The Atlanta Braves minus Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto’s upcoming free agency & more with John Smoltz
the 1centers are the ones getting these contracts but some players still do want to win and that was always the motivator for me I want to win and I would sacrifice some money for the sake of [Applause] [Music] [Applause] winning flyball under of the track at the wall it’s gone home run turns on the ball deep right field and gone what a game what a moment all right I am pumped to be joined as I am every single Saturday by the Hall of Famer John Smoltz John how we doing this week doing great back into the uh vacation heading home I was going to put the dog in the in the frame but he’s he’s kind of he’s kind of exhausted I was gonna say that the people almost want want the dog back you know it’s Let’s uh hey I I want to start with the Braves um it’s been an interesting year for them so far not playing their their best this point in the year but very early on their Ace goes down Spencer Strider gonna miss the year with Tommy John surgery then over the past couple of days we get news that Ronald aunia Jr is going to be out for the season um where do they where do they go from here John you lose your Ace you lose your your reigning MVP and and probably definitely your best player on the team so how does a team like the Atlanta Braves cope with losing your best player and your Ace before even the Midway point of the Season yeah this is uh you couldn’t pick two players that could have impact an organization as much as these two players did and it is way unfortunate to say the least now when they won the World Series without aunia that was with a month to go a little over a month and a half to go and they went and made some trades and people question those trades there like what are they doing and then they won the World Series so they’re going to have to get a recruitment of the players they have right now and they’ve got to pick it up Matt Olen when Riley gets back I mean they’re they’re Treading Water right now and they’ve got to tread it for a while their their hopes of winning the division probably go down significantly to State and obvious but the ability to get in the postseason and kind of do what the Phillies have done to them maybe an opportunity for the Braves to kind of work that magic but you’re point to loseing aunia you cannot replace him it’s impossible you just got to kind of compartmentalize and hope that three guys any three guys can kind of do what he does individually does this does this remind you of any of the Braves teams you played on I mean did you ever experience a season where uh you guys were so injury plagued throughout the year and then just you know Wonder okay what do we do H how do we go about it I know by and large the the three the pitching St staff stayed fairly healthy but does this remind you of any of the teams you played on yeah it does uh a little bit different we didn’t have the dynamic uh of aunia but we had players that we were missing badly in 99 I believe that’s the year I think we lost you know two or three uh whether it was Javier Lopez Otis Nixon we lost some te we lost some players in in different years at the end that you figure okay everyone’s got to step up and do a little bit more now ultimately we didn’t win in those years but we were able to compete and and and really do the things that you set out to do out of spring training this is a blow um but it is not one that Brian sniper is gonna say hey we we we’ve done it before we have to do it longer now and we’re gonna have to have guys step up yeah absolutely on the uh in the other league team playing probably the best best baseball in h the league right now New York Yankees the big talk is what’s going to happen with Juan stto he’s repped by Scott Boris we kind of know how that goes you don’t really negotiate in season but if you do he’s probably going to hit free agency and then the conversation comes where is he going to go are the Yankees going to come out and sign him and then over the last week Hal Stein brener comes out and says that the current payroll is unsustainable which is in direct contrast to tell how the team used to operate and and you played against the the Yankees of old if you will where they just went and got the best players and Juan stto is going to be the best player so what do you think has happened uh with the with the Yankees approach to to signing free agents that just it feels like George steinbrener wouldn’t have said those things but now how Stein brener is involved and he’s not exactly saying the best things for Yankees fans to get excited about well I don’t know if it’s a little bit of posturing and working the the uh the scenario for when it gets to that point you know uh squeezing a little bit um this past off season maybe he’s playing a little bit to Scott boris’s angle of getting players paid didn’t work the way he thought it was going to work with the particular players maybe that’s part of the deal um you know I think this plays out in one of two ways the Yankees win the World Series and then it’s bonus time for them they don’t have to sign them uh per se even though the pressure still would be great to sign them but you know it it always it always reminds me what does a player want if the player wants the most money then there there’s very little you’re going to do you’re not able to pay him