Updated Offseason Priorities, Byron Buxton, and Ronald Acuna Jr.

00:00:19
Speaker 1: Welcome on and all to the Hammer Territory Podcast.

00:00:22
Speaker 2: My name is Sean Coleman.

00:00:23
Speaker 1: Hope, wherever you are ere, ever you are listening, you are having an outstanding week so far. The GM meetings are now in the books, and while we've not really seen a lot of activity so far this off season, rumors are certainly ramping up, and that includes some that focus on the Atlanta Braids and we're gonna discuss some of those in today's episode.

00:00:46
Speaker 2: It is always with me one of the best.

00:00:47
Speaker 1: When it comes to breaking down the braves podcast partner, my friend Steven Tolbert Stephen. Good talking with you, sir.

00:00:55
Speaker 3: What's up, buddy Emen. Just a comically slow start to the off season. Not a single transaction by any team, No trades, no signings. Every rumor is like a drop of water in a desert. We're just all clinging to it just because it is literally the only thing out there right now. Yeah, it's just it's the baseball all season always starts off with a with a dud, and it just seems like this year it's just even slower than normal. Usually we have something by now, but I don't think there's been a single Major League trade or signing since free agency started last Thursday, So here we are waiting and Alex Adoplas did make some public comments. It was the GM meetings. You wouldn't know it by any of the news that came out, but technically the GMS all did gather in Las Vegas. Everybody spoke publicly. So we got some comments from Nthopoless, some interesting stuff that we're going to talk about, and then we had another award drop tonight that we're gonna talk about a little bit at the end of the show. But yeah, it's good to be all with you.

00:01:58
Speaker 1: Man YouTube man as always, and let's go right into it. And basically, you know, it's nothing new, but it always is. You know, it's always relevant when hey, it comes straight from the decision maker's mouth himself, and that of course is Alex and Thopless, who spoke with the media I believe multiple times during his time at the GAM meetings. But what really stood out was that he did say, you know that the Braves off season plans consisted of starting pitching and a shortstop and the big key is that was the focus right now. And then he made the comment, and lots of relievers and then I think in latter comments, you know, he elaborated a bit saying that the focus is pitchers and shortstops and then looking at relievers. Steven, when you kind of see Alex lay out the order of operations in terms of how the off season may play out or where the bravest focuses are, what are your initial thoughts.

00:02:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, So when I saw that, the first thing I thought was he's ordering it by what he thinks might cost the most. H you know, depending on what level of starter he goes after, that's probably gonna be a significant part of his budget. And then whatever short stop he goes after, whether it's Kim or or Bushett or somebody we haven't talked about or we have talked about, but we just don't know, it's probably gonna be a decent amount of money. And he probably has to think, like we have to get those two figured out and then see how much money we have left. Bullpen is not an option, Like he has to get relievers. They have like two relievers right now, like three, maybe two or three. Like another thing that came out is they're still unsure about Joejamanez and we don't know if he's you know if he's gonna pitch in twenty twenty six or how he's gonna look, and apparently that knee is still a pretty big question. And he's a big guy. He's a huge guy, and so it's not it's not crazy, but it's been a long time since he's pitched and we still don't know anything about what how he's going to look in twenty twenty six. So bullpen is a must. But reading those comments, I did think, all right, he's going in order of what it's going to cost him because he's got to make sure he's got enough to do the two big things first. And I do think starter and shortstop are the two big things. Though bullpen is certainly necessary when you when you look at the current state of the bullpen.

00:04:26
Speaker 1: And that's for my take is I'm not necessarily calling BS because you know, I know not to take Alex and Topless at his word, obviously, but I think the first move the break Braves make is getting their closer. I really do think that that's the first move that they make. I'm not coming BS on alexandopolass because I think that he's being honest and accurate. I feel like that at the GM meetings, he probably did lay the groundwork on likely trade scenario for a starter, because I think it's more likely he trades for a starter than signs one. And I think that he had some conversations with Scott Morris regarding Hasan Kim and also did some due diligence on other shortstop options, So I think that that probably was his focus at the time that he made the comments. But I do think that with the fact that Johamanz now seems to be more of an uncertainty of this all season than we thought, and the Braves just have so many holes to feel in their bullpen, and with how important the bullpen is to Alex and Thoppless, one thing that probably is higher on his list that many may think is getting the established, reliable back end option in there. And I don't necessarily think that that's gonna be an Edwin Diaz are just a top, top, top of the line guy. But I know Robert Sworez is someone that some have connected to the Braves someone along those lines. You've got plenty of options out there with closing experience. I think in the coming days, Alex and Thopless is going to at least make a run at one or two of those guys to see if they can land him. So, while I think he's done work on establishing his paths towards getting the starter in the shortstop, I think, especially with how many slots there are, needs there are in the bullpion and specifically a back end closing option, I think a closer is going to be the first big move of the breaks this offseason.

