The Braves have cleared three spots on their 40-man roster, with new GM Alex Anthopoulos cutting loose some position players even as he has moved to add multiple pitchers. First baseman Matt Adams and infielders Jace Peterson and Danny Santana have been non-tendered, the club announced.
These were the Braves players identified as possible non-tender candidates recently by MLBTR, and it turned out that all were cut loose. There was talk heading into today’s deadline that Atlanta was working to find a trade involving Adams, at least, though that obviously never came together.
Adams, a slugging first baseman, impressed enough upon landing with the Braves in the middle of 2017 that the team shifted Freddie Freeman to third base when he returned from injury. But the love affair was short-lived, as the 29-year-old Adams cooled off and settled into part-time usage. Though he finished well in September, that came in rather sparing duty.
The lefty swinging Adams ended the 2017 season with a quality overall output: 19 home runs and a .271/.315/.543 slash during his 100-game run with the Braves. But he has continued to struggle against left-handed pitching and has not shown much aptitude in the outfield, greatly limiting his function as a roster piece. At a projected $4.6MM rate of pay, the numbers just did not work out.
The other two players bring plenty in versatility but quite a bit less with the bat. Peterson, 27, was once seen as a possible future second baseman for the Braves. He turned in a solid 2016 season but scuffled to a .215/.318/.317 slash in 215 plate appearances in 2017. Similarly, the 27-year-old Santana — like Adams, an early-season addition — mustered only a .203/.245/.357 output in his 152 trips to the plate on the year. Though Peterson and Santana each projected to earn only $1.1MM in arbitration, the club evidently felt there was not enough upside to tie up roster spots and commit money to these players.
why non tender Adams I heard that you could get a top 100 prospect for him!!!
A top 100 prospect? That’s a good one
I thought it was 2 top 100s and an org top 30?
Atlanta fan expectations 101
Coulda gotten Stanton for him smh
Everyone fanbase has fans who overrate their players and prospects.
Looks like the Rays can get him without giving up Archer.
Wake up
Are you drunk?
They could have gotten Hoskins, Herrera, Crawford, Alfaro, Hernandez, Nola, Williams, Alther, and Kingery for him. Would have been great for the Phillies rebuild, along with giving them the money flexibility that they lack and need.
Altherr, sorry I was just too supposed the Phillies didn’t make that move to notice
Peace out !!!
#Shocked!
Tampa will sign Adams.
I agree
Or Seattle. They’re looking for more power at 1B and need insurance for Healy.
or platoon Healy with Adams, which is what i wanted Atlanta to do and trade Freddy Freeman
Yes, a mid order of Healy and Kemp would do wonders for ticket sales. Never understand forcing a trade especially when you don’t need a full rebuild and have a MVP caliber player going into his prime. This isn’t the Reds.
It’s probably the right move, but I will miss Jace.
Agreed, I thought he provided some decent utility options for a rebuilding team. Maybe he comes back on a minor deal and fights for a spot in Spring. I’ve seen worse players in a Braves uniform.
Not surprising.
Would it not have been worth it to sign Adams and trade him once the market thinned out?
Why would you expect him to have more value then? Even when Adams was at his hottest last season it didn’t appear that any team was overly anxious to deal for him. There is a multitude of similar type limited players available this off season and very possibly even more than the demand. No one wanted him at his expected arbitration price and apparently Adams didn’t want to sign a cheaper deal (or the Braves didn’t feel he was worth offering a contract at a reduced rate). It is very likely that there will be similar players at very low prices available to sign late in the off season. There just wasn’t a logical reason to think his value would increase.
once the market “thin out” there would be no place to trade him. Unfortunately, there are other options just like him or better out there and not many teams with such needs
Don’t let the door his your big arse on the way out.
Red Sox => Matt Adams
A’s => Jace Peterson
White Sox => Danny Santana
I’m hoping the Jays can swoop in and sign Santana, but he would look good in a White Sox uniform too.
Jays don’t need Santana. Goins can play 2B, SS fine as an extra infielder. Having Santana play the OF and 3B is a waste of what he’s good for. They can find somebody else for that
Uh… Why? He has been trash since his rookie year.
Actually, he wasn’t trash. Good player. Good clubhouse and teammate attitude. Host some timely home runs as a Cardinal. Plus, he was much better than Matt Carpenter as a first baseman when he was replaced.
Adams was a liability against LH. Couldn’t get a runner in from 3b with less than 2. He was a MAJOR liability in the field. The kid is trash. That is why STL only received an A ball player who is no where near a prospect.
Harsh words for Big City! He is not trash. He’s not bad at firstbase., just in left field. Otherwise, agreed.
He cost the infield’s numerous errors on throws that a below average first baseman should make. He has no range and bobbles every ball hit to him. I won’t even talk about LF.
Tigers => albert pujols
I C wut ya did thar
LOL
Interesting. With Dustin Peterson being exposed to the Rule 5 draft it’s entirely possible that Max Fried is all that remains of the return for Justin Upton. But seeing how they were going to lose Upton anyway, that trade will have been well worth it for the Braves if Fried can be even a “just OK” starter.
In terms of players dealt in that one trade, yes. But the Braves did get Luis Gohara from Seattle for Mallex Smith as part of a 3-team deal, so that trade produced a bit more.
True
Fried is and has been overrated throughout his entire minor league career. Even in his major league debut, behind the decent bottom line numbers are awful peripheral results. I think he’s a swing at best. Especially in Atlanta where 90% of their starting pitching prospects could be busts, yet they still come out with the best rotation in the league.
