not going to even sniff a deal with Cole, 29, who will be hunting for six years at $30 million, at least.

General Manager Alex Anthopoulos abhors long-term deals for older free agents and he has said it over and over. The Braves are going to ride in the middle lane with conservative moves, say, two years at $25 million to retain free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson.

The idea the Braves were somehow going to compete with big market clubs because they are landlords at The Battery and collecting rent was fantasy, too.

When it comes to contracts, Anthopoulos is all about “what can you do for us now”, not “what have you done in the past.” One World Series crown in 2020 is not going to be worth Cole. Two? Not as far as we can tell. The last seasons of a big deal for these veteran free agents are a ball-and-chain for clubs not named the Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, Nationals, and Astros.

It’s not your money, so the Braves should jump at Cole and sign him and win a title, just like the Nationals signed high-priced pitchers and won a title.

Atlanta won’t do it. It’s ok, they insist, to be competitive and maybe, maybe, squeeze through and win a ring. Be shrewd, not bold (reckless), and see where that gets them is the plan.

It got them back-to-back NL East Division crowns, and that’s something, for sure. But there is less chance of a parade without Cole or Wheeler, which at least saves the Braves the discomfiture of asking the city of Atlanta to block off Peachtree.

The Braves are $540 million in debt, according to their Nov. 12 financial filings. This debt is from construction around The Battery, its residential commercial community, Sun Trust Park and the new minor league facility in Florida. That’s a big nut.

The team has $52 million committed to long-term contracts, which does not include arbitration eligible players. The club was in the middle of team payroll in Major League Baseball. With a distant owner, Liberty Media, focused on balance sheet and the bidding of shareholders, that is not going to change much.

The Braves will hope the Texas Rangers can sign free agent third baseman Anthony Rendon and stay away from throwing money at Donaldson, who Atlanta wants to re-sign. The Braves also have to go find a catcher, too, to go with veteran Tyler Flowers. They are set in the outfield and the rest of the infield, except third base.

But starting pitching? It looks like it might be up to Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson, Touki Toussaint, or Ian Anderson to make a breakthrough.

The Braves are being married to the Giants’ lefty Madison Bumgarner, a North Carolina native, who grew up in “Braves Country.” But he is a resilient lefty at 30 years old, a pitcher with more left in his tank because of his guile. Another high-dollar club could offer four years when the Braves want to offer two. It’s a matter if Anthopoulos and scouts think he can hold his value. Bumgarner is certainly a guy who is not going to be bashed 13-1 in a playoff game.

The safe bet is a rotation of Mike Soroka, Max Fried, Mike Foltynewicz and a cross-your-fingers bet on the youngsters.

“You’re hoping with all this other young talent we have on the mound, another one or two guys take a step forward,” Anthopoulos told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at baseball’s winter meetings in Arizona. “That might be spring training. It might be mid-season. You don’t know when they’re going to come, but we do believe in the talent long-term.”

We think we have the Braves figured out, so turn down the hot stove, and roll over. Sign Donaldson, find a catcher, maybe a reliever, and hope it all works out next October. Maybe we’ll get surprised with a trade. But the bonanza of Sun Trust Park and its economics is not pushing the Braves into the upper echelon of the MLB salary structure.

The organization got a lot from taxpayers, but not enough.

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