With Ian Anderson spinning a gem against one of the elite of baseball in his MLB debut, the need for a starting pitcher is no longer as striking as last week. Atlanta could still use one more impact arm with Mike Soroka for the notoriously injured, and Cole Hamels’ health is a massive question mark, but her third baseline situation could also be improved.
Austin Riley has made some pretty important moves over the past two weeks, but can he be trusted for the playoff run? Over his last seven games, he has hit .522, and has improved his batting average in August by ninety points. It looks like the 23-year-old slugger is slowly climbing out of the metaphorical basement. With Johan Camargo, however, delivering next to nothing offensive, the Braves were able to control the market from the third base, and there is a so-called veteran for San Francisco.
Growing up, Evan Longoria was one of my favorite players, as an unstoppable force for Tampa Bay. Those days may be long gone, but Longoria has been effective so far in 2020. His .805 OPS shows he still has something left in the tank after suffering multiple injuries in recent years.
Longoria has been a huge disappointment for the Giants since he moved there in 2017, and he still has three years left on a $ 100 million deal of six years (one of those years is a club option). If the Giants are looking for pet lighting, Atlanta can get him for basically nothing. Hell, San Francisco can even add a prospect along with him – if it means he loses his contract.
It’s also worth noting that this deal will be relegated – Longoria will receive $ 20.5 million in 2021 and $ 19 million in 2022 for its $ 13 million club option in 2023. Atlanta would pay too much for an aging that its has best days behind him, but a deal can probably be worked out where the Giants eat a large portion of that money. So is it even worth the time of Alex Anthopoulos?
I’m still a member of the Austin Riley fan club, and this past month has made me even more of a believer. You should eventually see what he’s made of, and a trade like this would stunt his progress. If the DH were a permanent addition to the National League, Longoria would be an intriguing candidate as his career draws to a close. However, that is no guarantee, and it’s just too much money to spend on a player who may not even have a place to play next season. Riley started slowly, but he looks like the third baseman of the future, which means the Braves should not really try to add there. Rotation assistance is still the most important need for this team, and I fully expect it to be given priority over the next five days.
