re: The ATL Offseason Thread

Hell yeah

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You mean TOR guys? I would be very surprised if guys like Wisler and Blair are not serviceable big league starters.

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Very high floor guys for sure, unlikely they don't at least become solid #3 starters. But we'll need Newcomb/Fried/Allard to hit for TOR arms (or our #3 pick this year if they decide to go pitching).

Lazarito news

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The agent for Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros, Charles Hairston, said Friday that his client is not close to a decision.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported previously that a decision from "Lazarito" was expected Thursday or Friday of this week, but obviously that's not going to happen. Hairston noted that new teams are in the mix for Armenteros, which could be the reason for the delay. "For a 16 year-old, it’s easy to want to just play ball," Hairston said. "But he wants to do what’s best for his family. He’s being very mature." Hairston offered no hint at a potential timetable for his client's decision. The Padres, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers and Phillies are among the clubs known to have interest.

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The longer he waits, the better for us

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The longer he waits, the better for us

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I still have a hard time believing we'll spend the kind of penalty money it would take to sign him on top of Maitan and company from the DR.

We are going to spend like crazy after July 2. It will mostly be on international talent as well. The FA class next season is terrible.

So NewCombe and Swanson still left.

Braves notes from the KLaw Top 100 Chat:

LINK /

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Ryan: What have you heard about Austin Riley and what does he have to do to be on the list next year? Was it just a sample size issue?
Klaw: Riley was not a first-round talent in June, with questions about his hit tool, especially his bat speed. He was just OK in the GCL, then had 30 great games in Danville. Why would he be a top 100 guy? It’s awfully quick – with no new favorable scouting information – to say he should have been a top 15 pick in the draft, which would be the implication of a top 100 ranking.

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Paul: What do you attribute Sean Newcomb’s high walk rate to? Is it a simple mechanical tweak or something bigger?
Klaw: There’s nothing to tweak in his mechanics – his delivery is very easy, almost effortless, but I think the result is that he doesn’t truly repeat the arm swing pitch to pitch enough for real command (or control, in this case). You can’t really fix that. Changing a pitcher’s arm stroke is almost all downside.

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Randy: Wow, definitely a bold ranking on Allard. Any concerns about his ability to handle the workload of an MLB starter with his frame?
Klaw: Obviously not or I wouldn’t have ranked him there. He’s not frail.

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Alan: You’re obviously high on Atlanta’s future with the team and overall prospect rankings. Do you have any concern about their lack of power bats? It seems to be the only thing this team is missing on paper for the future.
Klaw: No, because I think they will have enough pitching depth to trade for whatever they need. And Davidson’s still got more power than he’s shown to date – he’s pretty young and can flash that plus raw in BP.

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Dave: Hector Olivera – where would he have slotted on this list (if at all) if you would have considered him? Thanks
Klaw: If we ignore that he’s older than dirt, he still wouldn’t have made it. I don’t think he’s a regular.

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Hugo Z: I’m all for tossing out Touki’s Asheville game, but his ERA is still over 4 without it.
Klaw: ERA is a terrible way to evaluate a pitching prospect, especially one that young and raw.

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Jack: Any idea where Lazarito might rank on this list if he were a “prospect?” Maybe not high at all due to age/maybe you just haven’t seen him yourself?
Klaw: I don’t have any 16-year-olds on this list right now, and Lazarito is not the kind of elite prospect who would defy that rule of thumb.

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Rodney: Would Maitan have made the list if eligible, and if so, in what range?
Klaw: He might be elite, unlike Lazarito, but no, absolutely not.

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Bill (NY): Is it insane to think Dansby’s best case scenario kinda sounds like Jeter?
Klaw: No, and if you got that from my capsule, it wasn’t entirely accidental.

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We are going to spend like crazy after July 2. It will mostly be on international talent as well. The FA class next season is terrible.

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Yeah, I know, it's actually the fact that we are going nuts spending that makes me wonder about us signing him. I figure Lazarito will get at least 20 mil to sign, so that would be 40 mil for a single prospect with the penalty.

Given we will likely be spending 15-20 mil at least on guys like Maitan and company I just have a hard time seeing them going that high for Lazarito. I'll certainly be happy to be wrong there though as long as it doesn't interfere with signing the other guys.

Swanson was 17 and Newcombe 24