00:06:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, certainly possible, and one thing you can't really I mean, you can control it somewhat, but it's also not completely in your hands when moves get to the finish line. You know, these guys have agents, and they have other teams that are talking to and you know, listen with like the top guys, a lot of them just wait now, they'll wait and wait and wait. You know, a lot of that is boris. He likes to wait until like March to get his guy signed because he wants to make sure every single team hasn't had a chance to talk to their owner and what's the best offer, and like you know, when you're starting free agents or even trades, like it's not up to you entirely about when this stuff gets done. And so he could you know, he could certainly want to get shortstopp done and certainly want to get a starter done. And you know, there's also the thing where like you think you're gonna wait to get a closer, but then all of a sudden you wake up one morning and three closers sign elsewhere. It's like in a draft where you get this run on receivers and you're like, well, I was gonna wait to get a receiver, but they're all going right now, so I gotta take one. You know, you could get a run on closers. You're like, well they am, no, there's no wait now. If I want to get my guy, I gotta go get my guy. So it's not entirely up to him, and he knows that. I mean, he's been doing this a long time. But I do think priority wise, I do think they in their brains they're going to spend a substantial amount of money at Starter and at shortstop, and I think they I think they think they can be creative with the bullpen in terms of how much money to spend. Now, I agree with you, I don't know that you can be all that creator with the closer. I think with the closer you probably just got to pay the guy. Pick the guy you want and pay him. But with everybody else, you can be creative. You can make trade. You can go find guys that you think are more valuable than maybe their numbers or you know, like they did with Kinley and Pierce Johnson. Like, you can go find those guys and you can be creative financially with the bullpen. It's tougher to be creative with the shortstops and with the starters. Some of that is just you gotta pay him. So I do think he's being honest there, but like you said, it might not be entirely up to him. And the closer. We've heard actually there was a report today that that the closer market is moving a little bit. We got we got Edwin Diaz rumors, we got Robert Schwarez rumors, and so like, if that market moves, you got to move with it or you miss out on your guys. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me a off that's the first move that that they make this off season. You're muted. I'm that's just well, I mean, your consistency is just if.

00:09:01
Speaker 1: You've met on the show and you bet on if the if if you were to be a betting person, you would win quite a bit if.

00:09:09
Speaker 2: You would bet on me. Speaking while you're.

00:09:11
Speaker 3: The Matt Alison of muting yourself, you just every day you show up, just.

00:09:15
Speaker 2: I could be, or I could be compared to maleson to life the better.

00:09:19
Speaker 3: An incredible consistency.

00:09:21
Speaker 1: But the thing that I'll say is this about how a pitching staff comes together, is that the starting rotation and bullpen are a bit opposite in terms of how you build them out. Listen to your starting rotation is a lot easier to build if you've already got the top taken care of in terms of an ace. Probably have that Chris Sale. The bullpen is a lot easier to build out when you've got the back end taken care of, and that of course is a reliable closer. The Braves don't have that. And so you mentioned a draft, right like think to yourselves. For those who listen to the show, if you've ever done a fantasy football draft, you know that you need to stock up running backs. You know you need to stock up wide receivers. There always is that that tease that you that you don't want to get, you know, too far, down the tight end list and then you don't have a good guy. That's kind of how I think the approach is when it comes to the closer. Yes, the Braves need pitching. Yes, of course they need a short stop. I need this many, you know, offensive pieces as they can get. But you just came off a season where you truly saw, even with Rice ell Iglacias back there, you truly saw if you don't have a reliable back into the bullpen, it really puts you in a hole to try to compete with consistently. That's why I think Getty, that established closer could be a bit higher on the priority list or Alex and Thopplis won't hesitate to pounce early if there's an opportunity to make something happen.

