Spring Training is just a few weeks away, and the Braves have yet to make a single addition to their roster this offseason. Meanwhile, Max Fried, Charlie Morton, A.J. Minter, and others have found new homes. Right now, this is not a roster built to win a championship, with holes in the outfield and the pitching staff.
However, Hall of Fame third baseman and Braves legend Chipper Jones was on 680 The Fan earlier today, and reminded fans there’s no reason to hit the panic button in January.
“We got a pretty good team guys. Let’s chill out a bit,” Jones said. “We still got time to make moves. There’s still people out there. There’s still trades to be made. Alex (Anthopoulos) wants to make this roster as strong as possible to win as many games as possible. He’s not sitting on his hands, he’s doing work, he’s doing research, he’s trying to work within a certain budget, and let’s trust the man. He at least deserves that.”
There’s no question Alex Anthopoulos deserves the benefit of the doubt. As Braves general manager, he has more instances of making something out of nothing than just about every other general manager combined. Just look what he did last offseason when he acquired Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez for pennies.
There’s no point in passing judgment on the Braves offseason until it is complete. There are plenty of guys available in free agency or for trade that could significantly upgrade the outlook in Atlanta. If we’re sitting here on Opening Day, and the Braves roster looks the same as it does right now, every fan has the right to complain. But for now, let’s follow the advice of the legendary Chipper Jones and see what happens over the next five weeks.
—
Photographer: David Griffin/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.