Per a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Atlanta Braves have signed former right fielder Nick Markakis to a contract for 2019. According to Rosenthal, the deal is a one year deal with a club option for 2020, guaranteed at $6 Million total. Markakis will receive $4 Million as a salary for 2019, and a $2 Million buyout if his 2020 club option is not picked up. If the option is picked up, Markakis will make $6 Million in 2020.
Nick Markakis re-signs with #Braves, one year, $6M, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 22, 2019
Markakis is a familiar face to Atlanta Braves fans, as he signed a 4-year/$44M deal with Atlanta in December of 2014. During his first run in Atlanta, Markakis posted a slash line of .284/.359/.400, good for 5.7 fWAR and a wRC+ of 103. He consistently provided an on-base presence and a steady supply of doubles, even if his home run power dipped slightly. If we use a generally accepted figure of $8M per WAR, Markakis provided about $45M of value to the Braves during his time here. He wasn’t overpaid, he wasn’t underpaid; he performed about as expected, based on the contract given.
Markakis will likely slot in as the starting right fielder. Braves General Manager Alex Anthopolous has been pretty clear in stating that more players will receive more rest, and that no player should expect to play all 162 games in 2019 (as Markakis did in 2019). Based on that, it’s possible we could see Markakis spend at least a little time in LF or at 1B.
With his good on base skills, high contact rate (5th best among 115 qualified OF from 2015-2018), and low strikeout rate (11th best), Markakis is a good fit for the first or second spot in the batting order. His lack of deep power threat probably removes him from consideration for the meaty part of the order at third or fourth, but he could be a good fit at fifth or sixth to move around the high OBP bashers hitting in the middle of the order. With Josh Donaldson, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuña, Ozzie Albies, Johan Camargo, and now Markakis, the Braves could have a steady and flexible core lineup.
There was a push from a large contingent of Braves fans to re-sign Markakis, as he had developed a great relationship with fans. He was productive, he helped the team win, and he provided stability and veteran presence to a young, rebuilding team. Still, there were others who felt that an aging Markakis would not be a good starting OF option for a team looking to make the next round of the playoffs. At age 35 in 2019, Markakis is coming off a second-half swoon that saw him post just a .673 OPS and 82 wRC+ after August. While he did manage a .332 OBP over that time, and while there were worse options both on the team and in the league, the fact is that many felt it was time to move on from Markakis.
With this signing, the Braves are filling a short-term need at a very reasonable price. The $6M guarantee is a hedge against possible age-related regression, while also giving them what should amount to a serviceable starting OF or bench option. Fellow OFR writer Andy Harris mentioned this in a private message upon hearing the signing:
$6m for one year feels like a steal. Good enough to start if necessary, cheap enough to platoon, bench, or trade if a better option presents itself.
It is my opinion that this signing is a ‘just in case’ option. Based on the contract, I would think that Markakis could end up as a platoon option or fourth outfield option, and would be the primary starter in the event that their first, as-yet-disclosed option does not materialize. But as Andy noted, if the Braves end up relying on Markakis as the starting RF for the bulk of the season, he does have some value at that price. And GM Alex Anthopolous has already noted that Markakis will play regularly:
Anthopoulos on Markakis: "he's going to be an every day outfielder for us" #Braves
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) January 22, 2019
This signing also seems to put Adam Duvall‘s roster spot in jeopardy. His arbitration salary is not fully guaranteed. If the Braves were to DFA him now, the net cost for Markakis would have even less impact, as Duvall’s salary goes back into the pot to be used.
Many Braves fans are going to like this signing. Many Braves fans are going to hate this signing. But for the money, the Braves could have done a lot worse than a guy who had a .360 OBP over the last four seasons, while also playing serviceable defense in the outfield. Plus, we get another year of Josh Brown.
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