Since winning a fourth consecutive National League East title, the Braves have been evaluating how to best fill the 26-man roster they will use during their NL Division Series against the Brewers.
“I think the biggest thing is: how many pitchers do you carry?” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Would you rather have the extra bench player or maybe a defender? If we’re going to go with a bullpen game or use an opener, you might want to have another pinch-hitter.”
Because the Braves won’t be playing more than two days in a row after the best-of-five NLDS begins Friday, they have some flexibility as they decide how many pitchers to place on their roster. Carrying 14 pitchers would seemingly be too many (some might argue there’s also no reason to carry 13 pitchers).
But when weighing whether it’s best to carry a 13th pitcher, one should also assess whether anybody within Atlanta’s organization could provide more value as a 14th position player.
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