First of all, a big Happy New year from Battery Power. Here’s to another year of Braves coverage.
Well the big news of the day was the Braves being linked in multiple spots to Tatsuya Imai. I have been pushing Imai a bit for the past few weeks for the Braves, as he makes a ton of sense. He wouldn’t cost the 26th overall pick to sign him, which is a huge advantage over the other top starters on the market like Framber Valdez. He has plenty of upside as his final season in Japan was just a tick off
of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s last three years in Japan. Perhaps most significantly, he is still only entering his age 28 season and is expected to sign a deal for no more than 5-6 years, with perhaps a shorter deal being possible with what seems like a weak market, meaning he isn’t signing a deal that is likely to see a massive age cliff. There is of course additional risk in signing a player who hasn’t played in MLB to significant money and there is perhaps less information for the front office to use in vetting him, however, so it is not without risk or downside. We will find out very soon where Imai signs, as his posting window closes on January 2 at 5pm, but I sure hope it is Atlanta.
Braves News
Multiple sources indicated that the Braves are showing real interest in Japanese star pitcher Tatsuya Imai as his posting window rapidly approaches it’s closing at 5pm on Friday.
Longtime Braves beat writer David O’Brien of The Athletic is retiring.
MLB News
The Giants reportedly signed starting pitcher Tyler Mahle to a one year deal, as Mahle is a signing I would have liked for Atlanta.
The Angels are reportedly interested in a trade for star third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Former Brave Jarred Kelenic signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, as the 26 year old tries to resurrect his career.
