BRAVES NEWS
Braves have officially moved out of Turner Field
The Braves may not be playing any regular season games until April, but they’ve already made the move from Turner Field to SunTrust Park. The team’s staff has moved out of The Ted and is now working from SunTrust Park, and the stadium itself (and surrounding development complex) continues to make progress towards the grand opening this spring.
In addition to moving office equipment to SunTrust Park, the Braves also had to transfer all the technology that will be used at the new ballpark and the massive amount of data used by both the major league team and all its minor league affiliates, Plant said.
“That transfer all occurred a couple weeks in advance, and then the last piece of the move was all the final furniture that was going in about two weeks in advance and getting that (certificate of occupancy) from the building permit and fire marshal,” Plant said. “That is everyone’s permanent office now, SunTrust Park. They don’t have an office at Turner Field anymore.”
How has the Braves farm system evolved as of late?
In order to appreciate where you are right now (and the Braves are in a very enviable position when it comes to their minor league system), you have to look back and see where you were. Eric does just that in this piece that examines how the Braves farm system has evolved over the past five years.
When will Albies debut?
Speaking of the farm system, one player who figures to graduate from the farm to the big leagues at some point this season is Ozzie Albies. He had aspirations of making the bigs as a teenager last season, but it didn’t pan out. However, 2017 could mark the arrival of Albies in Atlanta, and Scott tried to pin down an exact time of arrival for the promising infielder.
MLB NEWS
Rajai Davis will return to Oakland in 2017
Hey look, we have signs of life on the free agent market! Granted, it’s only the A’s and it’s “only” Rajai Davis, but it’s life! Oakland signed the 36-year-old outfielder to a one-year, $6 million deal, and it’s coming after Davis had himself a solid regular season and a heroic postseason for Cleveland. On another note, this marks a reunion for the two parties, as Davis spent three years with the A’s a while back. Needless to say, the fans are happy that he’s returning.
As a 36-year-old, Davis is at best a one-year answer for the A’s, and could be expected to be traded or benched if a young player shows any potential. If that never happens, Rajai is a solid starting CF regardless, and this is a perfectly inoffensive signing.
Rajai Davis played for the A’s for three years, from 2008 to 2010. He stole 120 bases in that time, including a 3.5 WAR 2009 season. He was good, and moreover he was beloved. Rajai was absolutely a fan favorite, and him coming back makes me really happy, personally.
Diamondbacks are suing to get out of their Chase Field lease
The Arizona Diamondbacks are baseball’s latest team that’s trying to leave a relatively-young stadium, and things have gotten particularly nasty when it comes to battling the local government for stadium finances. After Maricopa County denied their request to exit the stadium’s lease, the Diamondbacks are now suing in order to get out of it. The team claims that they want to make renovations, but the pursuit of a new stadium (on the government’s dime) wouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility either.
Chase Field opened for business in 1998. Despite the Diamondbacks’ claims in the suit that the renovations are needed to ensure the safety of the facility, it seems far fetched that the ballpark is on the verge of being structurally unsound after 19 seasons of use (the club says it’s OK for 2017). That matter, of course, would be at issue if the lawsuit progresses and each side would present expert testimony on the matter.
What does not seem far fetched, however, is a club looking for a lucrative new ballpark — or seeking lucrative renovations on someone else’s dime — despite playing in a relatively new one. The Braves are doing that this spring as they move into Sun Trust Park after playing in Turner Field between 1997 and 2016. The Rangers likewise are building a new ballpark despite Globe Life Field coming online in 1994. In both cases, the reason for the move was/is clearly financial.