The ink is barely even dry on the 2024 season and already the trades are firing. At least let us catch our breaths!
Alright, let's see here, y'know how the theme of the 23-24 offseason was the Braves offloading contracts to save cap space [only to...take on more contracts anyway?]. I think we're here again. Because Jorge Soler still has two more years on his contract he signed with the Giants, and the Braves don't especially feel like paying that for a power hitter past his prime. So, here we are.
Jorge Soler was decent enough in a stretch run with the Braves this past season, he hit 9 homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games, as well as 2 hits in 8 postseason plate appearance, one of which left the park. But...the days of Jorge Soler hitting 40 homers and being valuable to an organization might be over. At this point he's kind of a passable power bat, he's good for you in some situations but useless in others. So I get why the Braves would want to get rid of him, there's really no need for a one-dimensional power bat going forward.
But...trading him to the Angels...for Griffin Canning. That's not a guarantee of a fair return.
First of all, Soler in Anaheim...*could* work. Maybe he has a comeback season as a hard hitting DH/OF type, maybe he's just what that lineup needs. The Angels are rebuilding, there are some pieces that could go somewhere in 2025, Soler could be a sturdy backbone. But...if this is a rebuilding, young team with several promising young starters, Soler sticks out like a sore thumb. You want a team on the same page if you're establishing yourself, and Soler could clash with what the rest of the Angels want. I'm not saying he will, but he could.
Then Canning in Atlanta. Which means, for the second year running, the Braves have traded for an injury-prone hurler in the hopes that everything finally clicks. And to their credit, it worked with Chris Sale. It repeatedly looked like it wouldn't, but Sale was a risk that truly paid off. Canning, though...I'm not as sure of. Until 2024, Canning had never pitched a full season, thanks to injuries or some other factor. At his breakout, Canning was really strong, and had his most impressive showing...in 2020, a strike-shortened season, even winning a gold glove. Then in 2021 he gets hurt, 2022 he misses all of, 2023 he's hurt for some stretches of and this season it was clear that the injuries were still hanging over him. Despite a fuller season, Canning had a 6-13 record and a 5.19 ERA, a comedown from a relatively impressive 2023.
And the Braves said 'we'd like this'.
I mean, at worst Canning misses more time and makes them regret the deal, but what's the ceiling at this point? They're expecting Canning to be a serviceable 4th or 5th rotation guy who can at least hold offenses down? Can Canning even be that level of innings-eater anymore? And to the Braves' credit, Morton and Fried will likely be gone, they gave away Kyle Wright and Mike Soroka last year, they're down to two rehabbing starters in Strider and Ynoa, two great 2024 stories whose future value is uncertain in Sale and Lopez, and future pieces like Schwellenbach and Waldrep who, I'm guessing, will have to pick up a lot of slack next year. And now you have Canning, who...I guess represents some level of consistency in all that? Like we know he can go 32 games now, but will it cost him the majority of 2025?? This feels like it needlessly complicates things further.
And with the Braves, you also have to think about the possibility that they're only getting Canning as bait for a future trade, as they did with Marco Gonzales last year, or Jackson Kowar or whichever. Which...I guess makes sense for a GM but perhaps not for a layperson?
I dunno, man. To me it seems like Anthopoulous is trying to long-game this but not seeing what's in front of him. If this works out somehow, I'll give him the credit. But this far out it just seems confusing and misguided.
No comments:
Post a Comment