"I think the Braves just rebuilt."
That was written just moments after word came down that the Braves swung the deal of the winter meetings, adding Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair in exchange for Shelby Miller.
This deal is the final piece of the Braves' rebuild. It added rocket fuel to John Coppoella and John Hart's efforts.
Inciarte possesses a Gold Glove in the outfield and is under cheap team control the next five years. Swanson, last summer's No. 1 overall pick, has already drawn comparisons to a young Derek Jeter. Blair is a young righty with a power arm -- you might've heard John Coppolella likes those guys -- and could be a No. 3 starter in a few years. His upside is that of, well, Shelby Miller.
Could the deal end up not paying off like Atlanta hopes? Of course. Swanson could be more Gordon Beckham* than Jeter. Blair could struggle to get through a big league lineup and head to the bullpen. Inciarte could find life more difficult after departing the friendly confines of Chase Field.
But I really don't think so. Everyone loved this trade for Atlanta, and the front office deserves serious credit for pulling it off.
The Braves stayed busy throughout the week as they added to their bench and bullpen, two more goals for Coppolella and Hart.
Former farmhand Tyler Flowers was signed for two years with an option tacked on for 2018. The signing of Flowers signaled the end of Christian Bethancourt in Atlanta; on Thursday night, he was shipped to San Diego for Casey Kelly and catching prospect Ricardo Rodriguez. The writing had been on the wall for quite some time with this one.
Emilio Bonifacio was inked to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million with some incentives built in. He and Gordon Beckham (*remember him from four paragraphs ago?) will look to solidify the Braves' infield depth and could see time at second or third base.
With the No. 3 pick in the Rule 5 Draft, the club also added Evan Rutckyj. We'll call him Evan. Evan is a hard-throwing lefty reliever from the Yankees and could be in the mix for the bullpen this summer. Control has been an issue, and Roger McDowell will need to work his magic.
The Braves nailed the Winter Meetings. They accomplished everything they hoped to for 2016, while continuing to build a monster for 2017 and beyond. This upcoming season will be tough to watch, but give it a calendar year. That's when the fun really starts.