Baseball

[imdaman99]

Mets are projected like 100m in luxury tax bill for a roster that is not good enough to win the division. That is how you end up letting a pitcher like Bassitt leave without ever seriously offering him a long term extension.

They are not a bad team but this looks like Cohen even has his limits of what he will spend.

Bassitt has been great this year but he was bad for them to end the season last year, he was just one of the reasons they blew the division. Not to mention his dud against the Padres in game 3. Would like to have him back of course

That being said, the pitching still sucks but at least their future guys are here and they are doin their thing. Had some dramatic game tying HRs against the Rays. Vientos 2 run HR, Alvarez 3 run HR with 2 outs to tie it with Alonzo walkoff. I hope that turned their season because they haven't lost since

[ShawkFactory]

The Braves having a bullpen game and a Schuster start back to back is depressing. We’re not getting our guys back anytime soon but there HAS to be something better.

[Jasper]

commish says Milwaukee has to upgrade ... tune of 1/2 billion dollars on their new stadium

seats and meeting areas

[Patrick Chewing]

The Braves having a bullpen game and a Schuster start back to back is depressing. We’re not getting our guys back anytime soon but there HAS to be something better.

I'd be upset if AA stands pat and relies on Fried to get healthy and Soroka to fill out the back end of the rotation. We need reliability in that starting rotation. Not question marks. Morton is a question mark, as is Fried, and as is definitely Soroka. So I hope they at least trade for one starter and extend it to a 6-man rotation if they have to. I would be giving Strider some rest too. Dude has been getting knocked around as of late.

[Axe]

[Charlie Sheen]

Would the two of you keep your issues with pat in another thread? He is on topic posting about the braves.

[Charlie Sheen]

Bassitt has been great this year but he was bad for them to end the season last year, he was just one of the reasons they blew the division. Not to mention his dud against the Padres in game 3. Would like to have him back of course

That being said, the pitching still sucks but at least their future guys are here and they are doin their thing. Had some dramatic game tying HRs against the Rays. Vientos 2 run HR, Alvarez 3 run HR with 2 outs to tie it with Alonzo walkoff. I hope that turned their season because they haven't lost since

I hear you about Bassitt. Its easier to be objective about players when they are not on a team i root for. I would have wanted him gone for a bad run to end the season too.

Saturday night's game summarizes how i feel about the Mets bigger picture. Alvarez blasts that homerun and marte follows it up to take the lead. I start believing they turned a corner...then the wheels come off

[Patrick Chewing]

Would the two of you keep your issues with pat in another thread? He is on topic posting about the braves.

I have triggered these guys to the point of no return.

[Charlie Sheen]

Pat, Shawk...

What you got for me on Bryce Elder? I know nothing about him besides box score data. From there it looks like he has a feel for pitching more advanced than his big league experience. You have confidence in him once the league starts paying more attention to him?

How did Soroka look considering how long hes been gone?

I think I said this earlier but Acunas growth into the best player in the game has to put pressure on the Braves to revisit that extension sometime in the next few years right?

[ShawkFactory]

Pat, Shawk...

What you got for me on Bryce Elder? I know nothing about him besides box score data. From there it looks like he has a feel for pitching more advanced than his big league experience. You have confidence in him once the league starts paying more attention to him?

How did Soroka look considering how long hes been gone?

I think I said this earlier but Acunas growth into the best player in the game has to put pressure on the Braves to revisit that extension sometime in the next few years right?

Elder is a little bit against the grain in what teams are looking for in star young pitching. He doesn't throw harder than 92 on his best day and lives (and occasionally dies) by the sinker. But he commands very well and never seems to be phased by giving up strings of hits, as any low-velocity sinker-baller will inevitably do. He seems to realize and be confident in that he's one pitch away from a double play, which he gets plenty of. I'm still waiting for the shoe to drop a little bit based on how great he's been, but he has earned a spot long term and has the makeup of someone who will eat innings at the very least for a long time.

As for Soroka, I honestly didn't get a chance to watch him. I've heard that the stuff is completely there but the command isn't all the back yet. I think he gave up a couple walks and then missed on one pitch. All it takes for a 4 spot.

I hope that the Acuna contract is addressed as soon as possible tbh. Waiting another 2 years when he's truly at his peak could have him looking at an almost Ohtani-like contract. We have so many team-friendly contracts that we can afford to pay him more than we've ever paid anyone...but then again that's never AA's MO. We'll see but it'll be interesting.

[Jasper]

here's something for you die hard small ball guys : https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb...ea0aae8e&ei=13

not a walk or a strike out the whole game ...

[Patrick Chewing]

Pat, Shawk...

What you got for me on Bryce Elder? I know nothing about him besides box score data. From there it looks like he has a feel for pitching more advanced than his big league experience. You have confidence in him once the league starts paying more attention to him?

How did Soroka look considering how long hes been gone?

I think I said this earlier but Acunas growth into the best player in the game has to put pressure on the Braves to revisit that extension sometime in the next few years right?

Shawk pretty much said all you need to know about Elder, but I'll add a few more things. Elder reminds me of Kris Medlen when he was on this Braves team and had that amazing year where he was basically the best pitcher on the ballclub. Not an overwhelming fastball. More of a ground ball type pitcher. Had all the tools and fundamentals. He wasn't flashy and frankly, he wasn't dominating. So that's who Elder reminds me of. Elder might have better stuff at his younger age, but he's not a dominant pitcher. I have never been a Kyle Wright fan, and last year was a fluke, but as of right now, Elder is better than Wright. So if I'm thinking of the future and the future rotation of this club, I can see Elder on this roster long-term if he continues his success. Right now, I see this as the rotation in 2024 and beyond:

Strider
Soroka
Smith-Shawver
Elder

I'm leaving that 5th spot open for either a return of Max Fried (which I doubt) or the Braves possibly going the trade or Free Agent route for another top of the line starter. Dodd and Shuster are not Big League guys. At least not right now.

