Will the Braves make a run at Gerrit Cole this offseason?

Atlanta Braves beat writer Dave O’Brien joined Dukes & Bell to give us the latest on the Braves offseason moves.



Dave talked about why the team decided to move on from Julio Teheran.



“I was a little bit, but I guess I kinda underestimated the fact they had gotten a gauge on what the trade market would be for him, I think they determined it wasn’t worth risking trying to move a $12 million dollar salary in the spring and getting stuck with it if they thought they could do that they would and have him for insurance.” O’Brien said “For a team with a middle payroll at best $12 million is a little much for a backend of the rotation guy which is what he is in this rotation, if he could even make it so I guess it shouldn’t of been that much of a surprise.”



When asked if the team could be in the Gerrit Cole sweepstakes.



“I don’t think that they’ll invest that high, but I think they will be in that next tier.” O’Brien said “Gerrit Cole and now Strasburg are in a different realm, you’re talking about a guy who at that age is going to get paid the largest pitching contract ever. And I don’t see the Braves going from not being willing to sign three and four year free agent pitchers to signing the most expensive free agent pitcher in the history of baseball. I don’t anticipate them at all being involved, he’s going to get $35 million a year probably for eight years at least. They don’t believe in building a roster wit long term contracts that at the end of it they won’t be worth what they’re getting paid. I do see them going after a Bumgarner, Wheeler, those guys are going to cost a draft pick because they were made a qualifying offer yesterday. You know what else is an option we don’t know what’s going to be available in a trade, I could Cleveland trading a guy like Corey Kluber this winter, if they decide you know what we’re not going to be a world series contender now’s the time to move him. The Braves need to pull a trigger on a deal like that, because we’ve seen just from last year when they have so many prospects that they didn’t want to deal, even some of those prospects aren’t worth as much as they were last year because they didn’t have a great years and this happens every year. If you could get a guy like Kluber and give up a top prospect, I’d do it.”