The Atlanta Braves have become the darlings of Major League Baseball after a second-half rally that has led them to the World Series. It may seem like they used a busy trade deadline to hurdle them through the postseason, but it was a full year of decisions that put them in a position to win a title.
The Minnesota Twins are watching the Fall Classic at home again, and there are several things they can pick up on. If they follow Atlanta’s blueprint, they can avoid a lengthy rebuild and vault back into contention in the American League.
It starts with how last season ended for the Braves. They went blow-for-blow with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS thanks to a lineup centered around their infield. With Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, and Austin Riley, the Braves had a solid offensive quartet that needed help from their outfield.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is a superstar, but the Braves had to go to work with Marcell Ozuna hitting free agency and Nick Markakis retiring.
Atlanta also needed to find veteran pieces to complement their rotation. Max Fried and Ian Anderson both showed promise last year, but they needed to find a couple of impact veterans to get them through a 162-game schedule.
The Braves acted quickly, signing Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly to one-year deals. Atlanta also remained status quo in the outfield, signing Ozuna to a four-year, $64 million contract and designating top prospect Cristian Pache as their Opening Day center fielder. They loved what they saw from their rotation when the season began. Fried and Anderson took another step forward as promising starters, and Morton and Smyly retained their value as veteran arms.
Morton’s impact was incredibly impactful. He went 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA on a one-year, $15 million deal. He was a top-tier starter and gave Atlanta the pitching it needed to remain contenders in the National League East.
But the plan in the outfield fizzled. Pache struggled out of the gate and hit .111 before going down with an injury. Ozuna also struggled, got injured, and then was involved in a domestic violence incident. Then things went south when Acuña tore his ACL on July 11, leaving the Braves desperate for some help. Atlanta could have gone big trying to fix the problem. However, their solution was to make three minor moves that changed the course of their season.
The Braves started by acquiring Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals for minor league right-hander Kasey Kalich. Atlanta also acquired Eddie Rosario from the Cleveland Indians for Pablo Sandoval and Adam Duvall from the Miami Marlins for catcher Alex Jackson.
The Braves acquired three starting-caliber outfielders for two lower-level prospects and an aging veteran and plugged them into their outfield. Although there wasn’t much star power, the gamble worked, and all three led them to a division title and into the World Series.
The Twins can take a couple of things away from this. First, it’s not always a big contract signing that can provide the most significant impact. When Nelson Cruz signed before the 2019 season, it came with some skepticism. Forty-one homers later, the Twins were slugging their way to a division title.
The easiest path to climb back to the top of the AL Central is by adding a similar player on a short-term deal. Consider that the pitching market includes names like Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Morton. All of them could be had on a lucrative short-term deal.
Even if the Twins wanted to add another pitcher, adding the right mid-tier free agent could be equivalent to what the Braves did by signing Smyly. They could supplement Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober by adding a couple of steady veterans.
But what happens if that plan fails? Well, that’s where the trades come in.
When the Twins approached the trade deadline in 2019, upgrading the pitching staff was a key priority. While fans were obsessed with acquiring Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard, the Twins opted to make lesser moves to fix the problem. They ended up with mixed results. Sergio Romo brought a veteran arm to the bullpen, but Sam Dyson flamed out with a shoulder injury. Even batting .500 was a good development, and it could have been better if the Twins made a similar move to add a starting pitcher.
In short, the Twins need to be more aggressive and adaptable to improve their team. If Plan A doesn’t work, there’s always a Plan B, and that second option may be cheaper to acquire than you think.
