Braves Might Be Active On The Trade Block This Spring….
The Braves have dealt with pitching injuries every season in recent memory. At this point, it’s a foregone conclusion the rotation will experience some sort of injury, especially with the implementation of the new pitch clock.Mi
In this past postseason, Kyle Wright was unavailable, Max Fried was dealing with a blister, and Charlie Morton had a finger issue. The year prior, which was also against the Phillies in the NLDS, Spencer Strider nursed an oblique injury while Max Fried dealt with a sickness.
It’s been a common theme, but Alex Anthopous addressed those concerns this offseason. The Braves GM acquired Chris Sale in a trade with the Red Sox, sending Vaughn Grissom to Boston.
Even though he’s 35 years old, Sale’s stuff is still electric. He currently owns the record for the highest K/9 in MLB history at 11.1, and in 102.2 innings last year, Sale posted an 11.0 K/9 with a strikeout rate of 29.4%, just below his career average of 30.5%. Moreover, for the first time in years, the veteran is healthy.
“This is the first time I’ve gone into an offseason without dealing with something since 2018,” Sale said at Braves Spring Training. “It’s been a long time. This was fun. I had a lot of fun this offseason, being able to play baseball and do things that I haven’t been able to do. I was throwing bullpens here early in the offseason and I was supposed to throw 20 and you end up throwing 33-34, and it’s like, I haven’t been able to do this.”
Falcons betting favorites to sign Calvin Ridley, if he leaves Jaguars in free agency
The Falcons obviously need to find a quarterback this offseason. It will dominate headlines, but two other pressing needs are wide receiver and edge defender, and an old friend could fill one of those voids — Calvin Ridley.
Atlanta traded the former 2018 first-round pick to the Jaguars, but it came with several stipulations in regards to the compensation received in the deal.
Currently, the Falcons own the Jaguars’ 2024 third-round pick due to playing time and production marks that Ridley hit in 2023, but if Jacksonville extends him, that selection will turn into a second-rounder. However, signs are pointing to Atlanta getting stuck with the third.
“Per terms of the 2022 trade with Atlanta to acquire Ridley, Jacksonville’s third-round pick due to Atlanta turns into a second-rounder if Jacksonville extends Ridley’s contract. That’s why Jacksonville would need to wait until after the new league year begins to avoid giving up a second, because at that point any deal would be a free agency signing and not an extension. But that gives Ridley time to talk with other teams during the negotiating window, unless he and Jacksonville can work out a loose agreement and wait,” Jeremy Fowler said.
The only incentive the Jags have to extend Ridley is to remove the possibility of a bidding war and subsequently losing him in free agency, and according to betting outlets, the Falcons could be the club that signs him away from the Jaguars. If Ridley and the Jags cannot agree to a deal, the Falcons have the best odds of landing him, per BetOnline.
