The Braves have next to no holes on their roster. Their offense is fresh off a historically great season, becoming the first team in MLB history to record a slugging percentage north of .500 as a group. They also tied the record for the most home runs ever by a team in a single season with 307. The Braves are returning seven of eight starting position players, and the one replacement — Jarred Kelenic — certainly has a chance to be a significant upgrade over Eddie Rosario.
The pitching staff is equally as daunting. After experiencing a plethora of injuries over the last couple of seasons, Alex Anthopoulos didn’t mess around this offseason, bringing back Charlie Morton, Pierce Johnson, and Joe Jimenez, while adding Aaron Bummer, Reynaldo Lopez, and Chris Sale. From top to bottom, this is one of the best rosters ever put together. It’s that talented, but there’s always some room for improvement, and the obvious answer is the shortstop position.
Orlando Arcia did a fine job replacing Dansby Swanson, especially in the first half, which led to him being named to his first NL All-Star team. However, the second half left a lot to be desired, and it’s fair to question which version the Braves are going to get of Arcia in 2024, which is why Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report wants to see Alex Anthopoulos take one more big swing and pry Willy Adames away from Milwaukee.Â
Willy Adames to Atlanta
“You know what Atlanta needs? Another power-hitting infielder.”
Said nobody ever. Or at least, not right now. Atlanta got 30-plus home runs from Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies last season, leaving shortstop as the only infield position to not top that mark. And Orlando Arcia was fine at that spot.
But do you know what’s better than merely fine? Such things as good and better, of course, and Willy Adames would be either of those relative to Arcia.
Even in a down year relative to the standards he set in his first year and a half with the Milwaukee Brewers, Adames still put up 24 home runs and 3.0 rWAR last season. Or, seven more homers and 1.4 more rWAR than Atlanta got from Arcia.
Adames is a player I’ve talked about in the past as a potential target for the Braves. Because, like Rymer, I recognize that Orlando Arcia is one of the worst starting shortstops in the game. His defense is adequate, but he doesn’t bring much to the table offensively, even if he’s experienced much more success at the plate than he did in Milwaukee.
Adames would be a significant upgrade to the Braves lineup and add even more power and depth to the best offense in baseball. Imagining him with a tomahawk across his chest sitting at the bottom of the Braves order would be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. It’s also not out of the realm of possibilities.
The Brewers already parted ways with Corbin Burnes this offseason because they knew they weren’t going to pay him once he hit free agency at the end of the season. Adames is also a free agent at the end of the season, and they very well could deal him too before the trade deadline.
But while the Braves have a need and the Brewers could be open for business, a trade like this feels unlikely because of Atlanta’s prospect depth. They do have enough to pull of a move of this magnitude, but do they really want to give up top prospects for a one-year rental that they also likely won’t be willing to pay next offseason?
I don’t see it, but this could be a situation worth monitoring later on in the year when the trade deadline approaches.
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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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