The Braves made a change behind the plate, optioning catcher William Contreras to Triple-A and selecting the contract of veteran backstop Jonathan Lucroy. To create 40-man roster space for Lucroy, southpaw Grant Dayton was moved to the 60-day injured list.
With Travis d’Arnaud injured for much of the season and not expected back until August, the Braves have gotten sub-replacement level production from the catching position this season, ranking 29th of 30 teams in catcher bWAR. Contreras initially looked good after being called up from Triple-A, but his bat cooled off, leaving the 23-year-old with a modest .204/.278/.387 slash line and seven home runs in 158 plate appearances.
It’s probably safe to assume that Contreras will be recalled at some point this season, perhaps as soon as he gets his timing back and strings together some good games at the plate for Triple-A Gwinnett. In the interim, Atlanta will make do at catcher with the veteran combo of Lucroy and Kevan Smith, and Alex Jackson is also on a rehab assignment after missing two months with a strained hamstring and an injured finger.
Lucroy inked a minor league deal with the Braves in May, about a month after he chose free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the Nationals’ alternate training site. Lucroy appeared in five games with Washington this season and one game with the Red Sox in 2020, and it has now been several seasons since the former All-Star has been a significant force in a lineup.
Until Jackson is ready to return, Lucroy and Smith could essentially be competing to see who remains on the MLB roster, though Atlanta could also opt to keep the two veterans on hand and keep the less-experienced Jackson at Triple-A. While d’Arnaud’s return should theoretically stabilize matters, the Braves could certainly look to acquire catching help at the trade deadline, adding some depth in case d’Arnaud has a setback.
Lord… Kevan Smith is now our best catcher and he’s basically Ender at the plate and isn’t that great defensively. I know Contreras has struggled bad of plate, and behind the plate has been rough, but he has upside and I’d rather still have him considering they are both playing at a similar lvl. But I get the roster moves here. But this is showing that the Braves are at a very real low point in the season and refusing to make meaningful moves to improve the team
It’s hard to make meaningful moves right now. It’s too early for sellers to sell unless you’re willing to vastly over-pay.
Have try another look. Contreras & Smith are depressing to watch. Can’t hit a lick , too many PBs & WPs that ought to be handled, and some of the pitch-calling (if they’re doing it) leaves me dumbfounded.. With only 4 in the order only occasionally putting a ball into play, something has to come from the lower end once in a while besides K’s. Nobody is moving runners anymore – especially Acuna, and with 12 K’s & 3 DP’s per game, the SP-ing has no chance. for wins.
This might work out. Lucroy is basically Mathis who shows up with a bat (hopefully). While Contreras is the probably the future at catcher this is the right move.
Langeliers (sp?) is looking good stat-wise at Mississippi. He may wind up being the future for the Braves. Meanwhile, Contreras needs to play every day, but not in a pennant race.
@bham. I guess I should’ve been more specific. I do think Langeliers will be better and most likely the starting catcher when he gets to the MLB. It’s just that Contreras is the now guy. It will probably be a combo of Langeliers and Contreras for years. I thought Alex Jackson was the future a few years back and look how that worked out though….
Agree, Saw Langliers for two games last week and he (at AA) is much better looking than what ATL has run out after D’Arnaud went down.. Whether he can do it at AAA & the big leagues remain to be seen, but its to the point of try anything right now.
Gotcha.
Honestly, if Contreras’ defense doesn’t improve, he might need to move off the catcher position. He’s looked terrible so far.
Contreras has seemed over rated for a few years now. He’s never been good defensively and can’t handle pitchers well. He was suppose to be a prospect based on his bat, after the last couple season I think Contreras is lucky if he can be a back up catcher. Alex Jackson is much better then Contreras, and in my opinion should be the starter until langeliers comes up. Jackson is a stud defensively the pitchers love him and his game calling and he has major light tower power. Even if you do think Contreras is better then Jackson can you argue that Contreras needs more minors time then Jackson? I think Jackson is a solid back up for any contender and is under rated.
I think if Jackson were healthy, he’d be the starter right now.
Lucroy will provide more offense for sure, but his D has slipped in recent years. Smith & Lucroy should be an adequate bridge to d’Arnaud’s return.
Name an team making meaningful moves right now? I’ll wait
Brewers getting Rowdy………….Not really I just wanted to say that.
Yikes.
I’m happy for Jonathan. Persistence does pay off. I hope he does well..
