In case you hadn’t heard, baseball is back after a lengthy owner-imposed lockout by MLB. Spring Training opens this Sunday (3/13) & the season begins on Thursday, April 7th. That’s terrific news for baseball fans & especially Braves fans as our team attempts to defend their title in 2022. The lockout wasn’t ideal for anybody: coaches, players, or fans, but some teams certainly benefitted from it more than others for various reasons. Let’s dive in & find out why the Braves were one of the teams who likely benefitted from the league’s lockout. We’ll do this by analyzing their unique circumstances with a “glass half-full” perspective towards them.
Opportunity to rethink Freddie Freeman situation
The number one priority for the Braves post-lockout should be to immediately re-sign Freddie Freeman. Before the lockout, the reported main holdup in doing so was that the Braves didn’t want to give him a six-year contract but were open to giving him a five-year deal instead. What’s changed since then? Well for starters, the universal designated hitter will make it’s way back to the National League for the first time since the Covid-shortened 2020 season. That’s important for several reasons, and in Freddie’s case it benefits him because even if his defensive value declines in his age-36 season, he could simply transition into being the team’s DH instead. Not only that, but this news means that the Braves have another roster spot to fill in their lineup. Let’s face it, the Braves need to re-sign Freddie so they don’t have two big holes in their lineup.
More recovery time for injured players
Charlie Morton, Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Soroka, and others on the team have certainly benefitted from the extra time to heal their various injuries. Braves trainers haven’t been able to interact with these guys in quite some time due to the lockout, but I’m sure they’ll be good to go. Surely the entire roster was worn out after the team’s deep postseason run as well, so the extra time off will prove beneficial to their health throughout the course of the long upcoming season. Players like Morton & Acuna would’ve been pushing to play by the originally scheduled Opening Day date, but now that it’s been pushed back they should be good to go on April 7th. Having those guys back would be a huge boost to the team’s morale as they begin their season.
Chance to figure out what to do with Marcell Ozuna
Marcell Ozuna is under contract with the Braves at the hefty cost of $16 million in 2022. Will the Braves clubhouse accept him back with open arms? Or will they still be upset with him? The clubhouse culture is fantastic as the team just won the World Series, so allowing Ozuna an opportunity to return to the clubhouse and expecting positive player feedback sounds very risky. On the other hand, he’s shown to be a reliable DH and would fit well on the roster in that role. Finally, a trade in a swap of bad contracts with another team is also a plausible outcome here. Whatever the case, the Braves certainly benefitted from the extra time to think things through.
Freedom to enjoy their World Series championship
Braves players got to celebrate their World Series championship on their own terms. Freddie Freeman, for instance, spent lots of time with his family in Los Angeles in the offseason. Other players, like Joc Pederson & Dansby Swanson, had fun working at Papa Johns for a day. This is the type of stuff they’re free to do over the offseason, and they took full advantage of it. Having more time to enjoy their offseason after a month-long playoff run is never a bad thing. Now they’ll certainly be fresh and ready to go for our home opener against the Reds in a month.
The Sports Beacon 