![]() Due to Swanson’s presence, Arcia hasn’t seen much time at shortstop since coming to Atlanta. ![]() Arcia came up as a shortstop with Milwaukee, where he was adequate defensively. You almost have to wonder if it was foreshadowing on the Braves’ part when they signed Arcia to a two-year deal, that includes a club option for a third season, in November of 2021. With the restrictions on defensive shifting coming next season, it isn’t going to be an easy task. Grissom has spent part of the offseason working with Ron Washington and we will find out in the spring if that work has paid off. As much as his bat cooled off over the final month of the season, he has enough of a track record as a hitter to suggest that he can provide offensive value - especially if he does anything akin to adjusting towards hitting the ball harder rather than trading contact quality for contact quantity.Ī bigger question could be whether he can make sufficient progress defensively at a more difficult defensive position. With all of that as prologue, Grissom winning the job may still be the preferable outcome. ![]() Grissom lost playing time to Arcia over the final week, but that was more due to his defense at second base where he was -4 in Outs Above Average in 347 innings. 326 xwOBA which further suggested that regression was coming. 378 BABIP over that stretch so it wasn’t surprising that regression came as opposing pitchers adjusted. Arcia was filling in for Ozzie Albies, who was out with a broken foot. Grissom made the leap from Double-A on August 10 to play second base after Orlando Arcia suffered a hamstring injury. If the Braves do go with a competition during the spring, the best outcome would be Vaughn Grissom winning the job. A trade is always possible, but we are going to explore a couple of veteran free agent options that are still available.įirst, let’s take a closer look at what is shaping up to be a spring competition between Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia. Obviously, you can’t write this article without the disclaimer that things could still change, as we have seen throughout the offseason. Cubs have a lengthy free agent wish list and dollars to spendĪs for the Cubs, there's nothing to stop them from dropping a cool quarter-million or more on Correa or Turner, but all signs point to Jed Hoyer prefering someone like Swanson who will come at a fraction of the cost.As the calendar has flipped to a new year, it appears that the Atlanta Braves are planning to go with internal options to replace Dansby Swanson next season. There are all kinds of rumors speculating over the possibility of Atlanta stealing Jacob deGrom from the division rival Mets - and such a move would require quite the financial commitment. Not re-signing Swanson doesn't mean the Braves won't make a big splash this offseason, though, even if they don't go after one of those other star shortstops. The Cubs are among the most active teams when it comes to the free agent shortstop market and, with multiple reports connecting Chicago to Dansby Swanson, the latest report from Ken Rosenthal is certainly worth pondering.Īccording to Rosenthal over at The Athletic (subcription required), the Atlanta Braves are still looking to bring back their longtime shortstop but, if they fail to do so, they're likely out on Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner - which could obviously have an impact on Chicago's offseason pursuits.
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