The young, upstart Atlanta Braves may be just a piece away from serious title contention, but that piece probably won’t be coming from the cream of this winter’s free agent crop.
In an appearance this weekend on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos made clear that the team was unlikely to pursue top stars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, per host Jim Bowden. Anthopoulos also spoke on his reluctance to hand out ten-year deals to those players and said that the team was likelier to target the trade market for roster improvements instead.
The Braves are coming off a surprise season where they won 90 games, which was good enough for the NL East title and their first playoff berth since 2013. They fell in four games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS however.
As for Harper and Machado, they are still expected to command some serious (and possibly record-breaking) dough this winter. But Anthopoulos’ remarks do come in the wake of another potential suitor likely bowing out as well.
