Your comments and insight are the best. No other source provides such a useful perspective. I’m fully on-board with a change in pitching philosophy. Quality pitching depth with versatility appears to be the key to success in today’s game. Snitker and Kranitz appeared to resist that approach and wanted every pitcher to fit into a very specific role. We saw a lot of examples of that in 2025. The way they handled Fuentes was an unfortunate example. We’d all love SPs that start 33 games and routinely go 5+ innings, but its 2026, not 1996.
Imho, I’d like to see Elder in a Braves uniform on opening day. If we get a great return for him in a trade, that’s great. But I’d like to see how he does with a new pitching coach. He has some infuriating appearances (unfortunately including playoffs), but the animosity towards him is overboard. The guy has picked up the ball when they needed him for 3 seasons. Not in the clubhouse, but he gets shuttled between minors and big league team and never seems to sulk or complain. It says something that he can get blown-up on Monday, pickup the ball and deliver a strong performance later that week.
I'd love to see Hefner finally unlock the consistency that's eluded Elder. He combines quality starts with blowups and one of my offseason projects is to dive into the second half of his season to figure out what the difference is in his blowups from the other outings.
Good overview. I'm still stunned that AA gave away Kinley. You surmised they may be going for 'quantity rather than quality' for middle relief - isn't that exactly what we had last year with the ever-spinning revolving door of DFA flops?
Will it come down to a choice between Elder or Wentz on the opening day roster? Assuming staff is relatively healthy. I don’t think either has options.
They do not, I didn't explicitly put it in there, but I'm assuming they try and find a way to move Elder this winter in a deal. He has value, Atlanta just needs more stability and consistency than what he can provide
The more I think about it, I think, as you called it, the outfield will be the cut corner.
They've said too many times that SS is the top priority to be cutting corners in that position.
Can't cut a corner in the bullpen after not getting PJ and Kinley's options. Can't cut curners in the starting pitching because our rotation has too much injury risk (Holmes, ReyLo, Sale, AJSS) and uncertainty (Strider). In addition to the new P Coach prefering a six-man rotation, and Elder is likely to be a trade piece. If Holmes doesn't have surgery, he's a candidate to go to the bullpen, to limit his innings.
Holmes himself said it in 2024: he is a Utility Pitcher. I remember because that when I became a fan of him. All that guy is lacking is a Herbal Essences advertisement.
Your comments and insight are the best. No other source provides such a useful perspective. I’m fully on-board with a change in pitching philosophy. Quality pitching depth with versatility appears to be the key to success in today’s game. Snitker and Kranitz appeared to resist that approach and wanted every pitcher to fit into a very specific role. We saw a lot of examples of that in 2025. The way they handled Fuentes was an unfortunate example. We’d all love SPs that start 33 games and routinely go 5+ innings, but its 2026, not 1996.
Imho, I’d like to see Elder in a Braves uniform on opening day. If we get a great return for him in a trade, that’s great. But I’d like to see how he does with a new pitching coach. He has some infuriating appearances (unfortunately including playoffs), but the animosity towards him is overboard. The guy has picked up the ball when they needed him for 3 seasons. Not in the clubhouse, but he gets shuttled between minors and big league team and never seems to sulk or complain. It says something that he can get blown-up on Monday, pickup the ball and deliver a strong performance later that week.
I'd love to see Hefner finally unlock the consistency that's eluded Elder. He combines quality starts with blowups and one of my offseason projects is to dive into the second half of his season to figure out what the difference is in his blowups from the other outings.
Good overview. I'm still stunned that AA gave away Kinley. You surmised they may be going for 'quantity rather than quality' for middle relief - isn't that exactly what we had last year with the ever-spinning revolving door of DFA flops?
Yeah, I got that backwards in the copy. Had to make a quick edit this morning, but everyone that got the email has the wrong version in their inbox
OK - thanks
Will it come down to a choice between Elder or Wentz on the opening day roster? Assuming staff is relatively healthy. I don’t think either has options.
They do not, I didn't explicitly put it in there, but I'm assuming they try and find a way to move Elder this winter in a deal. He has value, Atlanta just needs more stability and consistency than what he can provide
The more I think about it, I think, as you called it, the outfield will be the cut corner.
They've said too many times that SS is the top priority to be cutting corners in that position.
Can't cut a corner in the bullpen after not getting PJ and Kinley's options. Can't cut curners in the starting pitching because our rotation has too much injury risk (Holmes, ReyLo, Sale, AJSS) and uncertainty (Strider). In addition to the new P Coach prefering a six-man rotation, and Elder is likely to be a trade piece. If Holmes doesn't have surgery, he's a candidate to go to the bullpen, to limit his innings.
Holmes in that sort of bulk/swingman role could be an absolute weapon under Jeremy Hefner.
But yeah, grabbing a high-quality platoon bat and relying on that guy and Eli White together feels like the corner that's most likely to be cut here
Holmes himself said it in 2024: he is a Utility Pitcher. I remember because that when I became a fan of him. All that guy is lacking is a Herbal Essences advertisement.