Shelby Miller got optioned to AAA as he's been horrible all year. my God what a trade rape that was. could turn into 17 years of good to great players in exchange for a pitcher that couldn't keep his job.
prospect ranking midseason updates are out:
http://www.talkingchop.com/2016/7/12...-prospect-list
http://www.gondeee.com/2016/07/13/br...-35-prospects/
big surprise for me is Ronald Acuna. shades of Andruw Jones, except with elite hit tool but less power. hopefully he prefers working out to buffets...
Dustin Pederson is a surprise too. all of a sudden the Braves have a few legit position player prospects.
the rebuild timeline already got pushed back to 2017....i'm thinking it's quickly becoming 2018, though the payroll money to be spent next year may change all of that.
2018 starting lineups:
C ? (Braves now have several good C prospects, but they are all young and in Rookie ball, won't be ready any time soon.)
1B Freeman
2B Albies
SS Swanson
3B Ruiz
LF D Peterson
CF Mallex
RF Inciarte
SP Teheran
SP Wisler
SP Folty
SP Newcomb
SP Blair/Sims
P
Aces in the wings: Allard, Muller, Wentz, Anderson, Toussant, Soroka, Povse, Fried.....holy crap.
Position players in the wings: Austin Riley, Maitan, Acuna, 2 or 3 Latin SS prospects.
BP Minter (could be the next Kimbrel, we'll see him by next year, maybe this September)
BP Jenkins (Braves are now grooming him for the bullpen, but he may force their hand as a SP, may be the next
BP probably a couple of the above guys that don't develop well
BP who knows, but no worries as there's talent galore in the system, and this team has no problem finding diamonds in the rough for the BP.
needs: Power. i have a hard time seeing Dustin Peterson as a power hitter, but it's hard to tell as he's blossomed in Pearl which is a cavernous pitcher's park. Riley is a gamble at this point, he's striking out a ton.
Conclusion: with the money they have to spend, they can sign any FA they want. i'm talking a 10 year $300M deal. they need a mashing OF. who they pick will make or break their championship plans. i would wait on Harper and break the bank, i wouldn't gamble on an aging hitter again like Batista or even Cespedes. add that, and they can trade a CF or SP or two for whatever else they want. with that, there literally is no hole anywhere on that team, and the talent may keep coming for years.
good times are ahead.
