Early today, it was reported that the New York Yankees remain interested in Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz.
MLB Rumor Central: Yankees eyeing Braves’ Mike Foltynewicz? – ESPN (blog) https://t.co/C5kMUWPrf0
— Yankees Tweets (@YankeesTweets1) October 18, 2016
In particular, Foltynewicz has been cited as a potential centerpiece in a deal that would send veteran backstop Brian McCann back to Atlanta.
Our own Dan Federico already covered these rumors from the NY perspective. As he notes, Atlanta has expressed interest in reacquiring McCann and the Yanks have a history of bringing in big-armed young hurlers in hopes that they can reach their full potential (Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi, etc.). Foltynewicz certainly fits that bill.
However, there’s one thing standing in the way of such a trade: Atlanta needs pitching.
Teams typically want to deal from a position of depth to acquire a position of need. While Atlanta certainly needs a catcher, they also need pitching. Though the team has made it a point to stockpile pitching prospects, most are still in the minors and those who have made their big league debuts have not performed particularly well (lookin’ at you Aaron Blair).
Braves GM John Coppolella has gone on record stating that he hopes to add at least two starters this offseason. The current plan is to begin the year with Julio Teheran as the staff ace, Foltynewicz as the number two, plug in two new veterans, and let the stable of prospects battle for the fifth spot.
The late season addition of Josh Collmenter (and his track record of success as a starter) could help the team flesh out the rotation. Still, Coppy’s comments were made after Collmenter was already on board so perhaps he’ll just be included in the competition for the fifth spot.
It’s easy to see why New York would be interested in Foltynewicz. Though his overall numbers may not look great on the surface, digging a bit deeper reveals a pitcher on the verge of a breakout.
His calling card is an electric fastball. When he’s on, that heater has tremendous swing-and-miss potential and helps set up his breaking ball. He has above average command (especially for throwing so hard) and has put together some dominant outings.
In terms of raw talent a deal centered on McCann and Foltynewicz could make sense. McCann remains one of the better offensive catchers in the game and Foltynewicz is still young with top-of-the-rotation potential.
However, given the dearth of quality pitching options in Atlanta (plus the weak free agent market) and the vast difference in salaries (McCann is due $49 million through 2019 and Foltynewciz won’t even hit arbitration until 2018) the fit is far from perfect.
The two teams may connect on an offseason trade, but for Atlanta’s sake, I hope it doesn’t involve Foltynewicz.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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