Gotta shake it up.
Isn’t 10 years service time being fully vested? If so I can see why Lucroy is fighting so hard to stick around. He’s currently at 9.164 service time.
I believe players are technically vested after they play their first game. Benefits max at ten years. You do have to have ten years service time to qualify for the HOF.
What’s Lucroys OPS since 2018?
I don’t get it. There are teams who clearly should be buyers. And there are teams who clearly should be sellers. Yet 2 well paid people can’t get on the phone and work it out. I just don’t get it. It’s not coronas fault because this was going on before that.
Is Eduardo Escobars trade value going up by the day? Nope it sure isn’t. This makes no sense to me.
Teams rarely sell off players of any significance before the all-star break. At this point, any major move would require an overpay.
Weed used to be illegal where I live. Now it’s not.
Things change dude. That’s the whole point. What teams have been doing the last few years doesn’t really make sense.
Why would getting a guy like Escobar from the Dbacks(for example) require an overpay? And what the heck is an overpay anyways?
At the end of the day Escobar has more value to pretty much any other team besides the one he plays for. And if the Dbacks get a better offer for him tomorrow then they did today fine. But his value is going down by the day I know that.
The market is what the market is. If the D’Backs trade him now, then they will get less for him than at the deadline. They have no incentive to trade him now for less than what they will get later. They’ve probably been talking to teams and have an idea what teams are willing to pay. They are betting that teams will be more motivated to trade the closer to the deadline it gets, so they are holding out.
Dude Escobar is worth more today than he is tomorrow. Maybe the DBacks get more tomorrow but if thats the case it’s poor negotiating on their part as well as the acquiring team. Escobar value is going down by the day thats a fact.
@Joel: MLB disagrees with you.
MLB is wrong dude that’s the point.
Its like these teams are all holding out for the Chapman Torres trade. But that was an incredibly unique situation.
A lot of teams don’t know if they are buyers or sellers yet. Once those decisions are made, then the market will define itself. That’s when competition for available players will start in earnest, and teams will be more determined to go after what they need, driving up demand. Why would a selling team sell during a soft market when they can wait and get more value in return later?
“Weed used to be illegal where I live. Now it’s not.”
Maybe that explains it.
Escobar was out of the lineup with a quad injury. Players who aren’t playing because of injury aren’t worth much with a few weeks left before the trade deadline.
He just got back into the line up yesterday and teams obviously will want to see Escobar playing for a few days.
Dude he didn’t miss more than a game or 2 if he missed any at all. Look it up I sure did because I was pretty sure that was false. It is.
He missed one game and was used as a PH in several others.
If you’re the team holding the Catcher, you have no reason to deal now short of getting a massive overpay. If you hold, you may get more potential suitors involved, driving up the return.
If you’re the buyer you don’t want to overpay. Why would you? In Atlanta’s case, maybe you catch lightning in a bottle for a month. The Braves don’t need an answer for years at the position, just weeks.
It’s why you don’t see May and June deals, and why this move makes sense for the Braves. I like it. Catchers are largely fungible anyway, IMO.
I agree, Outlaw. Besides, who could they trade for? What available catchers would make the Braves better? Maybe one of the Detroit catchers, but they are both unproven as well.
I’m with you in that I don’t see a deal out there either for a Catcher where I feel like the Braves are crazy for not being hyper aggressive on it. Plus they’re loaded with system Catching.
If anything, I’d prefer they shore up the pen and get a middle of the order type bat for LF. I think they’re otherwise fine.
What potential suitors are getting involved in 3 weeks that are not involved now? And couldn’t theoretically some teams play poorly(cough Cubs cough) and instead of being buyers they could be sellers. And wouldn’t that do the opposite?
There is no reason not to make a deal in May or June. It’s just lame the Dbacks knew they were toast rather quickly. Sooooo many injuries this year.
Baseball is lame. Most importantly the people who run it and make decisions for it are lame..
I’m surprised you don’t have a front office job by now. You seem to be smarter than all the GM’s in the game.
Dude I didn’t go to college. I spent those years watching and learning the game.
Baseball is broke. Just like many companies in America they are run by people that don’t have their feet on the ground. That disconnect creates the lame atmosphere we have seen at the trade deadline the last few years.
@Joel- Maybe no one, but unless you have a crystal ball that can predict injuries, no one knows now. That’s sorta the point.
