Atlanta Braves Mailbag: Who Are Some Buy Low Candidates?

The question feature on today’s mailbag episode has to do with some buy-low options for the Atlanta Braves this offseason – particularly starting pitchers.

In this episode, Jake covers a wide variety of questions about the Braves including the possibility of targeting shortstop prospects, and how the Kikuchi and Snell signings will impact the market.



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[TheOnlyRius]

Hey jake, i dont always comment or attend the live streams but just wanna say keep up the great work. I still think youre one of the best braves podcasts out there in terms of objectivity, research/knowledge and communication skills (and i listen to several braves podcasts)

[sallyemartin]

Benjamin’s words are spot on. Yours is the best Locked On podcast I’ve watched, having dipped into some others about matchups or particular players. Pushback from Locked On??? Too bad they can’t teach others how to build the community you have built. I watch every episode since I found you. Thank you for all your work and for sharing your and others’ opinions as well as Braves news and possibilities. You’re an asset to Braves Country! ❤️

[sonzaieksu]

I love your podcast Jake, all "Locked on" podcasts are different. Plenty of them are entertaining for different reasons, but yours (ours?) is the most informative, knowledgeable and inclusive, while still being entertaining.
Keep up the amazing job you're doing

[waylonmercy]

Jake putting in work. Friday episode after thanksgiving.

In reference to what you said at the beginning. Even without the Braves stuff. You’re good in front of a Camera. I think you got a future in this stuff.

[scottbingham]

Hey jake. Your still doing a fantastic job all these years later keep up the great work

[EasyRider]

I hope you and your family had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday Jake. Thank you for giving us this off season Braves content and for all you do during the season. Go Braves in 25!

[eros]

Jake I'd love more of a regular, but once DLS ended you are two hours behind mine, but will keep tunning in as frequent as I can. ✌️

[DonleyCanary]

Why would Braves not go all in? Reset the luxury tax when the team is NOT a contender. Our windows to win a championship is NOW. Not at some predetermined time in the future that we don't know when it is! Win now! We have the horses to do it.

[Cfullerrrr]

Comment. Thankful for the daily grind. Every day gang for years

[oogieboogie]

I love Ashcraft, Mize, Bradley and definitely some gavin williams. I don't like giving up nacho but for Bradley or williams I'd do it. I want them to keep isaaih drake tho and I still have faith in kelenic

[lesdoon]

Detmers for a Nacho Alvarez, David McCabe, and maybe a low level pitcher would make sense

[marquisebarge]

Bro you're the man. Some of your thoughts are poo, but most are perfect!

[joshdaniels]

If healthy and made available… John Means

[JPotts]

Happy Thanksgiving Jake! I know this isnt talked about and it was just a thought. Do you think joey gallo would be an option for the braves? He could play OF as well as 1st and he is a lefty that Atlanta wants.

[BravesFan-qk]

Jake I remember asking you about Donovan potentially playing short stop after Swanson left and you said you didn’t think he could play short stop has that changed now that he’s stronger and has played in the outfield

[ShaneColeman-nw]

What about if we got Mike from the Giants?

[joemi]

Dodgers signed snell to be their 3-5 starter. INSANE.

[chrishutchens]

OK guys I wanna put one thing out here when we don’t know what the budget XV is for the Braves and if you take him at his word that the budget is going up OK then you add the fact with the default a lot of money and yeah, the fact that let’s be honest, let’s meet you for the chances are you’re gonna have two big time freezes next year coming off the books they’re not gonna be any Iglesias most likely And Ozuna most likely will not be back after this year you also have the fact you have $20 million coming in which is probably not gonna come back and if he comes back, he’s not that much so you can save money there plus when you had the fact that Fried made 16 million last year so this idea that the Braves cannot resign Max Fried and get them under the in the rice and then still make major moves after that is truly to me makes no sense. OK first of all even if Max bumps up to 35 million right that’s $21 million right on what he was making when you take the fact that you’re taking off Charlie Morton’s contract of his 20 million that’s only one more difference between the two which you could defer like I said some of that contract for other years past this year so if you think about it, you get you get him to say OK take $10 million off that contract and defer over to the next four years of the contract with the three year opt out for him it’s a brace structure to white way where they can give him a five year deal $35 million a year but a three year opt out and he defers 10 hours this year, which had actually bump it up the remaining four years of the contract which is about 2 1/2 me and me and our difference in the contract. That’s really only a $9 million bump in his salary. Then the fact that they cleared $60 million off the books anyway, before this.. plus if they go up, let’s say 10% of what they paid last year that put you up to about two they pop it up to 285. You’re gonna have an amount of money even with a $25 going towards max new contact . that you can use to go out add another starter if you choose to add a couple big-time big bullpen pieces get a big-time shortstop and even try to get a better upgrade it and let fill so let’s say this they get max back five years 35 million a year for 10 of it this year they sign let’s say walker Bueller signs to your deal for let’s say 16 per year with an after the first year, then you reap same AJ Minter on a three year deal for 30 million you go out and get like I said a Lucas sims for 2 /7 million and you can make a couple changes which I actually have a three team deal which truly will be a blockbuster which I think would help all three parties involved between the brave, blue jays and athletics. Which, which, by the way I believe with solve these issues where he would trade Iglesias nacho Alvarez and and that’s that send Rooker to the Blue Jays. The Braves would get Miller. And bichette to braves and athletics could get several prospects from the Braves and the Blue Jays, which is gonna help him towards the rebuild and then and then brave possible make trade with tigers in swap of out lf outfields braves get Parker meadows and braves send kelenic and player to be name later to tigers and I would even leave some money with the Braves could possibly either bring back either if not both whit Merrifield and cavin biggio depending what is out there for them then you could sign a bunch of relievers that are and arms that they do in the past and put them in AAA like a Kimbrel, and then you added the pieces to the team that can wear championship cause then by any day you have an hour of meadows Harris and acuna bichette Albie’s Olsen and Murphy, Dh. Ozuna a starting rotation of strider sale Fried, Lopez, Walker Bueller, and Spencer swellenback, bullpen up sims, Lee, Holmes, bummer, Johnson, minter and miller, bench of merrifield, trump, Allen, biggio

[DougKillian]

Does Blake Snell's reported $182 million contract increase the trade value of Seattle right-hander Luis Castillo?

Castillo, who has a no-trade clause, has three years and $73.5 million remaining on his contract with a vesting option for a fourth year.

Snell and Castillo, who were born eight days apart, have each made 211 starts in their MLB careers.

Snell has posted 24.5 fWAR and 23.4 bWAR over 1, 096.2 innings while Castillo has posted 23.9 fWAR and 24.0 bWAR over 1, 230 innings. Over the past four seasons Snell has made 103 starts while Castillo has made 121 starts.

Their contrasting 2024 numbers cannot be ignored but at what point does recency bias creep into the equation? Over the three previous seasons Snell posted 9.9 fWAR in 83 starts covering 436.2 innings while Castillo posted 10.9 fWAR in 91 starts covering 535 innings.

A healthy Snell may well have the higher ceiling on a given day but Castillo has been more durable and reliable. Each quality provides value.

[chrishutchens]

Yes, I know the current tax structure and how it all works. The fact the matter is you’re not breaking it down the way I broke it down. So let break down
If you did, you would realize last year’s pay was 236 million when you break it down what I just did the payroll only goes to 248 million which mean the payroll would only go up 12million and if you want, I’ll break it down for salary rise and you’ll see what I’m talking about is true. It’s only a $12million difference in the payrolls.