the most money but the trade they made was for now and yes the opportunity to sign him later is still there percentagewise I wouldn’t call it great percentage right now just based on everything that you laid out but if they win the World Series you got to believe that maybe adds to um you know the ability in one way or another to say I want to be part of this organization moving forward but if he wants the most money and he’s a different client of Boris then he’s going to go with the most money is I’m pretty sure of it so you you think does does the Yankees winning the World Series help them with their chances to sign Juan stto or at that point is it more okay we we got him for the short term we got him for the here and now uh we don’t need to we don’t need to be the top bidder to get him we just we just won the World Series thank you for everything you’ve done for us we would love for you to sign back but we ain’t going to break the bank for you yeah I think that’s the scenario that plays out perfectly for them because look they’ve got to get that monkey off their bat if you will and win a World Series they haven’t won one in forever as far as the Yankees go for anybody else that you know organization they don’t have that rich history so yeah I definitely think it buys them the perfect scenario that wins the World Series and says hey if you want to be part of this train moving forward here’s what we’re going to offer you but apart from that good luck I mean I don’t think when you’re talking about stto and again I I’ve probably been more wrong in this area of contracts I don’t think we’re talking about five to 10 teams uh that could possibly bid for him so whenever a guy has this kind of talent and is requiring that kind of money the Dodgers aren’t going to sign him when you start looking at all the teams that could potentially sign him his former team’s not going to sign him so I think there’s a lot of things meaning Washington not his current former team the Padres they still could be in the mix who knows but I just don’t think you’re talking about a pool of 10 teams so it’ll be interesting to see how it how it runs it runs its course yeah absolutely do do you think with the way that contra contracts is are are currently set up in baseball what do you think we could possibly see what the Dodgers just did with pretty much everybody they just signed we hear Stein brener saying these current contracts are unsustainable 300 million plus but do you think maybe going forward now we see these massive contracts deferred quite a bit and people say yeah this this makes sense for us this makes sense for the player I’m not saying Juan soda is going to take a deal where he’s making $2 million a year and then it’s all backdated I don’t think there’s a that’ll do that other than sh but I do think that could be sort of the a a new wave of of signing players is maybe just deferring a lot of the money and that’s allowing the teams in the here and now to be a little more flexible I I think so we have the it’s one of the biggest copycat leagues uh once you start giving player opt outs all of a sudden that became the most popular thing never understood it but it’s part of the deal now I still maintain that sooner or later if we keep having the history of injuries with these BigTime contracts in long term I I don’t know how eager you’re going to want to be to give these contracts to people if I mean aunia has now had his second ACL in a big deal that was friendly for the club in people’s terms yeah Mike Trout has stayed hurt uh Otani will be the next case study because of his ability in 10 years so I don’t I don’t know how eager 10 and 13e contracts but that’s the copycat I mean that’s what if teams are going to give it out you know then players are going to seek it and go to those places I I think today’s player and I’m not I’m not ragging on them they have a great system set up for them for the one percenters the one percenters are the ones getting these contracts but some players still do want to win and that was always the motivator for me I want to win and I would sacrifice some money for the sake of winning because when you go to a place that you get your 10 years the idea of their chances of winning um again is very small when you think about the last 25 years of clubs and who have sustained long long runs uh a team winning right now that you mentioned the brave chances of winning the NL East go probably pretty significantly down after losing aunia and and Strider and both of those guys and that’s because also the Philadelphia Phillies are playing some of the best baseball uh of everybody especially in the National League we’re seeing the Phillies off to one of the best starts in franchise history uh they’re on Pace to shatter their alltime wins record so what have you seen this year out of the Phillies that makes it different and I know people are saying they’ve had an easy schedule so talk to me in July and August I personally you can only play who’s on your schedule right and they’re off to the best start in franchise history they’re playing great what have you seen from them that’s that’s different than in years past where it’s really been a roller coaster and a slow start to the year and then they pick it up and maybe get hot at the right time but it doesn’t feel like that this year it feels a little different no great teams take care of the schedule they’re