Nick Markakis Inks One-Year Deal With the Braves
Photo: tomahawktake.com
Free agent outfielder Nick Markakis will be back for the Atlanta Braves for at least one more season. The team has announced today the two parties have reached a one-year deal for $4 million, with a club option worth $6 million for 2020. Markakis has spent the last four seasons in Atlanta as an anchor in right field and the middle of the lineup.
If you are a Braves fan, you should be really happy about this. I’ve read numerous comments online from Braves fans, and it seems they are 50/50. But let me explain why this is a great deal. First of all, it’s only $4 million for a very good player. They could have spent more money on a free agent outfielder that, other than Bryce Harper, would have not yielded the benefits that Nick will provide. I completely understand that Markakis is getting old (it’s weird to think of 35 as being old), but it’s only a one-year deal. This will give Braves outfield prospect Christian Pache, who is regarded as the best defensive prospect in baseball, one more year to develop in the minors before he will be ready to take on an everyday role in Atlanta in 2020. Nick Markakis is not a bad player at all to hold an outfield position for the time being.
Another reason Braves fans should be excited about this deal is Markakis’s numbers. I’ve seen plenty of fans complain that he is over the hill. While he is getting older, he is coming off a season where he hit .297 with 14 home runs, 43 doubles, and 93 rbi. Those are impressive numbers for a player of any age. He also won a gold glove and made it to the All-Star game last year. I really don’t think fans should concern themselves with his age just yet with numbers and accomplishments like those. Something else fans should remember is how much of an ironman Markakis is. He played all 162 games last season, and ranks second in the majors in games played since 2015 (his first season with the Braves). Nick Markakis is the ultimate reliable player. In all sports, teams pay for reliability. Also, since joining the Braves, he has been consistently productive. He’s hit .296, .269, .275, and .297 in his four seasons in Atlanta. You know what you’re getting with Nick Markakis, and that’s a plus defender with a good bat.
If you need any more convincing that this is a good move for Atlanta, Nick Markakis is a great team leader and clubhouse guy. In order for any team to go far, they need leadership. Nick has proved he is an exceptional leader and mentor for the younger guys on the team. A lot of the fans who are not happy with this deal are the same people who think the Braves should give a $300 million, long-term deal to Bryce Harper. Signing Harper would just not be a good business decision for the future of the franchise. Fans were unhappy that the Braves weren’t “upgrading.” I’m not sure who they think will upgrade the Braves, though. Maybe it’s AJ Pollack, who will play 15 games and find his way back on the DL. Maybe it’s Nick Castellanos who hits for about the same average with a little more power, but is nowhere near the defender Markakis is. Maybe it’s Adam Jones who’ll be 34 this year, provides more power, but is not as much of a contact guy and is not a good defender. I really don’t know who they want. But I do know they should be very happy the Braves got a steal with this deal, and get to enjoy Nick Markakis for at least one more year.