BRAVES NEWS
Here comes the punishment hammer
Over this past weekend, there was a rumor that today would be the day that the punishment comes down on the Braves as a result of MLB’s investigation of their actions in the international market. That was part of the discussion when it comes to the latest Talking Chop Podcast. Scott Coleman was the guest this week and it’s always good when he’s the one joining the show, so you should definitely give it a listen if you haven’t already.
Gammons: Braves won’t be mad about losing Maitan
The Braves are likely going to lose prospects from their international signing periods where MLB found wrongdoing and the biggest name that has been bandied about in that regard is Kevin Maitan. The 17-year-old Venezuelan was signed to big fanfare but he didn’t exactly have an impressive first season as a professional. Apparently, that was enough to convince the Braves that they may not have a budding superstar yet and according to Peter Gammons, the new front office in charge may not be too worried about losing Maitan if it comes down to it.
They also expect to lose infielder Kevin Maitan, who received $5M, but the new order Braves are not concerned, feeling Maitan was no worth the money or the hype.
Acuna ends Arizona Fall League on a high note
Fortunately, Ronald Acuna won’t be a free agent anytime soon and the only place he’ll be going is to the Atlanta Braves major league roster by the time 2018 rolls around. He completed an excellent 2018 season with a stellar performance in the Arizona Fall League and the rave reviews are continuing to come in. Bill Mitchell of Baseball America wrote at length about Acuna’s performance, while Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about how Acuna is continuing to embrace the big stage.
MLB NEWS
St. Louis makes formal trade offer for Stanton
Even though there are rumors that Giancarlo Stanton may not be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play in St. Louis, that hasn’t stopped the Cardinals from putting in a formal trade offer. As a wise person once said, “What’s the worst that can happen if you ask? They say no?” Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com was the reporter who had the story first and while he did make sure to note Stanton’s no-trade clause, he also talked up the Cardinals and their chances of landing Stanton should he decide to waive the clause.
While details of the Cardinals' offer remained unknown as of Sunday night and the club has not confirmed an offer has been made, its existence revealed the seriousness of the team's pursuit for a power hitter. At a relatively early stage of the offseason, the Cardinals are trying to ascertain the practicality of trading for Stanton -- both in meeting the Marlins' price tag and convincing Stanton to waive his no-trade clause.
The Cardinals have one of the best combinations of prospect depth and financial might of any potential Stanton suitor. The Marlins are prioritizing young starting pitchers in their asking prices for Stanton, sources say, and the Cardinals possess power-armed right-handers Alex Reyes (No. 14 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list; No. 1 on Cards' Top 30 list), Jack Flaherty (No. 47 in Top 100; No. 3 on Cards' Top 30), and Sandy Alcantara (No. 9 on Cards' Top 30).