The Atlanta Braves are already being tied to one of the more intriguing names in the upcoming free-agent market, with Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley predicting they’ll sign Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena.
Atlanta is still trying to keep its season alive tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies, but the front office is clearly expected to keep one eye on the offseason. Outfield help could be near the top of the shopping list, and Arozarena has emerged as a possible fit.
Buckley pointed to the kind of season Arozarena just put together, writing, "As for that career effort, it was a pretty monstrous one. He scored an AL-best 113 home runs, posted his best OPS in a full season (.865), launched the second-most homers of his career (26) and swiped his third-most steals (26)," Buckley wrote. "Altogether, he wound up with a 151 wRC+, per FanGraphs, putting him behind only MVP favorites Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong."
Arozarena, a three-time All-Star, is expected to draw plenty of attention on the market. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported that many MLB executives believe his starting price could land around $100 million over four years.
That kind of number would require the Braves to be comfortable making a major investment, but the appeal is obvious. Arozarena has now posted six straight seasons with at least 20 home runs and 20 or more steals, a level of production that would give Atlanta another dangerous bat.
The Braves are expected to remain in the NL East race for years, and adding Arozarena would only make their lineup tougher to deal with.
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For Braves fans, it was the kind of jinx that aged badly almost immediately and made for a small but satisfying subplot in a tense postseason game. Vottos stint in the role is limited to the wild-card round, since NBC does not have rights beyond that stage, so the misfire came in a brief audition that the Braves and their supporters will remember for the wrong reason. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Created A Huge Chris Sale Problem Before Dodgers Series
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Dodgers Catch A Huge NLDS Break As Braves Rotation Thins
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Atlanta will have to piece together innings with other options, including AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie, and that puts even more pressure on a staff trying to navigate one of the postseasons toughest lineups. The Dodgers were already a demanding matchup, and now the Braves have to find a way through it without one of the pitchers they were counting on to help steady the middle of games. [Read more 🡒]