Jeff Francoeur on what the Braves offseason focus should be

“You gotta get an elite shortstop, whether it’s Bo Bichette, Willy Adames,” Francoeur said. “You gotta get someone who’s got power at that position. If you do that, you got one of the deepest lineups in baseball if everybody’s healthy.”

If it were up to Braves fans, Arcia has already started his last game in Atlanta. The combination of his antics and on-field struggles have made him unpopular among the fan base, but it’s a pill they should probably swallow at some point because the likelihood is that Orlando Arcia is in the Braves Opening Day starting lineup next season.

Are the Braves willing to fork over $200 million for Willy Adames? He’s the obvious target, but Alex Anthopoulos balked at the chance to pay a marquee shortstop during Dansby Swanson’s free agency.

Maybe Ha-Seong Kim will opt out of his contract this winter and sign a deal with the Braves at a much more team-friendly rate because he’s coming off an injury. Or the Braves could choose to go the internal route with Nacho Alvarez, but that doesn’t feel like a great basket to put their eggs in. Simply put, there are no easy-had upgrades.

Arcia is being paid $2 million, and if a handful of stars — Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II — didn’t miss so much time, the underwhelming production from their shortstop wouldn’t have been such a big deal.

I hope the Braves do upgrade the position, and I never have to watch Orlando Arcia embarrass me in the playoffs again, but doing so is much easier said than done.

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