I disagree with you. I’m going to work off your assumptions though that Zona should’ve already sold and Atlanta should buy. What if then Realmuto goes down in 2 weeks? Then all of a sudden you have division rivals bidding against each other.
You’re absolutely clueless Joel
So you are saying the Dbacks should keep there players just in case someone gets hurt????
Ok well what if that doesn’t happen? Then isn’t the player worth less in 3 weeks than he is right now???? Yes sir he is. That’s why the Dbacks should have sold already. For example.
Dude your Braves are a perfect example of a team that builds a really quality team year in and year out, has problems during the season, and instead of fixing their problems they stand pat at the deadline or do very little. And they can’t get over the hump big surprise.
“Ok well what if that doesn’t happen? Then isn’t the player worth less in 3 weeks than he is right now???? Yes sir he is. That’s why the Dbacks should have sold already. For example.”
It takes a buyer and a seller to make a deal. If someone is willing to grossly overpay, then the D’Backs will sell. If not, then they know they can still get good value at the deadline.
Escobar value will be less tomorrow than it is today. That’s a fact.
No, he’s not worth less. Three weeks is a very minimal amount of club control time. You’re not talking about dealing three seasons of a guy versus dealing one. You’re looking at, what, 15-18 games, max? It’s not going to be that impactful on the value.
The way you’re coming at it, to my understanding, is fit and need, make it happen. But no GM wants to give up assets if they can find an answer without giving up assets. And no GM with a limited amount of assets wants to risk selling low.
Value is determined by the market, not just the seller. How many times have we seen teams get stuck with their players because they over-valued them and no one wanted to meet their price?
Dude Escobar is only signed for 2021. So 3 weeks out of the very limited time he has left in the year is actually quite important.
It’s not selling low. Escobar value decreases by the day. The idea that they will get more for him now than they would have a month ago is nonsense. If that happens it’s only because Escobar goes on a crazy hot streak and becomes a different player than he’s been his entire career. And thats not happening.
I can recall the JD Martinez trade. That one was terrible on the Tigers part.
The Tigers have done a lot of terrible things.
Ironically we were talking about the Dbacka and Escobar and the Dbacks are the ones who acquired Martinez for basically nothing. You would think they would keep that in mind…..
It doesn’t matter at this point if he’s a FA at year end. Teams adding now will be adding for the help this year. The buyer will base their valuation on does he help them reach the postseason. If they like him, they can extend him. Not every team approaches the TD looking for a guy locked into multiple years either. His skills aren’t eroding by the day, Joel.
So the Tigers sold low. If they’d waited another week or two, they might have gotten more.
There wasn’t 2 weeks left to wait. And if they didn’t trade him they weren’t getting anything back in return. That’s what can happen when you overplay your hand.
There will be a long list of guys thata should have been dealt that weren’t come August. Sounds like a great post for this site.
He was traded on 7/18. The deadline was 7/31. Overplaying your hand is a separate issue. The other side of that coin is the Chris Archer trade, when a team gives up too much for a player. It happens all the time.
So remind me again Braves fans: What was so bad about Tyler Flowers? LuCroy is a joke!
Tyler retired. Lucroy did draw a lot of walks at Gwinnett. The Braves are probably just hoping for decent defense and decent OBP from him.
If you don’t have a top 3 Catcher, that’s largely all you get from any Catcher. I feel like some fans look at a Catchers stats in comparison to a COF, and then they go he’s garbage. But your Catcher really only needs to be as good as other Catchers that aren’t named Realmuto, and that’s not a high bar.
They did sign Flowers and his back gave out and he retired. Please try and pay attention.
I believe what bmac is referring to was all the braves fans who were pissed in the comments when we signed Flo to a minor league deal, before he retired. Which of course was ridiculous as it was only a depth move.
Team looks dead. Win 4 in row lose 5, haven’t had a consistent streak all season.
I think Snit is a good manager just team lost starting catcher left fielder and power hitter. I would sell the entire pen once and if we fall out of it and Morton and Smily.
It’s a smart move to option Contreras. I believe his defensive struggles messed with his all around confidence. He looked awesome at the plate to start the yr and as his defense unraveled so did his offense. I still believe he has a bright future.
I looked through the catchers on non-contenders and couldn’t find any with good offensive stats who had played much (not counting players like Perez in KC, who isn’t going anywhere). Carson Kelly was doing well at Arizona until he got injured. I just don’t know whom the Braves could realistically trade for who could move the needle.
