It is no secret that the Atlanta Braves need a couple of bats, so I was surprised to see that Adam LaRoche was not wrapped up for next year. According to the ajc.com LaRoche is not in active negations with the Braves
Asked Friday whether he’d heard anything from the Braves since becoming a free agent, LaRoche replied in a text message: “No talk from ATL that I know of. Guess I should have hit .400 while I was there.”
LaRoche hit .325 with 12 homers, 40 RBIs, a .401 on-base percentage and .557 slugging percentage in 57 games after being traded to the Braves from the Boston Red Sox on July 31.
The article goes on to say that Atlanta may be looking for a sort of stop-gap until their first baseman of the future is ready, but for this Braves fan, the future is now. I am not saying that Adam LaRoche is the “answer” or anywhere near the best first baseman in the league, but LaRoche may be the best fit for Atlanta. We already know he likes playing in Atlanta and more importantly LaRoche ropes the ball in Turner Field. He is going to turn 31 this year, so he should have 2-3 25+ HR years left in him. How can the Braves so cavalierly turn down this type of power?
I say sign LaRoche to help steady the offense; he can always be traded later down the road. Of course Atlanta still needs a big bat in right field, but that is a different post. My guess is Atlanta does not have the money, and may not until they dump one of the starting pitchers, which is really a shame. We are not talking Yankees money here; “just” 7-8 million a year for 3 years.
