Ranking the Atlanta Braves’ 5 Biggest Offseason Needs
Ranking the Atlanta Braves’ 5 Biggest Offseason Needs
Even the team that wins it all every season cannot go into the next Major League Baseball season thinking their team is ready to go. Everyone has a few needs here and there. The Atlanta Braves fell short of their large goal but made the playoffs and won their division in 2013. To say they have no needs would be utterly ridiculous because they have plenty of areas that need addressing before the start of the 2014 season.
This won’t necessarily mean they need to change personnel in several spots around the diamond because a lot of needs can be completely internal for every team and it is certainly true for the Braves. They also have quite a few areas that are strong going in like left field. Justin Upton appears to be ready to have another great year in 2014 with the strong finish to the 2013 season. He might be a tad streaky but he certainly carries the team a few times through the season.
Closer is an area that doesn’t need addressing other than to ensure they do everything they can to help Craig Kimbrel stay healthy. He is one of the most automatic in the ninth inning across all of baseball. Third base looks solid and the gold glove-winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons has shown that the sky is the limit for his skills. Now on to the few things that the Braves need badly to get right this offseason. Enjoy and please leave a comment.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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5 – Fill Out Starting Rotation
This isn’t a huge problem as much as it is a choice of which direction they want to go. They have Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachey, Alex Wood, David Hale and possibly Tim Hudson if they re-sign him. Whether or not to sign Huddy and making the right moves with the young guys will be a big deal heading into the season.
4 – B.J. Upton
Some people are more than happy to point out now that they never have thought much of Upton but even his worst year prior to 2013 is nowhere in the ballpark. He has never been close to that unproductive and the Braves badly need him to hit 2014 directly in his stride and have at least a good season.
3 – Pick a Starting Catcher
Brian McCann is as good as gone by now and certainly will be soon. The Braves have to chose the right starter between young prospect Christian Betancourt and established sophomore Evan Gattis. They will probably strike a good balance between the two but I would look for Gattis to get more playing time.
2 – Settle on the 2014 Bullpen
There are a couple of good guys coming back but as always there will be some turnover in the bullpen. The Braves saw in the postseason how important these guys can be and had better take the time to get the right guys sitting in the ‘pen by opening day.
1 – Replace Dan Uggla
Uggla not only was unproductive but he was loud-mouthed about being benched because of it. It just isn’t a good situation and no matter who they get to replace him, Uggla needs to go. They might not be able to convince someone to pay much of his salary but that’s okay as long as he is gone. Whether the Braves want to replace him in-house or via trade is a big decision as well. Overall fixing this situation is the biggest need for the Braves.
