When the dust settled on the 2020 MLB Draft, the overall consensus here at Talking Chop was that the draft was fine if unexciting. The Braves went with college picks for their entire class including Jared Shuster out Wake Forest and Jesse Franklin out of the University of Michigan. Both are players that, with good enough springs, could have played themselves into positions in the draft where they wouldn’t have been available to the Braves, although they have their own warts/risks as well.
Once the teams signed Spencer Strider to a near slot deal earlier today, it became clear that the Braves HAD to save money on the Shuster and Franklin picks in order for them to sign their final draft pick, Texas Longhorn starter Bryce Elder.