Braves should be patient during the offseason

With the scandal that’s handicapped the Braves the last few months behind them, they can now move on to improving the roster for next season. The winter meetings are underway in Orlando, and that’s the official start of the “hot-stove league” signaling trades and free-agent signings.

The Braves have a new general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, and he has spent the last few weeks figuring out exactly what he’s inherited. He’s likely realized the Braves have plenty of prospects and his decisions could shape the club for the next decade.

You know how you go shopping during the holidays and you’re just browsing? Then a sales associate comes up and asks if he can help you find what you’re looking for, but you just say, “No thanks, I’m just looking.”

Well, that’s what the Braves need to do this week at the winter meetings. They just need to look around, to browse a bit and see what’s in the store window.

Most 72-win teams need to be aggressive to become a winning team, to make moves that will push them to a contender status. The Braves, however, just need to be patient. Anthopoulos does not need to make a big splash in his first offseason or to make his bosses happy that they picked him. He just needs to follow the process that has already started and has — except for the scandal that cost Anthopoulos’ predecessor his job — worked.

The one area Anthopoulos should focus on is the bullpen. Atlanta’s relievers had the fifth-worst earned run average in baseball last season (4.58), and a better bullpen could mean a team that would edge closer to the .500 mark of 81 wins.

Atlanta has around $40 million to spend, so Anthopoulos should use some of it on two veteran relievers. They may not even need a closer, as Arodys Vizcaino and A.J. Minter might fill that role. But they desperately need middle relief help for next season.

Anthopoulos could use a few veteran reserves, maybe an infielder to help at shortstop and third base. He needs to see if someone is dumb enough to take on Matt Kemp and the two years remaining on his contract. Kemp looked like he did his rehab at McDonald’s last summer after injuring his hamstring.

The Braves have baseball’s best prospect in Ronald Acuna, an Andruw Jones-type outfielder who could take over for Kemp and immediately make Atlanta better. Acuna turns 20 next week, so while he’ll be very young, he should still be an instant upgrade over Kemp’s expanding waistline.

Some may say Atlanta needs a third baseman. No, they don’t. They have a top prospect ready for Triple-A next season whom they need to wait on. Austin Riley turns 21 in April, so he’s still very young. Scouts think he could become a Scott Rolen-type player for the hot corner, and in a rebuilding process the Braves must wait on that type of player.

Johan Camargo can hold down third until Riley is ready, and if Anthopoulos brings in a veteran infielder on a one-year deal, the Braves will be fine until they see when Riley can make his debut.

What about the starting pitching? The Braves’ rotation had a 4.80 ERA last season. Well, in my mind, they don’t need to do a thing but be patient. There is no need for a veteran pitcher right now. Let the kids continue to develop and, just like they did in the late 1980s, show us what they can do.

Julio Teheran can be the lead veteran starter. He’ll be 27 years old next season. Then they have Mike Foltynewicz, who will get one more real chance to be a starter. And then, it’s the kids. They’ll have Lucas Sims and Max Fried (both 24 years old), Sean Newcomb (23) and Luiz Gohara (21).

Plus, the Braves will have three starting pitching prospects (Mike Soroka, Kolby Allard and Kyle Wright) who are rated among baseball’s best 100 prospects that could be ready sometime next summer.

Just let the young pitchers pitch. Don’t block them and let’s see what they can do.

So Anthopoulos should just shop a little bit when he’s in Orlando, but let’s hope he stays away from the big splash a new executive likes to make. The Braves are close, and his decisions and patience will help move this process to the next step.

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 1:12 PM with the headline "Braves should be patient during the offseason."