Dismal Braves
The Atlanta MLB team is struggling to finish a lost season.
— This was not unexpected. Not after the Atlanta Braves traded away just about anyone with a major league pulse.
Then again, it’s a bit jarring to see a perennial playoff contender, a team that won the NL East just two years ago, sitting near the bottom of the standings and on pace for its worst season since 1990.
With about five weeks to go in a lost season, the Braves (54-73) have dropped 31 of 43 games and are used to playing before sparse crowds at Turner Field.
A three-game series against the last-place Rockies this week failed to attract an announced turnout of even 20,000, though things should pick up this weekend when the New York Yankees visit Atlanta.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,” said outfielder Nick Swisher, recently acquired from Cleveland in what was just the latest in a dizzying array of trades.
“But this is kind of where we are as an organization, and everyone knows it.”
The Braves made that clear last winter when they began dealing away their most valuable assets, all with an eye toward building another contending team by the time they move into a new suburban stadium in 2017.
Jason Heyward went to St. Louis. Evan Gattis was traded to Houston. Justin Upton wound up in San Diego. About 24 hours before opening day, the Braves made another blockbuster deal with the Padres, giving up All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton Jr.
Even with all those moves, which brought in few major leaguers and largely helped re-stock a depleted farm system, the Braves approached the All-Star break with a .500 record and some thoughts of improbably contending for a playoff spot.
Then closer Jason Grilli went down with a season-ending injury at Colorado. The Braves wound up being swept in a four-game series by the lowly Rockies.
With that, general manager John Hart raised the white flag and put everyone with a bit of value on the market. Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson were dealt to the NL East rival New York Mets. Alex Wood, Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan were shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, the Braves got nothing but prospects and some financial relief.