Don't disagree with you in theory, BDV, but this just reeks of a big up yours to the fans. Gattis is a really popular player who has overcome a lot of personal issues to get to the big leagues and is a guy that Braves fans could pull for. With the dumpster fire fire sale going on it would have been nice to at least throw the fans a bone, and that bone should have been Gattis.
And I don't see it ending, either. I would be willing to bet that if Freddie Freeman even starts the season as a Brave, he won't be there for long. And Simmons? He's gone, too.
Screw the fans. They don't really matter.
Freemen and Simmons aren't going anywhere. They both signed extensions last year, and at relative bargains, too. Ditto for Teheran. Those are the guys they're going to build around. One more guy you may see get moved, however, is Craig Kimbrel. The Braves obviously aren't trying to win big for the next couple years, so what use do they have for a frontline closer? He also signed an extension last year, so whoever got him would have him under contract for the next 4 years. That means he would bring a LOT in return. I'm not necessarily saying Hart should actively shop him, but I'd certainly listen to offers. And if by some miracle BJ Upton and/or Chris Johnson have big first halves and garner some trade interest, you'd certainly want to deal them before the deadline. I'm not holding my breath on that one.
Unfortunately, this fire sale has been inevitable since 2007, when John Schuerholz dealt every ML-ready prospect in the system for Mark Texiera, who would be gone less than a year later. On balance, JS did a ton more good than bad in Atlanta, but his last major personnel move would prove to be disastrous. Wren took over the next year and let scouting go to shizzle. Once Heyward/Freeman/Simmons/Tehran etc. hit the Show, the Braves farm system, once the best in baseball, the crown jewel that allowed the team to compete even with limited payroll, was gutted. That's the situation that Hart inherited.
So what do you do when your ML roster is mediocre and expensive, no one wants to trade for your worst contracts, you have a bad TV deal that won't allow you to pursue frontline free agents, and there's little to no help coming up from the minors? You have to make some tough decisions and rebuild the hard way, from the bottom up. That's where we stand now. Hart has to get scouting and the minor league system right again, because that's the only way the Braves can compete. And that's going to take a few years. Hopefully, the payoff will be worth it.
