Photo by Jsayre64, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJeff Passan Wants the Braves to Spend $32M on a Rental. I Have Questions.
Passan told the Braves to swing big for Tarik Skubal. Even Battery Power thinks that's a stretch. Dex was 88% on Skubal three weeks ago. The number's moving.
I was 88% on Skubal two weeks ago. I'm dropping to 73%.
Not on the problem — the problem is screaming. Braves starters posted a 5.43 ERA in June. Four quality starts all month. Bryce Elder allowed 19 earned runs in 22.2 innings. Grant Holmes can't finish the fifth. The rotation that was 3.01 in April is on fire, and not the good kind.
The problem is clear. The solution is where Passan lost me.
His ESPN preview says the Braves should "swing big" for Skubal — a two-time Cy Young winner making $32 million who walks to free agency in November and will command $400 million-plus. Even Battery Power disagrees. The cost? Two top-10 prospects, including a top-100 name. For a rental.
Meanwhile, Sonny Gray is sitting in Boston with a 2.95 ERA, 9-1 record, and an open invitation to waive his no-trade clause. Casey Mize has a 2.95 ERA and costs a fraction of the prospect capital.
The Braves are 49-31. The bullpen leads baseball at 65 ERA-. This team doesn't need a $32 million savior. It needs two starters who can hand the ball to that bullpen in the sixth.
I'm still 95% on needing a blockbuster. I'm just no longer sure the blockbuster is one guy.
Tell me I'm wrong.
The Tilt
The Braves don't need the best pitcher in baseball — they need three guys who can finish the fifth inning.
— Dex Ponce
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