00:10:43
Speaker 3: And he's always had one, He's always had a closer like and he's.

00:10:47
Speaker 1: Always been willing to pay top dollar for a closer.

00:10:50
Speaker 3: Pay big money. Yeah, they paid Will Smith top dollar on the free agent market. They paid Kelan Jansen like eighteen million bucks. I think they took on that Aglesia's contract with which was a massive contract for a reliever. I think when he signed that deal with LA it was like a four year fifty six million dollar contract or something something that's I mean for a year sixty four four year sixty four, So there you go. So yeah, it was a big, big contract that he took all of and so yeah, he's always had a proven closer, even going back before that, we didn't even mention, like when he traded for Mark Blanson. Yeah, so yeah, they've never gone. They've you know, it's just a it's a position they believe in. Even though it's more of an old school kind of traditional you know, get a guy who can get your saves, you know, role, it's still very much alive in the modern game. And they've always had one. He's always had one, and like you said, he's always spent a chunk of change on one too. So yeah, I agree with you. I would not be surprised at all at all if their first move was closer.

00:11:50
Speaker 1: So of course, when it comes to Alex and Thoppolss and the off season, you could try to structure it as much as possible, but there's always the surprise element when it comes to Alexandopolis. And there was a name that the Braves have been tied to. That also we have seen resurface when it comes to rumors over the past few days.

00:12:09
Speaker 2: More on that just a.

00:12:10
Speaker 1: Moment after a word from our partners.

00:12:14
Speaker 2: So, Stephen.

00:12:16
Speaker 1: One of the things that came from the twenty twenty five MLB trade deadline, which let's be honest, was a disappointment overall when it came to the Braves, was a few days after it came to surface that the Braves and actually the Mets as well, had targeted a somewhat surprising and unexpected name that definitely would have been a difference maker if something would have happened, and that, of course is Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. And I want to say this, and I don't want to for it to be taken out of context. Byron Buxton's career certainly has not lived up to the potential that many thought that it could have. But if you go to this's stat cast page, and if you go and you look and you realize that his stat cast page looks like it does, and he's in his early thirties, one thing remains very clear. Even with all the injuries that Byron Buxton has had, he to me clearly stands out as still being a top ten overall natural talent in the game of Major League Baseball today, and so if you have any opportunity to potentially at least look into the possibility of going after him and acquiring him, especially on the contract that he's on, it certainly is worth looking into. But I want to just make that clear. When it comes to Byron Buxton, many think, Okay, the injuries have kind of derailed his career so on and so forth. Yes, they certainly have prevented him from, you know, living up to the expectations of potentially being at all time great. I mean, he thought he could have been at the start of his career, but he still rem one of the singular best offensive producers.

00:14:03
Speaker 2: In the game.

00:14:04
Speaker 1: And if the Braves were to have an opportunity to go actoring, it could make sense.

00:14:10
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, he is kind of a polarizing guy because of the injuries. He had thirty five home runs last year. I don't know how many people realized that because the Twins were bad and they did a big fire south the deadline and they kind of just, you know, everybody kind of forgot about him. But he hit thirty five home and he put up a five to win season last year. He only played one hundred and twenty six games, but that tells you how unbelievable he was in those one hundred and twenty six games that he put up a five.

00:14:33
Speaker 2: One hundred percentile sprint speed steal.

