What Adam Duvall signing actually means for Jarred Kelenic and the Atlanta Braves

Hey, look! Adam Duvall is back on the Atlanta Braves again. Not since the Jacksonville Jaguars were good that one time a few years ago have we heard Duval(l) screamed so much from the North Florida contingent of Braves Country. After spending last season with the Boston Red Sox, Duvall returns to Atlanta for a third time. He played with the club from 2018-20 before returning for a World Series run.

This move may suggest that Jarred Kelenic is not the panacea for what has been ailing the Braves in left field ... honestly since Duvall got hurt two seasons ago. Kelenic was former a top prospect in the Seattle Mariners organization, but an up-and-down first few years in the big leagues made him expendable. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos jumped at the opportunity to trade for him.

He was supposed to be the every-day starting left fielder for Atlanta, until we saw the Duvall signing.

Anthopoulos told Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Kelenic and Duvall will platoon.

This may be bad news for Kelenic, but there is much, much more to this. To me, this screams two things very loudly. One, Atlanta does not have the outfield depth it claims it does to make an impact at the major league level. And two, this feels like Ronald Acuña Jr. insurance in case his meniscus continues to act up at some point. Atlanta is not going to suffer defensively if he were to miss time.

Let's discuss what the Duvall signing means for the Atlanta outfield heading into the regular season.

What Adam Duvall signing really means for the Atlanta Braves this year

This is all about one thing, and one thing only. Bringing in a familiar face who can provide a level of comfort to an outfield and a lineup that could use it more than it even realizes. Depth is what will help the Braves win their second World Series in four years. Remember, Atlanta traded for four outfielders ahead of the 2021 MLB trade deadline, and won its most recent league championship because of it.

By signing a guy most players in the clubhouse already know, the Braves can trust Duvall to do what he does best, which is to hit home runs, strike out a bunch, make great plays in the outfield, and dumb decisions on the base paths. It'll be great! This signing may hurt the likes of Forrest Wall and Eli White making the team, but Duvall's arrival actually does wonders for Kelenic, Acuña and Michael Harris II.

It takes pressure off Kelenic to be an every-day left fielder. Duvall's arrival takes pressure off Acuña's knees if he is in need of a spell. It also takes pressure off Harris to be the game-changing force in centerfield, should his bat grow quite like it did for much of last season during his sophomore slump. All in all, Anthopoulos would not sign Duvall to a major-league deal if he did not think he could help.

Duvall slots in perfectly to what the Braves want to do, but he is really just an outfield insurance policy.