PHOENIX — Adding a couple of starting pitchers remains the Braves' top priority this offseason, but deciding what to do with corner outfielders Justin Upton and Jason Heyward – they're a year away from free agency — is also on the to-do list.
The Braves probably can’t – or at least won’t – spend on contract extensions for both Upton and Heyward, making it possible they could trade one or both this winter rather than have them leave as free agents next winter.
“We like both players,” Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said Tuesday. “In a perfect world you’d love to have both guys. We know the clock is running down. We know these guys are staring at free agency. We certainly have the 2015 season in front of us, and both guys fit and fit nicely (at this time). But we also have other holes in the club.”
If a trade could help the Braves get starting pitching and/or young players to fill holes for the next few years that a currently thin Braves farm system can’t be expected to fill, then a deal or deals might happen.
If Heyward or Justin Upton were traded, it could open an outfield spot for slugger Evan Gattis, the catcher who would otherwise probably be traded since the Braves have Christian Bethancourt penciled in to catch in 2015.
Heyward won his second Gold Glove last week, and the McDonough native was drafted and developed by the Braves and has become a fan favorite. He’ll make $8.3 million in the final year of the two-year contract extension he signed last spring.
On Tuesday, Hart said for the first time publicly that he didn’t think there would be another contract extension with Heyward before he becomes a free agent. (It’s common in baseball for players with only a year or less until free agency to wait and test the open market.)
“I wasn’t the general manager last year,” said Hart, who replaced fired GM Frank Wren. “There was a two-year deal given to (Heyward) to take him up to his free agency. I think as much as anything wants the ability to be able to explore (free agency), and it’s understandable. This is a home-grown player, it’s a player that we love. I love the way this guy plays; there’s a lot to like about him. But my assumption is it’s probably the wrong time (for an extension). I don’t think that there are a lot of legs for doing something, on either side.
“That doesn’t mean there can’t be a deal a year down the road. It certainly doesn’t mean that. I just don’t think that this is the time. We’ve got him under contract. There’s going to be no ill will, no arbitration. He knows we love him. And we’ll just play this one out.”