00:14:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, he's yeah, you can fly as a great outfielder. He will be thirty two next year's his age thirty two seasons, so you have to be careful with that, especially if somebody wh's already had a lot of injuries. But it is interesting the Braves, you know, I think the I think there was a Twins beat writer that reported right after the deadline last year that the Braves called and were interested. So a couple of things on that one, Rosenthal did come out today and say Ken Rosenthal foul territory that he did not think the Braves were going to explore a trade for Barron Buckson one, because they have Michael Harris, you know, I don't know, like obviously, if you trade for Byron Buxton, you have to include something in the trade. And the Twins are like kind of rebuilding kind of not they They've sent out some mixed messaging this week, especially at the GM meetings. Their GM said they were trying to build around Pablo Lopez, which is weird when you got a thirty year old picture and you just started to rebuild. But whatever, Twins do weird stuff. But if you're gonna trade for Barron Buckston, you got to give stuff up. And so like in my brain, I was thinking, well, they're trading for a center fielder. I'm guessing the Twins would want Michael Harris in return. And also, like the thing is he's twenty. You know, Michael Harris is also not a prospect anymore. Like, if the Twins are really starting to rebuild, do they want somebody who's already like four years into their major league career? They want like legitimate top level prospects to build this thing from the ground up. I don't know the answer to that. And now for the Braves perspective, you know, we've talked all the time about it, like you can easily fit four outfielders because I saw some stuff like, well they already have three outfitter that does not matter. That's like saying you can't have a starter because you got five outfielders. Are the outfielders is very similar to the rotation, like you you just collect them because you're gonna have injuries. You got the DH. I mean, I've said like twenty times on the show. I want the Braves to go get another like star level outfitter and use that DH spot to rotate all those guys. I think that would help keep Buston healthy. I think it would help keep profile healthy. I think it'd help keep Acuna healthy. But we're not gonna do all that again. So I see the appeal. I also see the risk. You know, He's he gets hurt a lot. And if you have a Kunya in Buxton in the same organization, I mean you you better double the size of your training room because those two guys get hurt a lot. And Michael Harris has had his share of injuries. Profar obviously had the eighty game suspension last year. So it is risky, but I can I certainly see the appeal. I do I think it's gonna happen. No, it's a tough trade to make. You know, the Braves have good prospects. The Braves don't have elite prospects, or if they do have elite prospects, usually have like one like last year with Drake Baldwin, where yeah, you had the technically had the talent to go get somebody like that, But every single person wanted Drake Baldwin. So if you weren't willing to trade them, then you couldn't really go get anybody. That's what happened with like Garrett Crochet, everybody wanted Drake bald What the Braves don't have is like the depth at the top where like the Boston Red Sox could make the trade for Garrett Crochet but then keep Roman Anthony and Marcella Meyer and Christian Campbell, like they kept all their top guys and made the trade. That's what the Braves don't have. The Braves don't have that level of depth where they can trade for guys like this and keep their top guys. And that's kind of the next level they need to get their system too. So I would definitely say I don't see it, but I I mean, Alex has surprised us with much more than that. Like the Chris Sale trade just came out of nowhere, so we've at least heard about this, But yeah, I would be I would be pretty surprised if it happened.

00:18:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, And and what I'll say, I think there was plenty of logic in what Kid Rosenthal said, you know, in terms of the brains, already have an established outfielder. But if the Twins are asking for Michael Harris back for Byron Bucks, and it doesn't make a lot of sense for the Braves. But but the thing that I'll say to this is that you know, I know the Braves have needs that they need to fill this offseason, but they also if there's an opportunity to get a true difference maker, yeah you go after that. And that's what Byran Bucks it is.

00:18:41
Speaker 3: Well, I think I think they need a bat. I think they need a bat.

00:18:44
Speaker 1: And we've seen this before, right, you know, wod Kid rosen Thal bitches when they've already got a cent or fielder. Where just go back a few off seasons to go to the twenty three off season, they had two legitimate good catchers, Williams as well as Travis Dardo, and they went and got Sean Murphy and they traded could Trais in that scenario. The reason I think, again, I think Kim Rosettal had good logic, but I think even more so why it would be hard to make sense, It's just because it would be hard to your point, the Braves probably aren't sending the top prospect value back to the Twins because, like the Braves, every team out there were wanting to get Viral Buxton and I also would not be surprised. And if the Braves were to move for Byran Buxton, Sean Murphy's moving somewhere in a deal just because their contracts line up perfectly. Murphy has three years and fifteen million dollars left, so does Buxton. You know, I think the Braves could keep both of them. But if the Braves are going to look to maybe give you know, Hassan Kim that about over multiple years as well, you know, having Kim Profar Buxton as well as Murphy on the roster at fifteen million each, that would be hard to do. So I think the construction of a deal, the mechanics of a deal probably is the reason why. To your it's very unlikely to see stuff that occur. But going after Bucksted that move that doesn't really seem to make sense fit wise, but really could make sense value and impact wise. Yeah, that's that's where Alex Atopless puts his focus a lot of times. So give it a five or ten percent chance, but it would not surprise me if it Thopless made that type of move.

