Last season, the Braves’ outfield was a rollercoaster, with the only ounce of consistency coming from Ronald Acuna Jr. Ender Inciarte had his share of struggles, and he and Nick Markakis both suffered from the injury bug. Austin Riley went on a ridiculous hot streak when he got called up, but then seemingly forgot how to hit a baseball. And while Adam Duvall and Matt Joyce played well when called upon as reserves, they aren’t guys you want in the lineup every day if you are competing for championships. Somewhere in the midst of all this, the Braves were looking for another outfielder, as Alex Gordon was reportedly a name of interest:
This was certainly expected. The Braves expressed interest in Gordon before last year's Trade Deadline. But the talks did not progress because the feeling was Gordon's desire to play his entire career with the Royals would lead him to exercise his right to veto a trade. https://t.co/slHKmBHwPK
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) January 22, 2020
As you can see above, Gordon just returned to the Royals on a one-year deal, where he would like to spend his career. But it is not very surprising that Alex Anthopoulos showed interest. He had his best offensive season since the Royals made their World Series appearance in 2015 and will now be had back at a value.
The Braves recently signed Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal. What is noteworthy about this deal is how much Alex Anthopoulos prioritizes defense. It is for that reason we will likely see Ender Inciarte play every day as opposed to Nick Markakis, barring injury or trades. While the Braves had to fill their roster with an offensive need in this situation, Anthopoulos is looking for talent at both ends. Though they lost Josh Donaldson and his elite defense, Atlanta has no real weakness defensively this year with a field full of fresh legs.
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