What does the Braves offense look like with Yasiel Puig?

The Braves didn’t waste much time after Nick Markakis decided to opt-out of the 2020 season, signing Yasiel Puig yesterday. The deal’s details have yet to come out — probably because it won’t be official until Puig undergoes both a physical and COVID-19 testing. However, this is an exciting move for a slugger the Braves have had rumored interest in for years, and it’s even more critical with the DH coming to the National League. Atlanta was already slated to have a loaded offense. Now, Brian Snitker has an abundance of weapons to choose from daily. That depth will be crucial in this shortened season. Here’s how the Braves might matchup versus left-handed and right-handed pitching.

Versus Left-Handed Pitching

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., CF
2. Ozzie Albies, 2B
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Yasiel Puig, RF
6. Adam Duvall, LF
7. Travis d’Arnaud, C
8. Johan Camargo, 3B
9. Dansby Swanson, SS

How about that for power and depth? Everyone in this lineup can tally 20 home runs in a 162-game season, and it only gets more potent by switching Austin Riley for Johan Camargo. That competition will likely continue into the season, but one of them should provide plenty of offense, especially so late in the order. Riley has 40-run power, and Camargo is just a year removed from being a 3.0+ WAR player. Having a bat of Dansby Swanson’s caliber rounding out the order is just unfair. Good luck to the rest of the NL East.

Alternate Lineup Versus Left-Handed Pitching

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., CF
2. Ozzie Albies, 2B
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Yasiel Puig, RF
6. Adam Duvall, LF
7. Travis d’Arnaud, C
8. Austin Riley, 3B
9. Dansby Swanson, SS

Versus Right-Handed Pitching

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
2. Ozzie Albies, 2B
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Yasiel Puig, LF
6. Travis d’Arnaud, C
7. Johan Camargo, 3B
8. Dansby Swanson, SS
9. Ender Inciarte, CF

With Puig now in the fold, it puts a ton of pressure on Ender Inciarte to preform. The Braves can easily move things around by putting Ronald Acuña in centerfield, replacing Inciarte’s bat in the order. Perhaps Duvall gets hot, and they put him in left field. Or maybe it’s Riley that breaks out of his second-half slump from last year. The Braves could move Ozuna back to the outfield and use Riley as a DH. Atlanta also hasn’t ruled out bringing up Cristian Pache sometime this year. However, I find that much less likely with the addition of Puig. Inciarte deserves an opportunity to begin the season with a role, but if his stick lags behind, it won’t be long before he is purely a bench bat and defensive sub.

Alternate Lineup Versus Right-Handed Pitching

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., CF
2. Ozzie Albies, 2B
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna, LF
5. Yasiel Puig, RF
6. Travis d’Arnaud, C
7. Johan Camargo, 3B
8. Austin Riley, DH
9. Dansby Swanson, SS