He’s been rehabbing almost his entire minor league career. I think we are starting to see the true pitcher. 90% of the pitching prospects could be busts?? Do you write Trump’s speeches? Where did you get those numbers? 100% could be busts, but with the ability to move some to the bullpen and closer roles (I.e. Folty, Newcomb) even if they fail to lock down a rotation spot they still could have life and not be one of your 90% busts. Look at Mike Minor a TJ and shoulder surgery later and he’s now one of the hottest LH relief commodities on the market.
It was an obvious hyperbole emphasizing the significant depth that the Braves have in pitching prospects.
should have traded him back to St. Louis
The fans would go for that. But Mathaney would still want his buddy Carpenter at first to hit .240 in a leadoff position. Ugh.
Disagree 100%. The part time fans who show up to see a HR might. Fans who want to get back to the WS wouldn’t.
Dang it, as a Braves fan I was really hoping to trade him back to the Cardinals for Alex Reyes. He’d be perfect for our team. Top pitching prospect with TJ. LOL. 😉
Reyes will overcome TJ before Adams will overcome his inability to hit LH pitching and/or be a liability in the field.
Adams can join the dozen or so other free agent first basemen with similar skill sets in the euchre tournament they’re having down at the union hall while they wait for their one-year contract offers.
This year’s Chris Carter.
How is he this year’s Chris Carter? Did Adams come off a season where he won the Homerun title like Carter did last year? Confused on the comparison you are trying to make.
Both were overvalued by fans of their teams but whose value was correctly gauged by their respective front offices. Both end up on an overcrowded scrapheap of one dimensional corner hitters with negative defensive value who will struggle to get more than one year and a couple mil.
Popcorn for everyone.
Matt Adams continues to be so underrated, all because he doesn’t draw walks. So what. He hits .271 with power, all at an affordable price.
You realize that’s awful for a 1B-only, don’t you?
Maybe, but the Cardinals forced him out so Mike Mathaney could put his buddy, .240 leadoff hitter, Matt Carpenter at first. Which one is worse? Carpenter or Adams?? See my point? Cardinal Manager and their President of baseball operations aren’t real good in that regard!!
He is a platoon DH at best.
I guess the Braves are content forever having terrible pinch hitters available. I get that $4 mil is a lot to spend on a PH but it sure would have been nice to have a threat off the bench for once.
You do realize that’s more than Suzuki would make after a 2.8 WAR season and just as much as Tyler Flowers? All that for a DH that can’t hit LH pitching or provide positive defensive value? They tried it out and just like what STL realized,it ain’t gonna work.
Why does mlbtr keep referring to this guy as a slugging first baseman? Doesn’t he have a career high of like 20 home runs? Out of shape does not equal slugging. It’s like calling Billy Butler a slugger.
MLBTR fat shames. That’s why
maybe because that’s his strong suit and he doesn’t get that many ABs. Who made the rule that says a slugger must hit 500 home runs or you can’t use the word slug, slugging, or slugger in the same article?
New York Mets better pounce on him they need him
WTF Jerry, Simmons is a young talented and cheap pitcher. The exact player you would normally give up the farm for (O’Neill). . But when you already have him, you just give him up for free for no reason. Plan on signing another AAAA player that will never help us I suppose?
Should your team sign Matt Adams, Yonder Alonzo, Mitch Moreland, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Danny Valencia or Mark Reynolds
or
Should your team trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon Belt, CJ Cron or Jose Abreu?
CJ Cron has less trade value than Albert Pujols does lol. No one would give up anything worth a crap for Cron. Wait I forgot Jerry Dipsnot is still a GM. He probably give up a top 5 prospect for him. Then throw in a guy like Chris Taylor just to get rid of him lol.
That’s not true. The Angels would be able to give Cron away for no return. The same could not be said for Pujols.
The Braves missed their chance to get young talent in return for Adams last year. They acquired him and he exploded. And they thought they’d make a run moving Freeman(a very good fielding 1B) to third. His stock was at its peak just before the deadline. They were caught dreaming and missed out. You can’t do that and stay competitive. That’s a big goof.
How do you know that the Braves didn’t shop him diligently? Do you really think that MLB GMs would be totally fooled by a few good weeks of production compared to the rest of Adams’ career? I doubt seriously that there were any decent offers since only a couple teams at best even needed a firstbaseman at the deadline and there were many options to choose from. It was a buyer’s market, not a seller’s market.
I was under the impression they shopped him and no one bit then either so they tried to work them both in. Agree he would have been moved in July if anything decent popped up
The Red Sox may extend minor league contracts to Matt Adams, Jace Peterson or Danny Santana.
Thanks, insider.
Shame Adams is gone. Maybe he will resign at a lesser contract.
The thing with the first base market this year is, the winner (team wise) will be the team who waits the market out and gets one of Alonso, Moreland, Duda, Morrison, Reynolds for way below market value
Adams isn’t even in that category though. At this juncture, he looks like a non-roster invitee or a guy who signs a Yankees Chris Carter-esque deal to serve as a pinch hitter/platoon guy. Whoever brought up the Rays could very well be right.
Peterson and Santana deserve to be nontendered. I had high hopes for Peterson, I loved his minor league numbers and his first season with Braves was solid. It was sad to see him consistently stink after that first year. Adams is undervalued and an American League team would be wise to grab him.
I agree with your thoughts on Adams! I’m still a fan of his! He got dumped on because of politics in St. Louis!
Braves are saving cash to pay for a solid front line SP and big bat 3B…
Woohoo! Now that Peterson and Santana are gone, welcome home to Atlanta Mr Kelly Johnson! Lol. Heard it here first.