Their only real hope at catcher is that dArnaud come back healthy and rakes like last yr and that Contreras regains early season form at the plate.
Waiting for Braves fans to combine the LUUUUUC chant with the tomahawk chant…..
LUUUU-uuuu-UU-uu-C… luuuu-UUUU-uu-UU-c
Braves need to send Snitker back to Triple-A, next. Worst bullpen manager in the game.
To be fair, he didn’t have a lot to work with. They went into the year too lefty heavy in the pen, and that’s a match up problem.
App, thank you for not being totally ignorant like most Braves fans. Snit gets all the blame for the dumpster of a bullpen. He can only use what he has.
Most managers make bad decisions sometimes. The fans remember the bad ones and don’t notice or remember the good ones. I do cringe every time Jackson comes in with men on base.
The biggest mistake the Braves will do is buy doing the deadline. They are a dead team and a very bad team. Every day there is someone else coming out of the bullpen and blowing the game. It is becoming a running joke like when people keep addressing Acuna as a superstar.
Please sell and just give up. It is over. Trade Riley. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he is part of the future. Their farm system is terrible. WC and Pache are part of the failed group of prospects. Trade Riley while he has an ounce of value.
Please remind us again, just what team are you are a fan of? Obviously not Atlanta, so who then?
Definitely not the AA-led Braves. How about stop being an apologist and assess the team as is. It is okay to say they are terrible. The mean kids on this site may question your fandom but at least you will not be ignorant.
The team is fine, as is. Do they have a few holes, yeah, sure. Does that make them terrible? No. I get the vibe you’re one of those fans who believes undefeated seasons are possible, and a franchise should win 7/10 World Series every decade.
When no one ever agrees with you and everyone questions your fandom, you just may be wrong.
When did I ever say that?
I get the vibe you’re one of those fans who believed their slump in April was only 25 games, in May another 25 games, June another 25 games. Come September, you will say it again.
It is a bad team with little future. The farm system is bad. Rebuild and be done with it.
Don’t mind Ian, he exists to be the turd in the punch bowl.
The number of ppl in denial here is remarkable. It is okay if you don’t like my opinion on the team, but to continue to deny the team is bad just proves most of you don’t watch them play.
@Ian
Specifically, what moves would you make at the deadline if you were the current GM?
Personally, I don’t think there is a move they can really make that will make or break the team. Whether it is Marte, Gallo, or someone else, they will not go deep in the playoffs. I’m always against trading/signing bullpen arms because they are volatile and unpredictable, hence why I believe offense should be the main focus. Trade Riley and/or Swanson and let Arcia/Adrianza play the rest of the season. Let the season go. I believe Riley reached his ceiling and will not improve. Swanson will not resign after his contract ends.
The Mets have been the luckiest team in the sport. Everything is going their way (like it did for the Braves last season).
Atlanta has a very inconsistent bullpen. Snit has made some very questionable moves. Why does he use Santana when the game Is on the line.
What about the time when Matzek blew the game? or Smith? or Martin? or…
Everybody in the bullpen is terrible. Every.single.one. The Braves are making history folks.
Maybe we should trade Ian Theodore Fanthemson?
Anybody up for that?
Who? Oh, he’s the guy I muted.
I already tried to trade him to the Pirates in a previous thread for cash considerations ($5) & a Pirates fan actually posted no thanks! We need to fish him out of the punch bowl.
Wasn’t William Contreras doing well? I think he one player of the week or Rookie of the week or something like that recently
He did well in May, but he’s cratered since then,
Contreras was doing okay bat wise when he first came up. He’s hit to a 2 for the last 31 at bats clip over the last 10 days. He also leads the NL with 7 passes balls in only 43 games. He needs a wake up call in the minors.
Give him time, he’s only 23 & baseball seems to run in his family. I think eventually he’ll become a corner stone of the Braves.
I’m pretty sure Willson said he his brother was better than him. And then said he and brother were the next gen of Molina brothers. That’s high praise when you’re the best catcher in baseball but it’s also his younger brother. The best player in any sport dont usually sat they’re the best and always praise other players first
Willson’s not exactly tearing the cover off the ball, With a similar amount of at bats their hitting isnt that much different. Willson does have much better defense.
Just because he’s not tearing the cover off the ball doesn’t mean he’s not the best catcher in baseball. And unfortunately he was snubbed for the all star game.