Anthopoulos: Trading players on long-term contracts "will not happen"
"You can take it and light it on fire. Will not happen, will not be considered, will not be discussed."
President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos, speaking to the media via Zoom before tomorrow's Winter Meetings, was emphatic that the Atlanta Braves would not be trading position players or pitchers that signed long-term extensions.
"They don't have (no-trade clauses), but it's not something we'll contemplate unless something happens off the field, a significant drop in performance, and so on."
The lack of no-trade clauses is an organizational philosophy - "we don't give out no-trade clauses" - and it comes down to flexibility, for the above mentioned reasons.
But trading a player that's signed an extension isn't something Anthopoulos wants to do. "They're extremely unlikely to move [...] These guys chose to be here, they chose to sign here."
He gave an example from his time as GM of the Toronto Blue Jays - slugger Jose Bautista, who also did not have a no-trade clause, was being pursued via trade by another team and they offered a star player in return. "It wasn't something that we would even entertain."
The need for starting pitching
Anthopoulos also discussed starting pitching. The goal for Atlanta is to have ten to eleven different options to take starts, which the Braves have.
If the season were to start today, the top of the rotation is some combination of Max Fried & Spencer Strider, followed by Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder, and Reynaldo Lopez.
Behind them, the options include guys that started last year (AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, Allan Winans, and Darius Vines) as well as prospects that could debut in 2024 (Hurston Waldrep). The Braves also have pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery, with Huascar Ynoa and Ian Anderson due back in March and June, respectively.
But Anthopoulos did not rule out adding another starter in the "right opportunity" presented itself - he alluded to a "significant addition" that did not work out, presumed to be the Aaron Nola deal - but made it clear that the Braves would only sign the right player for the organization.
Grissom to start in left field?
After allowing Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar to walk in free agency, the Braves are currently without an everyday left fielder. This is another area where Anthopoulos said the right deal could materialize, but if the season were to start today, Vaughn Grissom would be the primary option.
Grissom, an infielder by trade, is playing winter ball in Puerto Rico and will spend his time with Cangrejeros de Santurce, playing left field. Their season is halfway over, with the All-Star Game taking place in the Dominican Republic this week. Other candidates for Atlanta's left field role including Forrest Wall, who played center field last season in a backup capacity, as well as serving as the primary pinch-running option.
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