00:20:25
Speaker 3: And listen, I'll say this. If you make that move, if you like, if you trade for Byron Buxton, then you can probably get away with going for like just pure defense at shortstop, right because you you have deepened the lineup. And the problem right now with the lineup is, you know you're losing Azuna. You don't know what you're gonna get from Sean Murphy next year with the help, Like you don't know what you're gonna get from Michael Harris. You don't know what you're gonna give from Asia Albi's. You can't really afford to just give up a spot in the lineup at short stop like you have been. And so that's why everybody's been saying you got to go get a real s. You gotta go somebody can hit at that position.

00:21:02
Speaker 1: Well, if you.

00:21:03
Speaker 3: Add Buxton, that need decreases, right because you have added an impact back. And I'm not saying you let Nick Allen do it. I think I think you got to find something better than Nick Allen either way. But you could go find a guy who could maybe post like an eighty WRC plus versus one hundreds or Nick Allen's like in the fifties, right, that's what you can't have. But if you have Buston, you can get something that's more defensive minded, that's maybe just you know, bad at offense instead of truly, truly, tragically bad like Nick Allen. So it is a sliding scale, and it's it's a lot of it's tied to money, like you were saying with with Sean Murphy his contract, I don't know if the Twins would want Murphy because again they're kind of like starting to rebuild. I don't maybe it's a three team deal or somebody else takes Murphy. I don't know. You know, also Murph has this hip injury slash surgery. You know, I don't know that you can even trade Sean Murphy right now, to be quite fraek, I don't know if anybody knows what they're gonna get next year in Sean Murphy. So you know, there's a lot of balls in the air, and this can go a lot of ways. And that's why we've talked about for weeks and weeks and months and months now this is a fascinating offseason because my god, can he go in a lot of different directions to try to get to the same place, which is back to the playoffs, and we'll see what they do.

00:22:21
Speaker 1: But it's interesting when we talk about all these different directions that Alex and Thopless can go, and he's likely exploring many different directions that he can go. Whatever happens this offseason, from the new manager that's been added, to the bullpen reconstruction, to big moves in the rotation at shortstop.

00:22:40
Speaker 2: What have you.

00:22:41
Speaker 1: All of those are wonderful to see happen if they do, but they still do not compare to the one singular thing that this Braves team needs to truly get back to contention, and it ties in two the man who just won the twenty twenty five l Comeback Player of the Year. More on that in just a moment after more from our partners. So Steve and I I bring it up. You know, it's pretty simple. You know, I don't know if anybody has been following the Memphis Grizzlies as of late, and I know that many people on here are Atlanta Hawks fans and what have you, but you know, the Memphis Grizzlies right now are in flux as of basketball franchise. But it all comes down to one thing. Their stars are not performing like stars. If stars perform like stars, other things just kind of fall into place because a lot of times stars being stars can solve a lot of other areas that are that are flawed. So I bring that up as this point. Ronald acune Junior just won two thousand and twenty five NL Comeback Player of the Year, the second time he's actually won that award. The thing I'm getting at is is that we we're going to spend many hours this offseason talking about what the Braves potentially could do, what they've done, what they're going to do to improve this roster. Iver read little of that matters if Ronald Acunya Junior is not Ronald 'cunan Junior. But thankfully, thankfully, I know he had a bit of a cold spell, you know, in August to July and August specifically, but when he come back came back from his ACL injury, within that first six weeks or so, he was legitimately a top three hitter in baseball. Ronald o'cunye Junior needs to return to form as one of the five best singular offensive producers in the game, and he showed last year he still has that potential. That's what the Braves need to do for him to do in twenty twenty six and beyond, and from what he showed last year, I feel confident he could do that. But the key for the Braves is giving him all the resources he needs to be able to do that confidently.

