Do you ever have nightmares about work?
Last night I dreamed I accidentally sent a half-written, typo-riddled newsletter to the whole city. Rough stuff.
But fear not, dear reader: This one’s the real deal. And will hopefully leave you feeling a little less anxious about one Atlanta team’s offseason inactivity.
Quick links: Hawks can’t buy a bucket | UGA hoops disappoints | Tech wins at home
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ON THE CLOCK
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
The Mets spent the offseason signing Juan Soto to a megadeal and rebuilding their bullpen (with pieces including longtime Brave A.J. Minter).
The Dodgers … basically have everyone now.
And the Braves?
Well, unlike those key National League rivals, they still haven’t made a transaction of substance — beyond letting starters Max Fried and Charlie Morton walk. And now it’s a little more than two weeks before they report to spring training.
Which, of course, has plenty of folks in the fan base wondering.
😨 Is it time to panic? Like, actually panic? Officially?
I asked AJC Braves reporter Justin Toscano (check out the podcast! and the newsletter! and the social media!) about just this. Because I can.
And as they say on the internet, the answer may surprise you.
Here’s Justin: “I know fans are getting anxious and that we’re getting deeper into January, but I just can’t see (general manager Alex Anthopoulos) leaving this offseason without at least one impactful move. He’s aggressive when he wants someone, and I expect he’s still got things up his sleeve.”
That’s nice to hear.
🤔 But, uh … who’s left?
I thought this from MLB.com was a pretty good little rundown of the top remaining free agents and where they might land.
The list includes starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who threw up a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts for the Dodgers last year — and could be a very good fit for Atlanta.
- You’ve probably heard on a few thousand TV broadcasts that he went to high school with Fried, too.
😭 But what happens if nothing happens?
Well, as Justin put it, “then Braves fans would have a right to be frustrated and concerned, even if Atlanta would still have one of the best rosters in baseball.”
That last part ain’t what folks want to hear. But this team is, in fact, pretty darn good as is.
Pitching wise, you can do a lot worse than future Cy Young winner Spencer Strider, reigning Cy Young champ Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach.
- Columnist Ken Sugiura tried to suss out what could be in store for the fifth rotation spot, barring an acquisition.
Whatever happens, let’s all try and take a couple of deep breaths, OK?
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BASKETBALL BREAKDOWN
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Lots of hoops last night — with varying results for the local squads.
🏀 The good: Injuries, illness and personal reasons left the Georgia Tech men with only seven scholarship players available — but they went out and beat Virginia Tech anyway. Impressive!
🏀 The bad: The Georgia men squandered a 12-point halftime lead in a 68-65 loss to Arkansas. Which isn’t ideal for the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament dreams, if only because seven of their next nine games come against ranked SEC opponents.
🏀 The ugly: The Hawks shot 6-for-38 from three in their 114-104 home loss to the Pistons — a franchise low on that many attempts. They’ll aim to improve tonight against the Raptors (7:30 on FanDuel Sports Southeast).
- Also tonight: The NBA announces starters for the Feb. 16 All-Star game. At last check, Trae Young sat fifth among guards in the fan voting.
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SOLD-OUT SEASON
The Atlanta Dream, meanwhile, say they’ve sold out their season ticket packages for the second straight year.
No pressure, new coach Karl Smesko!
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DRAFT DAWGS
Mel Kiper Jr.‘s initial mock NFL Draft projects three UGA players going in the first round: defensive end Mykel Williams, linebacker Jalon Walker and safety Malaki Starks.
Kiper’s guesstimations have all of ‘em off the board before the Falcons pick at No. 15. Not that that matters, historically.
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TRIVIA TIME
🤔 When was the last year UGA didn’t produce a first-round NFL Draft pick?
Answer at bottom of newsletter.
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CLASS CHANGE?
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
Credit: Daniel Varnado for the AJC
No vote is expected just yet. But the Georgia High School Association expects to discuss its new reclassification proposal during a committee meeting tomorrow in Thomaston.
This is the one that would promote the best teams in a sport while relegating poor-performing schools to lower classifications, mostly nixing enrollment size as a factor.
🗣️ GHSA executive director Tim Scott: “We’re just seeing what the organization would like to do and move forward. This is a good time to listen and discuss and talk about those things.”
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ALSO INTERESTING
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Manish Swarup/AP
Credit: Manish Swarup/AP
Atlanta native Ben Shelton was pretty happy after a Wednesday win that sent him to the Australian Open semifinals. That match against top-seeded Jannik Sinner is set for Friday at 3:30 a.m. Eastern.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
I feel like broadcasters should be helping us grow our sport and help these athletes who just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments. I feel like there's just been a lot of negativity.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Oh, and the trivia answer: 2017, when Isaiah McKenzie, a fifth-rounder, was the only Bulldog selected.
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