It’s Sophie’s choice for losers
The Braves are fully ensconced in fourth place in the NL East right now. The Phillies and Mets have long since outrun the Braves. But the Marlins have also managed to win a few here and there, and managed to crawl over the Braves and out of the cellar. That doesn’t really sit right with me.
In better news, I guess, the Braves have the seventh worst record in baseball. Owning the sixth worst record guarantees them a shot at the first overall pick, which also comes with the first overall pool money. Should Drake Baldwin win Rookie of the Year, that would expand it further from another draft pick. So it could be a once-in-a-decade chance to grab top tier talent, and perhaps get it in depth. I want to say that the Rockies can’t grab the first pick because of anti-tanking rules, but it’s also unclear if they are also banished outside the first six picks as well. In that case, the Braves would only need to keep on keeping on to get a top six spot, which involves losing and plenty of it.
There is a chance they get both. The Marlins could decide to dump enough talent to push themselves to fourth place or lower regardless of what the Braves are doing. But that’s not the question. Would you rather have a top six draft pick or a third place finish?