Now to Soroka. Soroka looked great, except for the location of a few pitches where he got into trouble. He's beefy and stronger than he was. If he returns to form, then Soroka can be dominant again. So to me, the cornerstones of this rotation going forward will be Strider, Soroka, and possibly Smith-Shawver which we haven't even really seen yet, but with the hype behind him, he's another Strider-type pitcher.

Acuña should retire a Brave, but the haul that he would bring back to the most depleted Farm System in the league is quite intriguing. With that being said, I don't think Acuña goes anywhere considering how much money the Braves are saving with him right now on his current contract. I think players like Harris, Albies, and even Riley are expendable. But Acuña has to be your next Chipper Jones that stays with the franchise for his entire career.

With that being said, I don't have him as the frontrunner for MVP as we speak. I think Freeman is playing better than him at the moment and should be the frontrunner.

[ShawkFactory]

I'm leaving that 5th spot open for either a return of Max Fried (which I doubt) or the Braves possibly going the trade or Free Agent route for another top of the line starter. Dodd and Shuster are not Big League guys. At least not right now.

If we're going to trade what's left of the farm or go to free agency for a top end starter if Fried doesn't come back then...wouldn't it make sense to just sign Fried? I know he's not dominant in the typical sense but over the last 3 years he HAS been a legit top of the line starter. His track record speaks for itself so I don't know why you'd want to confuse things and try to go another route. Unless you're referring to him "not coming back" being the injury. I don't think is THAT series.

Come Septmeber/October this year a Fried/Strider/Morton top end with Soroka/Wright/Elder to back it up? We've got some options.

I like Wright more than you do. He isn't a dominant guy but he's another guy who fills the zone and can eat innings, albeit getting smacked around more often than you'd want from a top end guy. He has a good mix of pitches and can command them all but just hasn't truly found that go-to. He might still. Sometimes pitchers take longer and he HAS progressed.

With that being said, I don't have him as the frontrunner for MVP as we speak. I think Freeman is playing better than him at the moment and should be the frontrunner.

They're neck and neck I think. Freeman has been scorching hot the last couple weeks and Acuna has slumped slightly so recency bias has a role there. I love Freddie as much as anyone but Ronnie has seemed to figure some things out and I can see him getting hot again pretty soon. If he gets 30/50 while OPSing over .900 and being top 2-3 in WAR while the Braves win the division? It's his. And all of those things are highly possible.

[Patrick Chewing]

If we're going to trade what's left of the farm or go to free agency for a top end starter if Fried doesn't come back then...wouldn't it make sense to just sign Fried? I know he's not dominant in the typical sense but over the last 3 years he HAS been a legit top of the line starter. His track record speaks for itself so I don't know why you'd want to confuse things and try to go another route. Unless you're referring to him "not coming back" being the injury. I don't think is THAT series.

Come Septmeber/October this year a Fried/Strider/Morton top end with Soroka/Wright/Elder to back it up? We've got some options.

I like Wright more than you do. He isn't a dominant guy but he's another guy who fills the zone and can eat innings, albeit getting smacked around more often than you'd want from a top end guy. He has a good mix of pitches and can command them all but just hasn't truly found that go-to. He might still. Sometimes pitchers take longer and he HAS progressed.



They're neck and neck I think. Freeman has been scorching hot the last couple weeks and Acuna has slumped slightly so recency bias has a role there. I love Freddie as much as anyone but Ronnie has seemed to figure some things out and I can see him getting hot again pretty soon. If he gets 30/50 while OPSing over .900 and being top 2-3 in WAR while the Braves win the division? It's his. And all of those things are highly possible.

I think Max will cost so much money that the Braves will look elsewhere. While it's nice to have a lefty on the rotation, Max has always underwhelmed me and that's not including his post-season performances which have been horrendous to date. I'm very critical of these guys cause I obviously grew up in the era of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. I would actually give Charlie one more season before I extend Max Fried. I also think signing Max Fried long term at age 29-30 just clogs up the pipeline with some great arms that are ready to come up in a few years. But hey, that's just me. If Max was as dominant in the playoffs as he is during the regular season, I might be singing a different tune.


Yeah I want Ronald to win the MVP this year, but Ronald's average has dropped some 20 points or so in the last couple of weeks while Freddie is just raking over there in L.A. Freddie is just on another level right now. I look at the lack of production from Olson and I'm like, imagine if Freddie was still on this team.

[ShawkFactory]

I think Max will cost so much money that the Braves will look elsewhere. While it's nice to have a lefty on the rotation, Max has always underwhelmed me and that's not including his post-season performances which have been horrendous to date. I'm very critical of these guys cause I obviously grew up in the era of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz. I would actually give Charlie one more season before I extend Max Fried. I also think signing Max Fried long term at age 29-30 just clogs up the pipeline with some great arms that are ready to come up in a few years. But hey, that's just me. If Max was as dominant in the playoffs as he is during the regular season, I might be singing a different tune.


Yeah I want Ronald to win the MVP this year, but Ronald's average has dropped some 20 points or so in the last couple of weeks while Freddie is just raking over there in L.A. Freddie is just on another level right now. I look at the lack of production from Olson and I'm like, imagine if Freddie was still on this team.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on Max. I’ll take the regular season dominance. The playoffs are such a small sample that can be hit or miss with everyone. Guys like Scherzer and Kershaw know that. Hell even Maddux had his share of troubles.

I really wish Freddie’s agent hadn’t fvcked that up. You always knew that he’d be a terror with the shift banned. I think he had something like 25 hits taken away because of it just last year.