00:24:47
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's ad start. I mean it's the oldest cliche in the world. But the best ability is availability, and like it starts with just being healthy. And last year he put up a one sixty one WRC plus, which is an absurd year. It is the second best offensive year of his career behind twenty twenty three when you use the unanimous MVP, so very clearly still an elite offensive player.

00:25:16
Speaker 2: Now.

00:25:16
Speaker 3: I know he had the little the blip in August where he had a bad like three weeks and people were freaking out, But again for the season, he had a one sixty one WRC plus and his expected OBA was over four hundred, like marks of not good, not great, but elite offensive production. So I am very comfortable saying if Ronald Goon Junior is healthy, and I mean fully healthy, he's gonna be an elite offensive performer. Now, I do think the defense has slipped to the point where he is he is. I think he's a negative on defense at this way. If we're just being we're being objective of being fair. He's a great athlete. He's never been a natural right fielder. I honestly think he always got better jumps in centerfield than he ever has in right field. But he's just never been a great instinctual outfielder. He gets by on you know, freak athleticism. He doesn't get great jumps, So I think he yeah, and that arm mean, he's got a howitzer, so like he can, he can, And in that short portion, right, he's a weapon because guys, you know, he holds guys to singles all the time. And you don't really you know, it's not really something you see in the value in war or anything like that, but like the amount of times he just holds guys to singles has value because he can just he's got a canon. So yeah, I I I fully expect a Cunya to be back next year in the m v P race. Now, the fascinating conversation with Acunya and CJ. Nikowski talked about this when he came on the show with Scott a few weeks ago. Is where do you hit him? And some of that is tied to what are you going to allow him to do on the basis, And I think I've I've actually gone back and forth on this because originally I just said put him back at lead off and let him run the way he used to run. And you know, if he gets hurt, he gets hurt, buddy, There's there's really no way to stop that. I think I've actually shifted that opinion to I would I would love to see profar I don't like him batting third because I think third is, if you look at like analytically, third is where you get a lot of two out nobody on in the first inning at bats. I do like him, it's I do like him batting second, like profar acunya Olsen going one, two three. There We'll see what they do because I could see where we go profar acunya Olsen, Riley and then Drake Baldwin. I just kind of your top five depending on what they do this winter, of course, So you know, if if you put him more of a run producing spot and he's not running as much. I'm fine. I really am fine with that. Like I don't need him to run, I don't need him to steal seventy bases. I need to be healthy and get that bat in the lineup, because that is one of the most electric things I've ever seen in my life. He hits balls that make no sense. He does things on a baseball field I've legitimately never seen before, especially from somebody who's like six feet one hundred and eighty pounds soaking wet and can hit the ball four hundred and eighty feet. I've never seen anything like it. So he's an incredible player. Got to keep him healthy, and that's why I want the Braves to go get an outfielder and let him DH some and let the other guys DH some. I think keeping Acuna healthy is critical and getting him off his feet out of right field on a regular basis I think would help that. So we'll see what they do. But yeah, I mean, he had a monster offensive year last year. Again, it was like Buxton, it was somewhat under the radar because the Braves sucked. But healthy Acunya, I fully expect to be in the MVP race in twenty twenty six.

00:28:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, I am. I've always been an advocate of batting Nkuna first because.

00:28:58
Speaker 3: I think it's gotta be one ered, it's got to be one or two.

00:29:00
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:29:01
Speaker 1: I I actually liked the idea of putting him at three because then you stack Olson in front of him, and then pitchers have to pitch to Matt Olsen and that's an advantage for the Braves. And also, you know profar and and also being one and two I think would give Ronald more opportunities than.

00:29:19
Speaker 2: Most one two combos would in most MLB lineup.

00:29:25
Speaker 1: So you know, the the idea of being up there with two outs would not necessarily happen as often, but if you did get two outs, pitchers are just gonna pitch around Ronald Acuna Junior.

00:29:34
Speaker 3: I just hate the idea of getting the fifth at bat in the game and the ninth inning of a one run game and Acunya not getting to the plate like that. That's the Those are the scenarios that I'm like, God, I wish Acuna was a batting one or two here so he got this at bat. But yeah, I understand what you said.

