The Atlanta Braves endured a miserable 2015 season that included inconsistencies from young players, trades of fan favorites and numerous injuries. The front office of the Braves -- led by general manager John Coppolella, team president John Schuerholz and president of baseball operations John Hart -- has shifted the team into a rebuilding mode with eyes on contending when SunTrust Park opens in 2017.
Over the past 13 months, the Braves' front office has been busy piecing together trades to net big prospect returns. In this time, they have acquired 12 of their top 17 prospects (according to MLB.com) via trade. Although many fans are frustrated with the rebuilding process, the Braves have a very bright future ahead of them, as they are looking to bring back the formula of success that worked so well through the 1990s and early 2000s: stockpile young arms.
Here is a look at the Braves' offseason moves, as well as prospects to watch in 2016.
Although the Braves have traded some of the fan favorites over the past year, these deals were constructed to build around young talent, especially young arms. Last November, the Braves traded right fielder Jason Heyward and right-hander Jordan Walden to the Cardinals for righty Shelby Miller and righty Tyrell Jenkins. Although the move was not popular with some at first, there was a lot of value in acquiring a Major League starter who had four years of control and a Minor League arm who was still developing, in exchange for an outfielder who was one year away from hitting the open market, and an oft-injured reliever. Miller would go on to have a terrific 2015 campaign, although his 6-17 win-loss record didn't say so.
Recently, trade rumors swirled around the 25-year-old Miller, but Coppolella was firm on his word that he wanted impact talent in return. The Braves would end up striking a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, sending Miller and left-hander Gabe Speier to the D-backs in exchange for shortstop Dansby Swanson, righty Aaron Blair and outfielder Ender Inciarte.
Swanson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft, is from Kennesaw, Georgia, and attended Marietta High School. He has tremendous upside as well as makeup, and is ranked No. 10 overall on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list.
Blair is also in the Top 100 Prospects, ranked at No. 61 overall. He projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter and should be seen in Atlanta's rotation sometime this year.
Inciarte is a 25-year-old outfielder who can hit for contact as well as bring speed to the basepaths. He is also a premium defender who can play all three outfield spots. 2015 was a breakout year for Inciarte, as he hit .303 with 27 doubles and 21 stolen bases in only his second year in the Majors.
Overall, this trade was set up by dealing Heyward to the Cardinals last year. If the Braves didn't trade Heyward, they would've only received the 35th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, nothing compared to the haul that they received from the Diamondbacks in addition to Jenkins.
Andrelton Simmons has been the best defensive shortstop in the game over the past three-plus years. He had become a fan favorite in Atlanta, and often appeared on highlight shows dazzling with his defensive wizardry. Simmons, though, is below average in the offense department, posting a combined 1.4 offensive WAR over the past two seasons. The Braves, looking to add pitching, saw this as an opportunity to sell high on Simmons' defense, and they were able to acquire the No. 19 overall prospect in baseball (according to MLB.com), Sean Newcomb, a future middle-of-the-rotation starter in Chris Ellis and veteran shortstop Erick Aybar in exchange for Simmons and Minor League catcher Jose Briceno.
Newcomb, a 6-foot-5, 22-year-old lefty, immediately became the Braves' No. 1 prospect. Newcomb should be a future No. 1 starter for the Braves, and is projected to be in the Majors by 2017.
Ellis, a third-round pick in 2014 out of Mississippi, is another quality arm that should also be ready by 2017.
Aybar, who turns 32 on Jan. 14, posted an oWAR of 6.7 over the past two years, and will provide an upgrade offensively over Simmons. Given time, this trade could be one of the most influential for the Braves moving forward.
So far, the 2016 Braves seem to be shaping up to be better than the 2015 version. Coppolella has focused on adding even more of a veteran presence to the squad as well as adding to the bullpen, which ranked 29th in the Majors in bullpen ERA (4.69) in 2015. In the bullpen, the Braves have added Jose Ramirez (trade with Mariners), Jim Johnson, David Carpenter and Ian Krol.
Ramirez, 25 years old, can dial it up to 100 mph, but has lacked consistency so far in his career. In 16 career Major League games with the Yankees and Mariners, he is 1-2 with an 8.66 ERA and 15 strikeouts compared to 17 walks. If he can harness his stuff, Ramirez can be a great piece to the bullpen.
Johnson, who signed a one-year deal last year with the Braves, is back after a mid-season trade with the Dodgers. Last year in 49 games with the Braves, Johnson went 2-3 with a 2.25 ERA, and will benefit by reuniting with pitching coach Roger McDowell.
