Earlier this morning, Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic wrote on how the compensatory pick the Braves would have to forfeit could prevent them from signing A.J. Pollack (subscription required).
Latest notes: Why #Braves are reluctant to forfeit a draft pick; #Brewers’ next steps; #Rockies’ infield decision; #Yankees view of LeMahieu; more. https://t.co/J5oBsWsisw $
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 15, 2019
The Braves have been linked to Pollack several times since the beginning of the offseason. He would complete the Braves outfield and be an ideal upgrade to Nick Markakis, who is also still a free agent.
It’s interesting to hear that a compensatory pick would be the principal factor keeping this deal from happening. Once one of baseball’s most coveted players, Pollock has played in over 140 games just once in his seven-year career and played in over 120 games twice.
Despite that, Rosenthal reports that the Braves seem to be willing to offer Pollock the hefty contract he is searching for if there wasn’t a comp pick attached. That pick would be somewhere around sixty. After winning their grievance case last week, the Braves already have the #9 and #21 pick in this year’s draft.
However, due to the actions of former general manager, John Coppollela, The Braves lost a bevy of international prospects, a 2018 third-round pick, and are restricted from competing in the international market for a few more years.
Atlanta may have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball, but it’s incredibly top-heavy. For this run to be like the one in the 90s, the Braves are going to continue to hold on to and acquire young talent. They are already behind in that department, and from this report, it doesn’t look like they are interested in losing more ground.
Stay tuned for more updates.