5 Dream Free-Agent Pickups for the Atlanta Braves

With the Hot Stove League officially beginning with the conclusion of the World Series last week, it’s time to take a look at some free-agent options for the Atlanta Braves.

As the offseason is still fresh, and without any rumors to deny, we might as well start our examination of free agents with some dream scenarios.

In the slides ahead are five dream free-agent pickups for the Braves. Some of them are pretty far-fetched, but a few might have a bit more reality to them.

Ervin Santana

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This first dream free agent is a familiar name: starting pitcher Ervin Santana. I could have chosen one of the top two starting pitchers on the market, Max Scherzer or Jon Lester, but I went down the list and chose Santana instead.

Santana is familiar to the Braves and showed flashes of dominance during his one-year tenure in Atlanta. He’s likely as good an option as any of the big names at the top of the list, none of whom are sure bets to be top-of-the-rotation aces.

Odds of this dream coming true? 3-1

David Robertson

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Here is where I start to dream a bit about free agents and the allocation of money to them. After serving as the setup man for Mariano Rivera, David Robertson proved himself worthy of closing last year for the Yankees.

In an effort to rebuild the bridge to Craig Kimbrel for Atlanta, signing a closer to pitch the seventh or eighth inning would be a dream move. When a baseball game is late and close, a team can never have enough impact relievers to call upon.

Odds of this dream coming true? 29-1, the Braves have never spent lavishly on their bullpen, especially their setup men.

Andrew Miller

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Much like the previous dream free-agent pickup, lefty Andrew Miller is a setup man who can get both tough lefties out as well as right-handers. Adding him to this list is about establishing an even stronger bridge to Kimbrel, and shortening a baseball game.

This is what the Braves were able to do when they had Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters pitching the seventh and eighth innings several years ago.

The Braves have had interest in Miller in the past, most recently at this year’s trade deadline, so there’s reason to believe this dream free-agent pickup could turn into reality.

Odds of this dream coming true? 10-1, while they would have to shell out some cash for Miller, they would be getting one of the best, and someone they should be familiar with after scouting him during trade season.

Colby Rasmus

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Hopefully the B.J. Upton experiment in Atlanta will be over this offseason. As long as I’m dreaming of free agents for the Braves to sign, I might as well dream about them getting rid of a former free-agent mistake.

Colby Rasmus may not seem like he would fall into the category of free agents to dream about signing, but there are some good reasons why the Braves should seriously sign him (even beyond this dream).

Assuming they can get rid of Upton, signing Rasmus would likely come with a much lower price tag and contract length. Rasmus had a down year last year, which could have him seeking a one-year make-good deal. He is from Georgia and always has a big contingent of friends and family who come out to the game when his team plays the Braves in Atlanta.

Taking over for a disappointment like Upton would put little pressure on Rasmus; he would be playing close to family and friends, and with just a one-year deal he also wouldn’t have the pressure of trying to live up to a big contract.

Odds of this dream coming true? 6-1, as long as B.J. can be offloaded onto another team.

Yasmany Tomas

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Yasmany Tomas is a 24-year-old Cuban who may get the richest contract of any player to defect from that island to date. This has to do with the success of previous Cubans like Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, as well as the raw talent of Tomas.

The Braves would first need to clear a space in their outfield for Tomas, and they would have to be willing to take a big-money gamble on someone with no major league track record. If the team is up to the risk, Tomas could replace the production of either Jason Heyward or Justin Upton, while actually being a less-expensive option in the long run.

Jose Castro was hired as the Braves’ assistant hitting coach last week, making him the third member of the team’s coaching staff to hail from Cuba. Manager Fredi Gonzalez and bench coach Carlos Tosca were also born in Cuba. Perhaps the presence of so many of his fellow countrymen on the coaching staff could influence Tomas’ decision of where to sign.

Odds of this dream coming true? 15-1, the money is a lot and the gamble big, but perhaps a huge roll of the dice is needed to turn this team around.