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Will The Braves go after Machado ?....should they ?....
My answer to both questions is no.
He would be a 3 month rental with an huge price tag.
First off, Liberty is cheap, they will never sign a FA who will command what he will.
Second off, he likely wouldn't seriously consider signing with Atlanta anyway. The Braves were briefly a destination team in the 1990s when Turner was the owner. Never beforeor since has any Atlanta teambeen such a FA draw, and maybe never again.
Third off, I like the nucleus this team is building, but it's at least a year away and my guess is it will be the 2020 season before the team is mature enough to have a sense of where to invest in a big FA contract.
What they MUST DO is sign a couple of good and durable relief pitchers before the deadline, if they don't, this season will continue to go downhill and young arms will suffer.
Comments
''an huge price tag''....geez I've become careless in my posts.
Trading for Arenado and Ottavino is a must.
Couldn’t agree more.
So one big misconception about the Braves is that Liberty Mutual controls payroll. With a little bit of research we can show this to be untrue, this article does a good enough job outlining it http://outfieldflyrule.com/2015/11/13/the-atlanta-braves-liberty-media-and-misplaced-anger/.
Basically, the Braves operate as a stand alone entity. While LC doesn't inject cash into the Braves a la Ted Turner (in fact they are prohibited by the SEC in doing so) they also don't put constraints on payroll. Furthermore, the GM has stated recently that cash is not a concern at the moment in making trade deadline moves https://www.talkingchop.com/2018/7/15/17573254/alex-anthopoulos-braves-budget-wont-impact-trade-deadline.
So yeah, LM isn't the reason the Braves may balk at offering Machado a 10 year $300M deal this off season. It's because the Braves are largely a mid market team and it is very risky for a mid market team like the Braves to have many huge, long term contracts on the books.
As for the rest of the season, I think the Braves could likely afford Machado. I don't think they actually end up trading for him, as the prospect capital will likely be high. If the team was a piece away from WS contenders it may be a different story, but the team as constructed is not really in the upper echelon of MLB teams. They have too many needs (3B, Starting Pitching, Bullpen help, bench help, Ender hasn't been playing well this year, etc.) and cashing in on the value of our strong farm system too early could stunt the ability of the team to compete in 2019 and on.
I think it would be more reasonable to expect a few solid signings this off season when there is much more available money towards payroll, as well as a few smaller moves at the dealine targeting some relievers and bench help. But I don't foresee a Harper or Machado signing with us unfortunately. The good news is that Albies, Acuna, Freeman look like a potentially strong core to build around, and the Newcomb and Folty are making cases that they're solid starters. If we see someone like Soroka, Kyle Wright, Gohara etc. step up they will be in a much better position to compete in the years to come. So I doubt they'll make a serious play at Machado this year, if only because I think they mainly have their eyes set at 2019 and beyond.
I'm not really versed on the options for middle and long relievers, but there are always some available before the deadline.
My preference is for a good long reliever who has the ability to pitch from 1 to 3 innings every other game and a very good middle reliever.
As for Arenado, its a non-starter, Liberty won't pay the price he'd command.
I am still mystified why Camargo gets so little respect. Other than massive power, he can do it all. People see 3B as a need for the Braves and always talk about Riley as the future. I’d stick with JC.
nm
I meant my last post to bea response to your post.
Liberty holds the purse strings...period.
The Braves have a large increase in revenue, but very little income. That is BS, it's how Liberty uses sports' teams, they hide profit.
You're buying a bill of goods.
The Braves' revenue increased from 262 million in 2016 to 386 million in 2017.
Dispite the 114 million increase in revenue year over year, Liberty claims the team realized only 7 million in profit.
This increase doesn't even account for all of the businesses in The Cobb development that were quietly separated from The Braves into a new company owned by Liberty but with none of it's money going to the Braves.
This is Liberty's M.O. , It's corporate smoke and mirrors.
PS, The Braves were 8th in revenue in MLB last season, only The Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Giants had much more revenue.
This is even with Liberty peeling off MANY millions from The Cobb development and hiding it under the name of a company formed just for that purpose. If you added that money into the total we'd likely be behind only The Yankees in revenue.
I say no for the same reasons already posted. We need a bullpen, but no ez fix. Man, I miss the days when Ted would pull the trigger. Need a bat? Here's McGriff etc...
The good ol days
Yeah I'm all for a good conspiracy theory too man. But it's actually illegal for LM to pull money from the Braves, again per the SEC. They are not allowed to take any money from the team and they are not allowed to give money to the team. The Braves are mainly just an investment to them. From the article I assume you did not read,
Also, yeah with the Battery the revenues went up. But like building that stuff and maintaining it probably cost a little too right? And the Braves are in debt now from building a new park and the Battery, so they need to keep that debt in mind when making decisions. "Revenues being up means good things down the line, but were never going to be an instant fix with the new ballpark. TV deals can and have had that immediate effect, but the Braves have one of the worst TV deals in baseball and its going to stay that way for a while."
"It is also worth mentioning, too, that just because the Braves have more revenue coming in doesn’t mean that all of that money should go to new players. The Braves are going to have a lot of young players that are going to either need extensions or start getting expensive in arbitration. Handing out large long-term deals could easily hamper the team’s ability to keep all of the Acunas and Ozzies and Goharas, especially if a lot of them pan out."
https://www.talkingchop.com/2018/3/6/17081274/atlanta-braves-liberty-media-and-the-risks-of-broken-promises-rebuild
IDK I just don't like seeing ppl blame the ownership for skimming money off the top when there is a gluttony of info saying they are prohibited from doing so. Not really "buying a bill of goods" and more like "knowing about something I follow closely and have read up on".
Machado is a 1 year rental at most for most teams. He is very good, but would disrupt the flow of the team because of this. He wants to be a Yankee. If the Braves do get him then they have the best chance to make him a permanent fixture on their team.
Look, just bring back Jim Presley or Terry Pendleton to play the hot corner. PROBLEM SOLVED
I believe Machado is in the last year of his contract, he will be a FA after this season.
Yes indeed. He is a 1 yr rental.
Less than half a season actually.
Less than half a season actually.> @Kirbstomper said:
Sorry, you're wrong on this one.
Liberty did in fact separate most of The Cobb development into a new company and The Braves in fact recieve nothing from those businesses.
It is also a fact Liberty uses it's sports interest to write off paper losses. The Braves took in 114 million more in 2017 than in 2016 yet the showed only 14 million in profit. Even with the many millions Liberty has removed from The Cobb development to their coffers in Denver The Braves had the 8th highest revenue in MBL last season, the is not mid-market, it's near the top.
Keep the roster in tact. Hold your water until Pache, Riley, Toussant, and Allard get here.
Plug in Mike Reed and Camargo to bridge the gap. This team is on an upward trend. Just keep doin what we’ve been doin. The hay is in the barn.
I agree for the most part, but signing a couple of relief pitchers is an imperative. It's not just about this year, it's about not damaging arms through overuse.