Like you, I'm NOT Aniti-Riley; I am, however, anti-nonproduction for >5 months. Nothing personal (except one must admit how ugly Riley's at bats); but IF we are to trade for a #2 starter (which, as you said, as of today that is the need) would we be comfortable going into playoffs with a platoon of White/Yaz? White went 3-4 in the doubleheader. Wonder what he could do with consistent AB's like Yaz gets? Acuna,Riley & Murphy cannot get counted on for Oct at this point.
"I'm NOT Aniti-Riley; I am, however, anti-nonproduction for >5 months. "
100%. At the end of the day, baseball is a MERITOCRACY. Yes, contracts matter which is why HSK will almost certainly get (at least) one more shot to prove the $20M the Braves will pay him this season is not totally wasted money. Yes, tenure and what you have meant to the team in the past matter which is why Riley has gotten 5 months to try and get right. But it simply hasn't happened. (side note: I hope that Heidi Watney is right and it takes 2 full years to recover from sports hernia surgery, because if that's not the problem and Riley is this bad again next year, as Lindsay likes to say, "conversations will have to be had.").
The Braves are trying to win games, win the NL East, finish with one of the two best records in the NL to get the first round bye in the playoffs. And right now, Austin Riley is not helping the Braves win baseball games.
You can't trade him because of the combo of contract and lack of production. You're not going to DFA him. But you CAN, you SHOULD, you MUST sit him. Put Dubon at 3B and platoon Yaz and Eli in LF until you can trade for an outfield bat.
Like you, I'm NOT Aniti-Riley; I am, however, anti-nonproduction for >5 months. Nothing personal (except one must admit how ugly Riley's at bats); but IF we are to trade for a #2 starter (which, as you said, as of today that is the need) would we be comfortable going into playoffs with a platoon of White/Yaz? White went 3-4 in the doubleheader. Wonder what he could do with consistent AB's like Yaz gets? Acuna,Riley & Murphy cannot get counted on for Oct at this point.
"I'm NOT Aniti-Riley; I am, however, anti-nonproduction for >5 months. "
100%. At the end of the day, baseball is a MERITOCRACY. Yes, contracts matter which is why HSK will almost certainly get (at least) one more shot to prove the $20M the Braves will pay him this season is not totally wasted money. Yes, tenure and what you have meant to the team in the past matter which is why Riley has gotten 5 months to try and get right. But it simply hasn't happened. (side note: I hope that Heidi Watney is right and it takes 2 full years to recover from sports hernia surgery, because if that's not the problem and Riley is this bad again next year, as Lindsay likes to say, "conversations will have to be had.").
The Braves are trying to win games, win the NL East, finish with one of the two best records in the NL to get the first round bye in the playoffs. And right now, Austin Riley is not helping the Braves win baseball games.
You can't trade him because of the combo of contract and lack of production. You're not going to DFA him. But you CAN, you SHOULD, you MUST sit him. Put Dubon at 3B and platoon Yaz and Eli in LF until you can trade for an outfield bat.