John Hart on retooling Braves: Not like I’m breaking up ’27 Yanks
New Atlanta Braves president John Hart has been around the block a few times.
As the general manager of the Cleveland Indians throughout the entire 1990s and later the Texas Rangers from 2002-05, Hart has shown he’s not afraid to take on a challenge head-on, and his track record with both clubs suggests he’ll find a way to overcome it.
His new challenge with the Braves is a little different though. Hart is taking over a team that topped 85 wins five years running before dropping to a disappointing 79-83 in 2014. They’ve tasted regular season success on a regular basis, but they also haven’t won a playoff series since 2001, and now flaws are showing on an offense that finished near dead last in MLB, and in a starting rotation that thinned out even further with Ervin Santana leaving for Minnesota.
It’s a roster that’s in obvious need of retooling, which is why John Schuerholz took the keys away from former general manager Frank Wren and handed them over to Hart. But before fans get too crazy in accusing the front office of breaking up a contender, Hart has this honest assessment of the task at hand.
“Let’s be honest: This team finished 29th in offense,” Hart said. “It’s not like I’m breaking up the ’27 Yankees.”
And to that we proclaim: Well played, Mr. Hart.
Perhaps there’s a subtle shot at Wren in there too. But the truth always lies in the numbers, and the numbers say Atlanta’s offense stunk in 2014. The numbers also say the Braves have a lot of money invested in that offense. Between Justin and B.J. Upton alone, that’s $27.7 million due in 2015. They also have $13.2 million in dead money tied up in Dan Uggla, who was released and at this point remains unemployed.
Justin will be a free agent after the 2015 season, which makes him an obvious trade candidate. B.J. has an extra two years and an additional $28 million plus left on his albatross contract, which makes him impossible to give away. It all adds up to Hart having to be creative to rebuild on the fly, which is exactly what he intends to do.
“We had a tough year, and I know there was a lot of speculation about us going into this winter,” Hart said. “We had the 29th-ranked farm system in baseball. We had some bad contracts. Everybody felt there would be some players we would definitely unload — become a seller, if you will. But we’ve never felt like there was something we had to do. Obviously we’re contractually obligated to some players who aren’t performing well. But just because 2017 is coming, it doesn’t mean we’re going to throw a hand grenade on the club and blow it up. That wouldn’t guarantee success for 2017, either.”
Hart has already put his stamp on this offseason, trading 25-year-old outfielder Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deal that brought back an excellent young starter in Shelby Miller. Remember, they need pitching, too. The 24-year-old right-hander slots in nicely behind Julio Teheran and Mike Minor. Most importantly, he’s under team control until 2019.
He also recently inked Nick Markakis to a four-year, $44 million deal, which could prove more cost effective than extending Heyward would have.
Hart is a man with a plan, and it has nothing to do with rebuilding the team for 2017 when the new stadium opens in Cobb County. It’s just a complicated plan, because the Braves roster presents several complications.
While his quote may not endear him to Braves fans, it’s not without merit. John Hart has taken the pulse of your team, Braves’ fans. Now sit back, relax and let the man do work.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
