Day 83

Fresh Start_83: The “new old-age” Braves?
The Atlanta Braves have been extremely active early on in the baseball offseason, heating up the stove if you will. On Thursday, the Braves signed ex-Blue Jay R.A. Dickey for only a season for 8 million dollars. Dickey hasn’t been all that impressive in his Blue Jay career, being that it is highlighted by a 14-13 season with a 3.71 ERA in 2014. Dickey north of the boarder has been about average throughout each season. The knuckle baller can bring a veteran presence to a very young ball club, that will have a new stadium and a high draft pick in the draft this coming June. The Braves said they want to have an attractive team when they enter their new home, and getting older might not be the sexy move for the Braves, like they have might have wanted. If you remember, not that long ago the Braves had Jason Hayward (now a World Champion), Justin and Melvin Upton (each finding their way again with new teams), Andrelton Simmons (currently on the Los Angeles Angles), Chris Johnson (now on the rival Marlins), and Evan Gattis (a big part of the Houston Astros). This was an up and coming team that got screwed on an infield fly rule in the debut of the current Wild Card game system against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The old Atlanta Braves were exciting and young, while also being the team that would bring the commissioners back to the ATL and be the team that dawns the new stadium. The team was expected to bring the same dominance that the Braves of the ‘90’s had and make the transition to the new stadium easier for the fans. The people around Atlanta are not happy about the move out of the city to the surrounding area in Atlanta. Since dismembering the team, the Braves have been just abruptly awful. The team also traded Shelby Miller for the 2014 number one pick, Dansby Swanson, who will most likely be their opening day shortstop in 2017.

The Braves on Friday signed ex-Met Bartolo Colon (Big Sexy) for $12.5 million for a season. Colon since coming back from stem-cell surgery in 2011 with the New York Yankees. Colon went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA last season in 1912/3 innings for the Mets, and if he wanted to play deserved a good contract. I don’t know if I would give Colon the amount that the Braves did, but nevertheless he has a new contract. Colon is a personality in his own right and will bring the same presence that Dickey will bring and be in the heart of the Braves pitching rotation.

This team will have a good rotation and I don’t know about the play around them for 2017, but if Atlanta thinks this team could be the headliner in the city, they have to be mistaken. The Braves in the ‘90’s had great pitching and this rotation is the closest thing to it. The comparisons to the Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz with this rotation is absolutely absurd, but it has to be a bit optimistic for die-hard Braves fans that are looking forward to the future. The presence of a veteran is a most in the game now of days, just look at David Ross in Chicago, these two could be that role for the Braves and give the young talent on the roster the lay of the land.
Sources:(mlb.com, spotrac.com, baseballreference.com, espn.com, theringer.com)

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