Kris Willis / TalkingChop 6 hours ago 
Braves News: More Craig Kimbrel rumors, A.J. Minter update and more
Would Kimbrel be willing to take a shorter deal to return to Atlanta? Atlanta Braves News Teheran’s good start, Albies big double late lead Braves to 4-3 win over Tigers Julio Teheran overcame some first inning troubles to help the Atlanta Braves to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers in the next to last game ever at Champion Stadium. Teheran allowed two first inning runs but settled down and struck out five over five innings of work. The Braves deployed what very well could be their Opening Day lineup. Ozzie Albies doubled and drove in a pair of runs in the win. Braves are still ‘in’...
TalkingChop 16 hours ago
Teheran’s good start, Albies big double late lead Braves to 4-3 win over Tigers
Ozzie Albies saved the day late. The Atlanta Braves were back in action on Friday night as they faced off with the Detroit Tigers yet again as Spring Training begins to wrap up. Julio Teheran was on the mound for Atlanta, and immediately was in trouble. Teheran has had a good spring for the most part, and that has mostly been due to his decreased walk rate up to this point. The Tigers jumped on top quick as Niko Goodrum struck a double deep to center field scoring Jacoby Jones and advancing former Brave Gordon Beckham to third. Detroit wasn’t done there as they tacked on a second run...
TalkingChop 20 hours ago
Braves are still ‘in’ on Craig Kimbrel along with Brewers, per report
Sounds like a reunion with Craig Kimbrel isn’t completely farfetched, although there is no word that things are close. If you have been living under a rock this offseason, fans of the Braves have been a bit....antsy. While the team did add Josh Donaldson on a one year contract in addition to bringing back Brian McCann and Nick Markakis, the Braves have been largely quiet on the free agent market in which some thought they could be real players and have made no real trades of note, either. Some of that has been a symptom of the players available versus the team’s needs and some has...
TalkingChop 23 hours ago
Braves release reliever Sam Freeman
A day after trying to send Sam Freeman to Triple-A, he was let go completely from the club. Yesterday saw a rare bit of actual Braves roster news as the team announced that they outrighted reliever Sam Freeman to Triple-A. To say that Freeman had a polarizing tenure with the Braves is a fair assessment as he had his moments in the bullpen, but he also seemed to be walking a tightrope in every one of his outings, in particular last season. Some of his peripherals were scary, but for the most part his production lined up as generic bullpen arm, not good but not terrible. The problem with...
TalkingChop Mar 22, 2019
2019 MLB Draft: Baseball America’s Updated Mock Draft has Braves taking Hunter Bishop
Baseball American’s 3.0 mock draft now includes the entire 1st round of the MLB draft. Baseball America’s first mock draft was only for the first 10 picks. Go read about it here. Their 2nd mock is for the entire first round, so they have the Braves taking a college bat and a high school pitcher. With the Braves first pick (#9), BA has the Braves taking one of the hottest hitters and biggest risers in slugger Hunter Bishop out of Arizona State. The 6’5 OF has flashed an impressive hitting tool with plus power this season. Reports are that his speed is plus as well, which is incredible...
Kris Willis / TalkingChop Mar 22, 2019 
Braves News: Rotation plans, Drew Waters and more
Will the Braves be forced to go young in their rotation? Atlanta Braves News Kyle Wright struggles as Braves fall to Rays Kyle Wright had his first rough outing of the spring on Thursday allowing six first-inning runs while recording just two outs. Wright awaiting fate regarding Braves’ rotation Thursday was certainly a rough day for Wright but it shouldn’t overshadow what has been a strong spring performance. He talked about Thursday’s start and what awaits with MLB.com’s Glenn Sattell. “Today was a bad day, unfortunately it happens, all you can do is learn from it and be...
TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019
Lowe blows smite Wright, Braves lose to Rays 8-1
Also Austin Riley homered and Adam Duvall got his first hits in ages. This game was peak Spring Training in many ways, though not in the relevant ones. The relevant things first, as always: Kyle Wright only managed to get two outs in his outing. After starting his day with a strikeout, he walked Tommy Pham, allowed a line-drive single off the first baseman, and then yielded the first Lowe blow, to Brandon. Four batters later, after a single and another walk that sandwiched Wright’s second strikeout, Nathaniel delivered a Lowe blow of his own, and just like that, Wright had surrendered a...
TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019
Braves outright Sam Freeman to Triple-A
So that’s one left-handed reliever that likely won’t be making the Opening Day roster Who’s going to be in the Atlanta Braves bullpen come Opening Day 2019? I have no idea! But, I now have a better idea of who’s not going to be on it... The #Braves today outrighted LHP Sam Freeman to Triple-A @GoStripers. The Braves have 38 players in major league camp.— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 21, 2019 At first glance, this might seem like a bit of an odd choice. The Braves stuck with Sam Freeman through all of 2018, a year in which circumstances led to him posting a goose-egged 0.0...
TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019
Ronald Acuña, Jr. has the highest trade value in baseball, according to The Athletic
At just 21 years old, fresh off a Rookie of the Year campaign, Ronald Acuña, Jr. rates as the most valuable commodity in all of baseball. The Braves are well aware of the immensely valuable commodity they have in Ronald Acuña, Jr., and others have taken notice. Following a monster rookie year that culminated with a Rookie of the Year Award, a playoff berth, and one of the biggest hits in Braves history, publications have already anointed Acuña as one of the faces of baseball. On Thursday, The Athletic ranked Acuña first in its annual Trade Value piece, just ahead of others such as Juan...
Kris Willis / TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019 
Braves vs Rays Spring Training game thread
Kyle Wright will make his fifth spring start for the Atlanta Braves on Thursday when they travel to Port Charlotte for a Grapefruit League game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Wright has put together an impressive spring allowing 11 hits and four runs over 12 innings. He has struck out 16 and walked just two in those 12 innings. He is in the mix to open the season in Atlanta’s starting rotation. Today’s #BravesST lineup vs. the Rays! pic.twitter.com/y5fTFReQQq— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 21, 2019 This is big. #Rays Matt Duffy (hamstring) playing in his first game since Feb....
Kris Willis / TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019 
Braves sign Josh Tomlin to minor-league deal
Braves add another arm to the mix. The Atlanta Braves have signed veteran right-hander Josh Tomlin to a minor-league deal on Thursday. The deal includes an invite to major league spring training, Tomlin opted out of his minor-league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Tomlin appeared in five games with the Brewers this spring allowing eight earned runs in 15 innings. Prior to that, he had spent his entire career with the Cleveland Indians where he had appeared in 183 games while making 144 starts. He produced a 4.77 ERA (4.68 FIP) in 898 2/3 career innings. Tomlin struggled...
TalkingChop Mar 21, 2019
Braves News: Newcomb struggles again in Atlanta win
The Braves won on Wednesday, but Sean Newcomb once again inspired little confidence as the regular season grows near. Sean Newcomb has another shaky outing as Braves win 8-7 The Braves were victorious over the Blue Jays on Wednesday, but starter Sean Newcomb was wild once again, walking five batters in five innings while allowing three runs. With legitimate questions lingering with regard to the entire rotation, an effective iteration of Sean Newcomb to begin the season would be a huge boost, but there will need to be marked improvement in command before Newcomb presumably takes the mound...
TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019
Now is the time for the Braves to extend Acuña
It makes a lot of sense for the Braves to extend Acuña now. Here’s what a potential extension might look like. For as slow as free agency was this offseason, the pace at which teams are signing their players to extensions before the regular season seems to be in warp speed. Superstars Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, and Alex Bregman have all just signed massive extensions, and there’s still time for more extensions to be signed before Opening Day. Which begs the question: Why don’t the Braves lock up their 21-year-old, Rookie of the Year phenom, Ronald Acuña, Jr.? Acuña’s current...
TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019
Sean Newcomb has another shaky outing as Braves win 8-7
Sean Newcomb did last five innings today, but it was anything but a smooth performance for him. A big sixth inning for the Braves’ batters helped to overshadow what was another shaky spring training outing for Sean Newcomb as the Braves ended up winning their spring training tilt against the Blue Jays, 8-7. Prior to the offensive explosion in the sixth inning, the only run that the Braves could muster came from Andy Wilkins sending one flying over the fence in right-center field to give Atlanta the early lead in the second inning. Aside from that, they found it tough to crack the code...
TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019
Braves option Mike Soroka to Triple-A
The Braves optioned Mike Soroka to Triple-A this morning, cutting their spring roster down to 38 players. This was to be expected after Soroka began dealing with a shoulder issue early in the spring. The good news is the 21-year-old righty has recently thrown live batting practice without any issues and is aiming for a late-April return to the big leagues. Given the Braves’ wealth of young starting pitchers, it makes sense to bring him along slowly and build up his shoulder strength in minor league camp. Soroka was impressive during his brief stint with Atlanta last season, making five...
Kris Willis / TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019 
Braves vs Blue Jays Spring Training game thread
Sean Newcomb will be on the mound Wednesday when the Atlanta Braves travel to Dunedin to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Newcomb will be making his fifth start of the spring on Wednesday. He hasn’t been particularly sharp and could use a good outing after allowing 12 hits and seven runs through his first 12 innings of the spring. He has walked 10 and struck out just seven over that span. Here’s today’s #BravesST lineup vs. the Blue Jays! pic.twitter.com/gqUt5PMTb3— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 20, 2019 The rain is gone and baseball is on! Here is our lineup this afternoon...
TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019
2019 Atlanta Braves team projections: putting it all together
The Ourobouros of probabilistic discussion This post is the wrap-up of this year’s Braves projection series. So far, we’ve done position players, starting pitchers, and relief pitchers in their own, separate posts, and this one puts them all together and goes on multiple tangents about things that, in the end, aren’t going to end up mattering. Still... projections! Fun! In general, everything I wrote last year still applies — basically, projections are, in my mind, most useful as a decision support tool for strategic planning. But, from an outsider’s perspective, there’s a...
Kris Willis / TalkingChop Mar 20, 2019 
Braves News: Max Fried impresses again, Kevin Gausman’s status in question and more
Has Fried done enough to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster? Atlanta Braves News Max Fried, Austin Riley shine; Braves fall to Nats, 3-2 Max Fried tossed five scoreless innings and struck out seven adding another impressive outing to his spring resume. Austin Riley added his first home run of the spring but Elian Leyva allowed three runs in the ninth to send the Braves to a 3-2 loss. Fried making strong bid for spot on Braves’ roster Fried’s performance this spring has put him in position to begin the season on the Opening Day roster whether that is in the rotation or in a bullpen...
TalkingChop Mar 19, 2019
Fried, Riley shine; Braves fall to Nats, 3-2
Despite rain in the forecast and the rest-related absences of Ronald Acuña, Josh Donaldson and others, baseball was still played on Tuesday afternoon. The Atlanta Braves played host to the Washington Nationals in a highly important Spring Training battle of NL East rivals and, in the end, the visiting team emerged victorious by a final score of 3-2. The day began with quiet offense on both sides, as Max Fried settled in to what became a quality outing for Atlanta. The left-hander was dominant for the first 2.2 innings, notching four strikeouts, before running into some trouble in...
TalkingChop Mar 19, 2019
Re-entering the Hobby: Reviewing 2019 Donruss and it’s Acuna GIVEAWAY time
I take a look at 2019 Panini Donruss which was released recently. Also, it is time to giveaway some sweet cards. For those that are not aware, this is a series I started recently about my foray into the baseball card collecting world after a long absence. If you want to read about my decision to do this and why, you can look at this link right here. Also, this post is a bit lengthy as it has some primer elements to it. Subsequent updates won’t be nearly as wordy. Over the last couple of months, I have been updating all of you fine people on all of the baseball cards I have been able to...