playing and you’re right I mean the schedule has been there for the taking and they have dominated it and so that good for them I mean that’s that’s what Baseball’s all about yeah their pitching staff has been the reason I think their offense is always going to score runs they got one of the best offenses in baseball but when you get a ro when you get Suarez going N9 and one and when you get your pitching staff healthy and Nola did not have the greatest year last year and he’s off to a great start this year I just think and like their pitching staff they’ve always had the issue in the bullpen they they’ve kind of settled that a little bit they’re a confident team and like we talked about a while ago I think the chip on their shoulders real last year’s ending was awful I mean you couldn’t set it up any better to go back to the World Series when they lose two games at home game six and game seven I think that’s set in with every member of that club now they’ll downplay it if you ask them that I’m sure cuz I would but as a former player I know that feeling in the offseason would burn me the entire time till spring training and they’re proven look this is not a fluke what they’ve done the last couple years it might be considered an interesting accomplishment since they have not won the division and gotten to the finals and then almost again so yeah I think they’re they’re they’re they’re poised they have the right manager they have the right roster and they’re playing in the right City to have what happened last year translate into the success this year is there a guy that’s more perfectly fit to play in that city than Bryce Harper I mean he’s leading the league and and ejections by more than double I mean he just is a hard-nosed go get him MVP winning Allstar first baseman now at this point and it just feels like man Bryce Harper and Philly just feels like the perfect match and then when you watch him in the postseason all those clutch knocks it just it does feel it’s just meant to be him playing there I think when we’re all said and done and the documentary is going to be done on Bryce Harper which you know it’s going to be done he was born to be this type of player it didn’t go great maybe in Washington at different times but I think the contract he signed the time he signed it with all of the people around him signing maybe more it says a lot about Bryce Harper wanting to finish in one place and and even wanting to extend it I mean I think it’s hard to imagine they would extend it now but but why wouldn’t you he’s done all the right things checked all the right boxes become so endearing to that City and that fan base um I don’t think I could have predicted that’s where he would end up but now that you see him there you’re right it’s almost meant to be this is the place he was always supposed to be John always a pleasure my friend to love doing this every week I appreciate you and have a great uh trip home right you’re getting ready to pack up and head out five and a half hours we’re getting ready to roll all right well tell the dog the flipping bats family says hello for us you got it all right see you John all right just wanted to thank John Smoltz for joining me as he does here every single week it’s always appreciated always fun always love picking his brain about things across the league I am a little worried about the Atlanta Braves and as equally worried as I am about them I am equally as confident in the Philadelphia Phillies which is why I think I am a little worried about the Braves I I have the pH is winning the World Series they are rolling they’re playing great and just man injury after injury to the Braves and Strider and aunia and I just feel absolutely terrible for for Ronald aunia Jr and I I know he said in 2021 when he missed out on that World Series run with the Braves just how gut-wrenching it was for him and how you know how hard it was for him and to go through all that again with a team that is still built and ready to to win just sucks so uh I wish him a speedy recovery I I hope the Braves can uh can continue to play good baseball and and be one of the best teams in the league and uh really really fun picking his brain about everything across the league currently so thank you all for listening make sure you subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast Apple Spotify wherever make sure you hit that follow subscribe button that really helps you can also watch everything we do on Spotify you can watch on our YouTube channel fing bats pod there and follow us on Tik Tok we are getting closer and closer to 100,000 followers and put some really cool stuff out there so appreciate you all for listening uh until Monday my friends remember find your bat and flip it peace
Ben Verlander welcomes Atlanta Braves’ legend John Smoltz back to Flippin’ Bats for another edition of ‘Saturdays with John Smoltz’. Ben and Smoltz discuss what the Atlanta Braves’ next step is without MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., if Juan Soto is going to stay a New York Yankee long-term and why Bryce Harper fits with the Philadelphia Phillies so well.
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The Atlanta Braves minus Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto’s upcoming free agency & more with John Smoltz
2 comments
Will the Braves be a Wild Card team this postseason?
Definitely, but won't go far into post season