If the Atlanta Braves do miss the postseason, expect for these three players to be gone.
It took far too long, but the Atlanta Braves are finally playing some great baseball this season.
Atlanta had not been above .500 all season long until the middle of August. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL on the loanDepot Park warning track shortly before the All-Star Game, it felt like season over in Braves Country. However, this team is in a tight divisional race with the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies with presumably only one NL postseason spot on the line.
However, if the Braves miss the postseason this year, expect for these three players to be gone.
Atlanta Braves: 3 players who will be gone if they miss out on the postseason
Stephen Vogt has value, but may hurt top catching prospects from developing
Even though he has not performed well at the plate for the Braves thus far, Stephen Vogt has already served his purpose in Atlanta uniform since being traded over from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves were in dire need of a competent backstop before Travis d’Arnaud returned from the 60-day IL. Now that d’Arnaud is back, Vogt is probably not going to play much.
Vogt is 36-years-old and on an expiring contract. Though he could return to back up d’Arnaud initially next season, he would be taking a roster spot from the likes of William Contreras, or better yet, Shea Langeliers. Atlanta has two promising catchers in the minor leagues now. D’Arnaud may be this team’s present behind the plate, but in no way is Vogt part of this team’s long-term future.
While Vogt is likely gone at the end of the season anyway, two others’ spots hang in the balances.
Jorge Soler’s bat, and glove, may have him heading back to the American League
The only thing we know about the Braves outfield heading into next season is Acuña starts in right field as soon as he is healthy. This marginalizes some of the guys Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired back in July. So of the four outfielders he traded for last month, Jorge Soler is probably the most likely not to return because of his so-so glove, as well as his powerful bat.
Atlanta will not let Adam Duvall out of its sight after what happened last time. Though Eddie Rosario has yet to play for the team, he is a better all-around outfielder over Soler. As for Joc Pederson, he has more range defensively over Soler. While Atlanta may be done with Pederson, Rosario and Soler after three months, Soler is just not as valuable to a National League team.
Altanta’s bullpen will be blamed for 2021, and Josh Tomlin could be a scapegoat
Should Atlanta fail to reach the postseason, the bullpen will be the position group receiving the bulk of the blame. While the relief corps has pitched better since the start of July, you cannot bring back the same cast of characters from a leaky bullpen the following season. The problem is many of the guys in the Braves relief corps are not pending free agents, which brings us to Josh Tomlin…
His role with the team is purely middle relief and a bit of the long-arm guy. If they need a guy to eat up innings in a laugher of a ballgame, Tomlin is your man. As with Vogt, he is 36-years-old and a pending free agent. Given that he has not been otherworldly at any point of his three-year run with the Braves, he is an easy choice for Atlanta to walk this offseason once he hits free agency.
Even if the Braves do make the postseason, the 2022 roster will look quite a bit different than this.