The Braves have been one of baseball’s most aggressive teams this winter, but after many discussions and some negotiations, they are ready to step back from the table unless and until the asking price comes down significantly in a potential trade for Chris Sale or another ace.
“We love what we’ve been able to do, what we’ve been able to add,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said Monday near the end of the first full day of the Winter Meetings. “Could we use Chris Sale or Chris Archer or Sonny Gray? Sure, 30 teams in baseball could. They’re really good. But if the cost is prohibitive, then we’re happy where we are.”
After two years of rebuilding and restocking their farm system with high-level prospects, the Braves believe they can remain competitive for many years, Coppolella said.
“The last thing I want to do is just blow it up so we can get one guy,” he said.
So far, the cost of trading for one of those three starters has been deemed prohibitive by the Braves, who sounded Monday for the first time like they didn’t expect that price to come down much, if at all.
They won’t trade rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson. And they’re not willing to trade a combination of several other top prospects or young players that, so far, has been the asking price for Sale, the five-time All-Star White Sox left-hander, as well as for Rays right-hander Archer. His five years of contractual control for just $39 million make him nearly as attractive to some teams despite a far lesser resume than Sale’s.
Gray is the third choice of that group for the Braves and they’ve never sounded ready to pursue him with much vigor, particularly after hearing the initial asking price.
The Braves already signed veteran starters Bartolo Colon and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to one-year deals and traded for veteran left-hander Jaime Garcia, who has a year left on his contract. Those three will make $32 million in 2017 and they’ll join incumbent Braves opening-day starter and two-time All-Star Julio Teheran.
Team president for baseball operations John Hart said the Braves decided after winning 20 of their final 30 games and playing above .500 for the last three months of the season that they could be a better team in their first season at SunTrust Park if they beefed up a starting rotation that faltered badly in 2016, when they used a franchise-record 16 starters.
But signing veterans to one-year contracts to serve as a bridge until the top pitching prospects are ready and give the likes of Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair longer to develop is one thing. Trading away multiple top prospects for a starter is quite another.
“Because we have the new ballpark coming and because our ballclub played so well offensively at the end of the year, and because our bullpen is showing the makings of something that can be good, we (think we) can compete,” Hart said. “That was our take on what we’ve done, that we have a chance now to compete. But this step is one I think that deviates from (the rebuilding plan). If you go jump that one guy, does that guy take us to where we now become the team to beat? I don’t think so. Does it make us better and give us a better chance to compete? Absolutely. But at what price?
“Does it deviate so far from our plan that we have in place to move that bulk and magnitude of young players to acquire it? I just don’t think it works for us right now.”
Coppolella said if the Braves don’t make another move, they’d be content to open the season with what they have, particularly with their starting rotation. They’re still trying to add a bench player and possibly upgrade their catching — Welington Castillo has been on their radar after becoming a non-tendered free agent Friday — but they’ve made big improvements already in their major deficiency from 2016.
“We talked about our starting rotation at the start of last year, where it’s Julio, Bud Norris, Matt Wisler, Jhoulys Chacin, Williams Perez,” Coppolella said. “If we project (opening day 2017) now, you’re front four starters are Julio Teheran, Bartolo Colon, Jaime Garcia, R.A. Dickey. Your fifth starter is Mike Foltynewicz, Matt Wisler, Aaron Blair, Williams Perez. … I mean, we feel like we’re in a better spot than we were.”
Hart added, “We’re probably never a club that’s going to go out and compete for that No. 1 guy out there, at least not in the near term. And we’ve taken these pitchers (on one-year deals) because we feel that we’ve got guys with that kind of upside out there, that are quality, quality, bright young prospects. Other people view it the same way – for us to get that kind of a guy, to play in that market to where we don’t have to go get the free agent, we can get that (ace) under contract for a shorter term, it’s going to be painful. It’s a painful deal. And our appetite hasn’t been whetted enough yet.”
