Atlanta Braves' 5 Most Tradeable Assets for the 2014-15 Offseason
As the 2014 MLB season has come to an end, we can officially begin the 2014-15 offseason.
This has already been a busy offseason for the Braves, as they fired general manager Frank Wren, promoted John Hart to president of baseball operations and hired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.
With many of the front office and management people in place, the focus will now turn to strengthening the roster.
There looks to be more overhaul coming this offseason than the previous one after the disappointing finish to the 2014 season.
Look for the Braves to explore trade options as a way to better themselves for 2015 and also position themselves better for the future.
Here are the five most tradeable assets for the Braves as the offseason gets underway.
5. Mike Minor
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Overall, the 2014 season was a disappointment for Mike Minor as he failed to build upon an excellent 2013 season.
Minor regressed in basically every pitching category from his 2013 season to the 2014 season.
Still, Minor is just the one year removed from a 13-win season in which he produced a 3.21 ERA in 204.2 innings.
The left-hander is still just 26 years old and won't be eligible for free agency until 2018.
I would say it's unlikely that Minor gets traded, but I also don't think he's a lock to be on the roster like Julio Teheran and Alex Wood.
Because of this, Minor comes in at No. 5 on the list.
4. Christian Bethancourt
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The Braves enter this offseason with two quality options at catcher—not the worst problem to have.
Christian Bethancourt is less of a known commodity as he has played just 32 games at the MLB level.
However, Bethancourt has been considered one of the top prospects in the Braves organization over the past few seasons.
The 23-year-old has a canon arm, MLB-ready defensive skills and an improving approach at the plate.
This could be a player the Braves use as trade bait to improve other areas if they want to go with the known commodity in Evan Gattis behind the plate for the near future.
3. Jason Heyward
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It's hard to imagine the Braves trading Jason Heyward, thinking back to his first career at-bat where he crushed a three-run home run on Opening Day.
However, Heyward now finds himself in the last year of his contract, and it's hard to see the Braves being able to afford him and Justin Upton.
This leaves the 25-year-old as a question mark to return in 2015.
Despite having just a year left on his deal, he would still command a hefty return thanks to his elite defensive skills and plus bat.
He's also an above-average baserunner who's proven to be able to hit for power.
This will be an interesting situation to monitor this offseason.
2. Evan Gattis
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Evan Gattis could be the most likely to be traded on this list.
This is for two reasons: the Braves' surplus at catcher and Gattis' tremendous value.
In two seasons, Gattis has shown to have elite power as he's hit 20-plus home runs in both those seasons in just 213 games.
Meanwhile, he hasn't seen as much wear and tear as a normal 28-year-old catcher would and isn't eligible for free agency until 2019.
This would make him an optimal target for an American League team who could play him at both catcher and designated hitter.
I'd say it's 50-50 that Gattis gets traded this offseason.
1. Justin Upton
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It was just two years ago the Braves made a huge splash by acquiring Justin Upton for the Diamondbacks.
This offseason, the Braves could make a splash by trading away Upton.
Upton has the most trade value on the Braves as he's proven to be an MVP candidate when he's fulfilling his potential.
The reason the Braves would look to deal him this offseason is because he is set to be a free agent after the upcoming season.
Upton may command too high of a salary for the Braves to match.
There would be many teams salivating over adding Upton's right-handed power bat to their lineup this offseason.
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