Braves general manager John Coppolella answered questions from fans on Friday via the team’s Twitter account. Here are some highlights:
On if the Braves are interested in acquiring Padres first baseman/outfielder Wil Meyers
“Yes. I have called (Padres GM A.J.) Preller about him multiple times.”
On if revenue at new ballpark will be reinvested in the team or go to team owner Liberty Media’s stockholders
“Invest in the team. We will have more money to spend this off season than in any of the 10 years I’ve been here.”
On the possibility of trading right-hander Julio Teheran, the staff ace
“I don’t see us trading Teheran at this point, he’s almost into ‘right-arm’ type status for us now.”
On if he’s concerned about right-hander Matt Wisler
“He’s got a lot of talent, but I feel like he has regressed since the start of the season. (Pitching coach) Roger McDowell is on it.”
On getting a “real cleanup hitter” for the lineup
“No doubt we need to upgrade our offense and that will be our primary objective this off season.”
On which position he’d prefer for the “power bat” the Braves acquire
“Catcher.”
On if he learned any lessons from the trade in which the Braves acquired Hector Olivera from the Dodgers in exchange for Alex Wood, Jim Johnson and Jose Peraza
“Yes — bad trade for us and one that I wish we had back — all we can do is learn from it and move forward.”
On if the Braves plan to move top prospect and shortstop Dansby Swanson Double-A Mississippi to Triple-A Gwinnett to play alongside second baseman/shortstop Ozzie Albies
“We don’t have a definitive timetable, but we would like to get these two together — they bonded in (spring training).”
On the rationale for recently moving top pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins to the bullpen
“Many great starting pitchers have begun their careers in the bullpen like Johan Santana, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy.”
On trading shortstop Andrelton Simmons
“Love ‘Simba,’ but we felt the players we got back in trade would help us win a World Series more.”