Carpenter, who signed a Minor League contract with an invite to spring training, posted a 2.63 ERA over 126 2/3 innings with the Braves over 2013 and 2014, and could be just the low-risk, high-reward deal the Braves need.
Krol was acquired from the Tigers in the deal that sent Cameron Maybin to Detroit. The 24-year-old lefty has posted a 4-4 record with a 4.91 ERA in 88 innings in his career. Although still unproven, Krol can add depth to a bullpen that struggled in 2015. With Jason Grilli and Shae Simmons coming back from injuries, the Braves will look to add a few more mid-tier pieces to round out the bullpen.
The Braves lacked veteran presence in the rotation in 2015, and to fill that void, they signed veteran righty Bud Norris to a low-risk $2.5 million contract. This could turn out to be very beneficial to the Braves if Norris can bounce back to his 2014 form that saw him win 15 games with the Orioles.
On the position player side, the Braves have brought back veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski on a one-year deal to help continue the growth of Christian Bethancourt. In 113 games in 2015, Pierzynski hit .300, with nine home runs and 49 RBIs after taking the starting catching position from Bethancourt early in the season.
For the bench, Georgia native, and former first-round pick Gordon Beckham has signed a one-year deal with the Braves to provide defensive help all around the infield. Beckham had a .209 average, 6 home runs and 20 RBIs for the White Sox in 2015. Although he hasn't produced as many would've liked, a change of scenery could be beneficial to the 29-year-old utility man.
The Braves have also signed catcher Tyler Flowers, who is no stranger to the Braves organization, as they drafted him in the 33rd round in 2005. Flowers attended Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia, and like Beckham, he is a Georgia native who was enticed by the opportunity to play at home. In 2015, Flowers posted a .239 average with 9 home runs and 39 RBIs in 331 at-bats with the White Sox. He has been praised for his game-calling abilities, his relationships with pitchers and his pitch-framing skills. The right-handed-hitting Flowers will be a perfect fit to platoon with the left-handed-hitting Pierzynski.
Prospects are just what their name suggests -- prospects. They are not finished products, but they have the potential to become something great. The Braves have done a great job of restocking a farm system that was barren under former GM Frank Wren. Here's a look at four Braves prospects who could make their debut in the 2016 season.
RHP - Blair - ETA 2016 - Braves' No. 4 overall prospect
Blair can reach 95 mph with his fastball and has two quality secondary pitches. In 2015, he posted a 13-5 record with a 2.92 ERA in 26 games, 25 of them being starts, between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno. He also posted a 120/50 K/BB ratio. Blair is deemed very close to being Major League ready, and he should be in the rotation sometime during the 2016 campaign.
RHP Jenkins - ETA 2016 - Braves' No. 7 overall prospect
Jenkins thrived in 2015 with the Braves, posting an 8-9 record with a 3.19 ERA in 25 starts between Double-A Mississippi, and Triple-A Gwinnett. At 23, Jenkins has bounced back nicely from shoulder surgery in 2013, and will only continue to get better as he continues to get innings under his belt. Jenkins will have to improve his command if he wants to stay in the big leagues, as evident by his 88/61 K/BB ratio. Overall, he is a talented young arm who will be a nice middle-of-the-rotation type arm in the future.
3B Rio Ruiz - ETA 2016 - Braves' No. 12 overall prospect
Ruiz was acquired by the Braves in the Evan Gattis deal with the Astros last January, and spent his first year in Double-A in 2015. Although he struggled at times (.233/.333/.657), Ruiz still showed he can get on base and use the whole field. As he continues to develop, Ruiz should fit nicely in the Braves' lineup, and with another Spring Training with the Braves this spring, he should be more consistent in 2016.
OF Mallex Smith - ETA 2016 - Braves' No. 17 overall prospect
Smith had a terrific 2015 campaign with the Braves after coming over from the Padres as part of the Justin Upton deal. Between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, Smith had an average of .306 with a .373 OBP and was 57-for-70 in stolen bases. It was the first season that Smith had played above Single-A, and he showed tremendous growth, as well as provided the Braves with a reason to believe he could take over center field at some point in 2016.
The Braves are not finished making moves, as they are still looking to add a few bullpen pieces and possibly another veteran starter. Overall, they are putting together a pretty good club, even with the future in mind, and they are definitely aiming to win more than 67 games in 2016. The Braves aren't too far away from contenting either, and although it may take a season or two to get there, it should definitely be worth the wait as a copious amount of talent is on the rise in Atlanta.
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