After a long wait, the Atlanta Braves made a significant move in MLB free agency! They reached a three-year agreement to add Jurickson Profar to the outfield on Thursday afternoon. When he recovers from another torn ACL in right, he is expected to play a significant role in Atlanta’s outfield defense, which also includes Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II in center. Still, Atlanta has more work to do.
The Braves need more than Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach leading the starting rotation until Spencer Strider eventually makes a comeback, especially since Max Fried signed a huge contract with the New York Yankees and aging veteran Charlie Morton signed with the Baltimore Orioles to live to fight another day in his remarkable big-league career.
Yes, the Braves have a tenuous relationship with Max Scherzer, a future first-ballot hall of famer and one of the biggest names still available. Scherzer’s agent is considering signing him to a number of teams after he spent the previous two seasons with the Texas Rangers. The Braves and a number of other teams are included in this, albeit he appears to have communicated with Toronto.
How likely is it that Scherzer will visit Atlanta if he doesn’t sign with the Toronto Blue Jays?
Scherzer has already thrown in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington for a number of the Braves’ opponents.
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Max Scherzer’s protracted free agency with the Atlanta Braves
Before spring training begins, I believe the Braves will sign another pitcher to bolster the starting rotation. If Strider isn’t even close to returning this spring, that’s the only way I can see them adding two. Despite Morton’s decline, Lopez, Sale, and Schwellenbach were outstanding for Atlanta the previous season. I do find it difficult to imagine all three of them returning to their former level of excellence.
Because of this, I believe the Braves may try to sign a player similar to Scherzer in free agency. To be honest, I don’t believe Alex Anthpoulos, the general manager, falls for the ploy. He seems far more likely, in my opinion, to sign Jack Flaherty, Fried’s old high school teammate, or maybe trade for Dylan Cease, a local kid and Profar’s former Padres teammate. That’s what I think is valuable.
Scherzer could be the best option for Atlanta if we were looking to replace Morton with another aged veteran pitcher who has a long list of significant victories. He won’t be inexpensive, though. In free agency, Anthopoulos is infamous for not paying a gross premium. Atlanta will thus pass on Morton in favor of maybe signing Flaherty or, even better, dealing for Cease in a San Diego trade.