00:29:49
Speaker 1: Well, and then at that point, though, you know, say they re sign Ronald Acuna Junior or excuse me, a hass On Kim. At that point you could go profar Olsen, Riley Baldwin, and then Hassan Camp whom I forget, No, that's right, and then.

00:30:16
Speaker 3: The other the other two guys are Ozzie and and Harris.

00:30:19
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that would that would be that would be six, I guess. But yeah, but at the very least you could.

00:30:23
Speaker 3: Go and then you gotta have the DH. There'd be a D in there somewhere.

00:30:27
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, but that top five of profar Acuna, Olsen, Riley Baldwin, that's a pretty dead gum deep.

00:30:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what that's, as the roster says today, that's what I would run out like.

00:30:44
Speaker 1: You got a lot of compliments, you got complimentary approaches, you got good balance, you know, you just got that type of light up is the one that could outpower other lineups or produce well in situational hittied aspects. That's that's the type of the top of order that could allow for you to be able to win it multiple ways. To pitty do it. You know where you're clicking that.

00:31:07
Speaker 3: Buy and I'll add this like Buxton, if you add if you did add Byron Buckston. And again we're not expecting it, but like that's a guy that he's he's at the level where you would need to rearrange the top of your lineup to fit him somewhere. Yeah, because you know he's hit leadoff, he's Minnesota's Acunya.

00:31:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you.

00:31:28
Speaker 3: Know that would change things. And and I do, I really do think the Brave should add another pretty significant bat to the lineup. As much as I like that potential top five, I still think you know, you don't know, you never know what you're gonna get from Riley. You don't know what kind of year is going to bounce back. You don't know really what you're gonna give from Profar yet until we see it for a full year again, Acunya with the injury stuff, Drake Baldwin is not a guarantee, Like you know, sophomore slumps happen all the time. So and then you have no clue what you're gonna get from Murphy coming off this you know this hip surgery. So and then again with Ozzy and Michael and Shortstop, I do think the Brave should add another bat. But you are one hundred percent correct with your opening comment. There is nothing that will ever approach the Braves just getting a fully healthy and productive Ronald Lacuna Junr. Because when they get that, he is arguably the best player on the planet.

00:32:21
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:32:21
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and let's not forget you know, even before his injury in twenty twenty four, he uncharacteristically really struggled to start twenty four as well, so that played a part into the Brave struggles. But yeah, it's the probably one of the simplest comment concepts and sports, but it also is one of the purest.

00:32:41
Speaker 2: Teams that want to.

00:32:42
Speaker 1: Win are going to find it easiest to do when their stars are stars, and the Braves have plenty of potential stars, but none to the level of Ronald Acoji Junior. So congratulation to him on you know, comeback Player of the Year. The last time he won that in twenty and twenty two. Guess what, he popped right back up and won the NBA the next year. I'm not saying I predict that. The whole point that I'm giving that is is that he can play to that level and that beyond anything else that right there, I want to make it very clear. The biggest key to the Braves returning to the point of being a true contender for multiple years into the future, like we all know they're capable of. We all know that they want to be. The biggest key to that is Ronald Acodie Junior returning to the MVP level for him.

00:33:26
Speaker 3: And I'll say this, no more comeback Player of the Year awards. It's great honor, but I don't want him coming back from anything anymore.

00:33:36
Speaker 1: The man is The man is due the next five years of being very healthy.

00:33:40
Speaker 3: He is one of those awards that you win in a couple of times you're like, you know, let's let's calm down on the comeback play. Let's just have a normal play the whole year kind of year. And I do think he would be in the MVP. I think if he had played the whole year last year, he would have been at least in the discussion the way he hit. And I I really hope the Braves use him at DH SUM and get an outfielder that can help in that load that load management. I had to use an NBA term, but with a Kunya, I think it's it's warranted. Like just keeping him healthy is so damn important for this team, and yeah, congrats to him, but yeah, no more Comeback Player of the Year awards.

00:34:21
Speaker 2: Wrong.

00:34:21
Speaker 1: I don't know if anybody's ever won multiple Comeback Player of the Year multiple MVPs, But if Ronald Kunya Junior wants to become the latest or first to do as well, I'd be on board with. Let's go speak of that. One of the things that I looked up just to speak to how lucky we are to be enjoying baseball on the time that we're in covering baseball on the time that we're in. So show Heo Tani and Aaron Judge both won MVP again. You know, I think that Kyle Rally was very deserving, but Judge was just out of this world.

