Viewed in isolation, the Atlanta Braves re-signing Nick Markakis didn’t exactly excite the masses or create a spike in season ticket sales. By all of baseball’s endless assortment of statistical measurables, Markakis was an average to a tick above average Major League outfielder.
As with anything, though, signing Markakis needs to be weighed against the options as well as within context.
First, the options.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos wanted to sign a bigger bat to plug into right field, which Markakis manned almost single-handed over the past four seasons. One by one, though, the already thin market dissipated.