Pros and Cons of Atlanta Braves' Top Offseason Decisions

With the general manager meetings getting underway Monday in Arizona, the hot-stove rumor mill is just getting started, and already the Atlanta Braves have been linked to several moves. While many teams’ rumors are rumors of addition, many of the Braves rumors thus far have been rumors of subtraction.

The Braves may not officially have a general manager; instead they have a director of baseball operations in John Hart who is, for all intents and purposes, the GM. Hart may be eager to put his stamp on the team, and some of the early news and rumors out of the general manager (or equivalent) meetings indicate that he may be moving quickly to do just that.

Let’s take a look at some of the rumors, news and speculation surrounding the Braves and assess their pros and cons.

Inconsequential Free Agents Y’all

GAIL BURTON/Associated Press

Amid all the rumors of the first day of the GM meetings, and at least one major signing by a division rival (Michael Cuddyer to the New York Mets), the Braves made a flurry of minor moves. Atlanta is always a team that strikes quickly in the offseason to sign minor league free agents, and that hasn’t changed this year under the new front office regime.

The most significant signing was that of outfielder Zoilo Almonte, a former Yankee, to a major league contract. Veteran right-handed starter Chien-Ming Wang was signed to a minor league deal, as was lefty reliever Donnie Veal, per Fox Sports South.

Pros

Depth is good to have, and if the cavalcade of pitching injuries last year was any indication, a team can never have enough pitching. Wrapping up some decent players this early can be thought of as a safety net against the team’s other offseason goals not coming to fruition.

Almonte has shown good speed and power in the minors but has not translated that into success during a couple of opportunities the last two years in the majors.

Veal has shown some ability to contribute as a lefty one-out guy (LOOGY) in a major league pen.

Cons

Almonte doesn’t bring anything to the system that it doesn’t already have. He’s really nothing more than a fourth outfielder and one who doesn’t do a good job of getting on base—the big problem with the Braves offense this season. In-house guys like Todd Cunningham and Joey Terdoslavich are better on-base guys.

Wang hasn’t been an effective pitcher since 2011. He tossed three quality starts against the Gwinnett Braves (Triple-A) this September. The Atlanta Braves must have seen something in those starts (other than an anemic Gwinnett offense) that makes them believe Wang could be better next year.

Braves Will Not Re-Sign Ervin Santana

Don Boomer/Associated Press

According to David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ervin Santana officially declined the Braves qualifying offer Monday, setting the stage for him to sign elsewhere. Those rumors already started, with a tweet about a possible reunion in Kansas City, as reported by CBSSports.com writer Jon Heyman: "The Royals have reached out to Santana, and the right-hander is said to be very receptive to a return to the team he left as a free agent a year ago."

While it’s not a certainty he’ll sign elsewhere, it’s highly likely given the Braves' tight payroll.

Pros

The $15 to $18 million annually that Santana would command in a multiyear deal can now be applied to other areas of need on the Braves (though starting pitching is now the biggest area of need).

Cons

The team loses an important piece of the rotation and one whose quality innings will be hard to replace at a price that fits within Atlanta’s budget. The Braves also lost a leader on their pitching staff and a guy who brought a positive energy and attitude with him to the ballpark every day.

Trading Away Evan Gattis

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

This rumor gained a ton of buzz early Monday morning when New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman initially tweeted that the Braves were aggressively shopping Evan Gattis to other teams.

Later in the morning FoxSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal confirmed Sherman’s report.

Of course, later in the afternoon, Braves.com beat writer Mark Bowman tweeted that the Braves were not “aggressively shopping” Gattis but were willing to listen to offers. (Maybe they’re aggressively listening.)

Pros

As one of the least expensive power bats on the trade market, Gattis could be very attractive to clubs that want to add power to their lineup without breaking the bank. He would make a better fit for an American League club that could use him primarily as a designated hitter and occasionally behind the plate.

Cons

It’s hard to trade a fan favorite like El Oso Blanco. It’s also a hard decision to trade a player as productive as Gattis who has such a low salary.

Trading Away Justin Upton

Dave Tulis/Associated Press

FoxSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal listed Justin Upton as one of his top 10 candidates to get traded this offseason. With only one year remaining until he’s a free agent, the Braves may want to get more in return for Upton than a compensation draft pick when he (presumably) leaves via free agency after next year.

Pros

Now may be the perfect time to trade Upton, who just won a Silver Slugger award and will cost less next year ($14.5 million) than a qualifying offer. After he had another good season, the return for Upton could go a long way toward helping rebuild the Braves minor league system while still being plentiful enough to get another productive major league piece in return.

Cons

For a team that had its worst offensive season in more than two decades, trading away the team leader in home runs and RBI seems like a step in the wrong direction if Atlanta intends to be competitive next season.