00:34:53
Speaker 2: Again.

00:34:54
Speaker 1: So Judge, show Hao, Tani, and Mike Trout have all won three MVPs in their careers, and they're all currently playing, right, and they're going to be playing for multiple more years. I may be wrong on this, but I think the only other times in baseball history where we've seen at least three players with three plus MVP's playing was, I believe, for a few years in the mid two thousands, the Pooh Holtz may not have won his third by that time, but pooh Holts, a Rod and Bonds in.

00:35:28
Speaker 3: The mid two That's what I was thinking. Those three were all I know one.

00:35:33
Speaker 1: Bonds is last year was oh seven seven.

00:35:37
Speaker 3: Okay, Yeah, so all three of them were playing at the same time, and each row was in there as well.

00:35:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, but I think the only other time, and it may have been again, Mantle may not have done it, but Mantle, Roy Campanella and Yogi Berra in the fifties and.

00:35:54
Speaker 3: Who can forget that?

00:35:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, But the.

00:35:57
Speaker 1: Point that I may be wrong on that, because I think Mantle may have won is in the sixties.

00:36:01
Speaker 2: What year was that, uh, the early fifties.

00:36:04
Speaker 1: I think that Roy, Campanella and Barra won it in the when they're three each in the fifties, and I may be inaccurate on that one.

00:36:11
Speaker 2: But the point that I'm getting at is, I'm.

00:36:13
Speaker 1: Sure there's another year where three different where folks who won three MVPs all played. But what I'm getting at is is that we're in a pretty awesome time to be enjoying baseball, and I know that many in Braves Country are baseball purists overall, So just wanted to point that out it's pretty awesome. But regardless of all that, baseball for Braves Country is at its best when ronald'coma junior is playing at an MVP level and the Braves are contending, and those two things need to be in line for both of those two things to come true. Stephen, anything else from you as we wrap up this edition of the Hammer Territory Podcast.

00:36:48
Speaker 3: I'm just begging anybody make a move, sign a player, and make a trade.

00:36:53
Speaker 2: This is the nes they did. They did.

00:36:56
Speaker 1: They did claim two pitchers from the Boss Memorials, Colle Ragsdale and I believe was it Josh Miller?

00:37:02
Speaker 2: Is that is that his name?

00:37:04
Speaker 1: Walker Carston Ragsdale and Josh Walker? Excuse me, Josh Walker. This seems to be just uh probably forty men roster seat warmer type moves.

00:37:15
Speaker 3: But maybe these these are the type of moves you make and then you immediately like put the guys on where you basically try to get him through waivers and get them in your minor league system, and they get they keep getting claimed over, and this is what does because the oriol I mean stealing pitching depth from the Oriols is is tough because the Ools have as little pitching depth as anybody. So yeah, this is not this is more of a seat warming situation.

00:37:39
Speaker 2: I think.

00:37:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, you let him know that they've been claimed by the phrase, but you also probably let them know, you know, hey, don't don't.

00:37:43
Speaker 3: You know, don't don't unpack.

00:37:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, don't, don't. Don't make too too many plans as.

00:37:48
Speaker 3: I would rent, I would rent instead of buy.

00:37:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, but.

00:37:54
Speaker 1: You know that being said, you know, listen, I know that you know right now we're continuing to talk about, you know, several things that could happen, ready to start seeing things happen. But that doesn't mean we're not going to break down all the rumors for you. That doesn't mean we're going to continue when these news nuggets come out. This is your best spot when it comes to breaking down the braves. And don't forget, we've got that emergency podcast ready to go at the drop of a hat as soon as something happens. For Steven Tolbert, you can find him at Beard or Square Outliers on Twitter, slash x.

00:38:21
Speaker 2: My name is Sean Commen.

00:38:22
Speaker 1: You can find me at stat's sec Hammer Territory cross. All forms of social media are the foul Territory family of podcasts.

00:38:29
Speaker 2: Until next time, Go Braves. We'll talk to

00:38:31
Speaker 1: TV and soon here I'm a Hammer Territory