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| What is his value to a revamped Braves team and is it greater then what they can get for him now or at the trade deadline? |
With all the moves the Atlanta
Braves have done this off-season there is still one very important question
left to be answered, what should they do with Craig Kimbrel? Do you keep a
closer that may not have as many opportunities on a team that you don’t know
what they are yet or if they will be able to compete in enough games to make it
worth keeping Kimbrel around.
Kimbrel is a fan favorite, is
locked up for the next few years and is one of the most dominant relievers in
baseball. With that said, does it make a lot of sense to hang onto a closer
that may not get the chance to save as many games. Maybe now is not the best
time to move him as typically moving a reliever closer to the deadline will
garner a more bountiful return. By waiting, you can also see how the team is
handling the newly re-vamped roster. Maybe they ride a good starting rotation
and are able to manufacture more runs then anticipated and surprise a lot of
people. If not then having the unnecessary luxury of a closer does not make as
much sense.
The Braves are trying to gear up
for their move to SunTrust Park in 2017, and likely by that time Kimbrel’s
value would not likely be as high as it would be now. If some of the new arms
that were acquired this off season look like they have rebounded from down
years then maybe there is a capable guy there that can step into that role in
the interim.
A possible return that could be
retrieved might just be enough for GM John Hart to part with his golden armed
closer and get some more assets in his quest to prepare the Braves for their
move to SunTrust.
Recent deals that have included
the likes of Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis have brought back many
top prospects, most of them young arms. On a team that also has many questions
on offence some quality bats could be a nice and welcomed addition.
There is still time before the
season for Hart to address that, especially in left field. There are still some
free agents still available as well so that could also affect the teams
willingness and/or need to move Kimbrel anytime soon.
