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Talking Chop

https://www.talkingchop.com/ | 719 entries published

Your one stop shop for everything Atlanta Braves

Latest Entries

How’d you make out in the storm?

I look at weather.gov a lot. It’s not that I need to, for any reason. It’s kind of like a tic, or perhaps more accurately, a low-stakes dopamine search. So, the past few days have been somewhat amusing, because the home page of that site was particularly colorful — pinks, light blues, dark blues, purples […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Braves News: Starting Pitching, More

As we enter the last week of January, Spring Training is coming into full view and is about three weeks away for most teams. But many teams still have a need or two to address before the prep for the season arrives. The need for the Braves remains starting pitching, with some intriguing names still […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Was 2025 as bad as it will get?

The Braves only managed 76 wins last season. It’s hard to imagine the Braves doing worse than that. And that 76 win team had a 10 game winning streak in September. That team lost their Opening Day starting rotation. Well, you all know all that. But was 2025 as bad as it will get? At […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Braves News: Craig Kimbrel, Yu Darvish retirement, more

Things are largely quiet on the Braves’ front, as we wait for the last of the free agent market and the trade market to settle, going into Spring Training in two weeks. There are still starters that would make sense for Atlanta (Framber Valdez, Chris Bassitt, Nick Pivetta, etc.) on the open market and via […]

MLB

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Will there be a MLB snow out this season?

Unless you missed the news on The Weather Channel, local news channels, national news channels, from Facebook, Twitter, your co-workers, your mama and your grandma; there’s a storm brewing. Anywhere from four to eighteen inches of snow is headed. The grocery stores in my part of Braves Country were at DEFCON 2 on Thursday and […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

Braves News: Luke Williams returns, Baseball America’s Top 100, and more

Earlier this week, utilityman Luke Williams signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. 29-year-old Williams joined the Braves in 2023, and since then, he’s appeared in 89 games. In 2025, he logged most of his innings at shortstop, but he’s also been known to be on the mound when necessary.  The move was […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Offseason open thread: January 23

I hope you’re staying warm out there. I also hope you’re staying safe this weekend, as the winter storm that figures to hit the core area of Braves Country figures to be a pretty nasty one. Anyways, the floor is now yours and here’s a random clip:

about 1 month ago | 0 reads

Atlanta Braves land two prospects in Baseball America’s Top 100

It’s January which means it’s Top 100 time and Baseball America kicked us off two days ago announcing their updated pre-season Top 100. With a lot of the top positional talent in the system under 20 years of age, it’s no surprise that the two players that land in the Top 100 are both pitchers. […]

MLB

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Where will innings per start go in 2026?

In 2017, starters averaged five and a half innings per start. Now, there’s no such thing as half an inning, but that’s the beauty of math. That number dipped slightly in 2018, to 5.4 innings per start. Even ignoring 2020, where teams felt more comfortable and/or harried into just getting through the 60-game season, the […]

MLB

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Luke Williams returns on MiLB deal

The Atlanta Braves snuck this through the transaction wire earlier this week, but the team has brought back utility player/pitcher Luke Williams on a minor league deal. The moved happened the same day the team announced that Ha-Seong Kim will be lost for most of the first half of the regular seasons. The move to […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

What will Chris Sale produce in 2026?

Prior entries: Chris Sale led Braves pitchers with 3.6 fWAR in 125 2/3 innings of work last year. When the Braves acquired Sale for Vaughn Grissom, they were able to do so because it was perfectly reasonable to assume that Sale would make fewer than ten starts in 2024, given his propensity for both baseball-related […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Braves News: Andruw Jones, offseason options dwindling, more

Well options are beginning to dwindle for the Braves to add another impact player this offseason. They have a stated desire to add to their starting rotation and Framber Valdez is still out there on the market (though would cost a draft pick to sign), but the market has been moving for the last couple […]

about 1 month ago | 9 reads

Offseason open thread: January 21

I hope everybody’s having a lovely evening tonight. Here’s a (not-so) random clip for you to kick things off.

NBA

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Andruw Jones: “Chipper told me “The Hall wouldn’t be complete without you”

“They wanted to put a right-hander in the lineup and I took advantage of that.” That’s how Andruw Jones described getting the opportunity from then-manager Bobby Cox and then-General Manager John Schuerholz to join that 1996 Atlanta Braves team that went on to win the pennant. Jones famously hit two homers in his first two […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

How badly did the White Sox bungle the Luis Robert Jr. situation?

Not a long one here, but while y’all were celebrating Andruw Jones’ election to the Hall of Fame, the Mets traded for Luis Robert Jr. That completed a years-long flirtation between the White Sox and literally anyone even remotely interested in Robert’s services. In the end, though, all the White Sox got were Luisangel Acuña […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Braves News: Andruw Jones to HOF, Ronald Acuña Jr. predictions, and more

Tuesday marked a huge day for the Atlanta Braves organization, as Andruw Jones was finally elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Atlanta great was included on 333 of the 425 ballots, giving him just over the 75% of votes needed to make the 2026 class. Fellow center fielder Carlos Beltran was also […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Andruw Jones elected to Baseball Hall of Fame for class of 2026

The results of the BBWAA’s voting process for the 2026 Hall of Fame Class has been revealed and it’s now official: Cooperstown beckons for Andruw Jones. The center fielder from Curaçao is now the latest member of those glorious ‘90s Atlanta Braves teams to earn a spot in the hallowed circle of Baseball’s Hall of […]

MLB

about 1 month ago | 1 read

A bounce-back Braves season gets trickier without Ha-Seong Kim

It’s been a couple of days now since the news hit Braves Country like a meteor falling out of the sky. Ha-Seong Kim is now set to miss all of spring training and at least a couple of months of the regular season on top of that. This is after he reportedly slipped on ice […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Former Braves players with Hall of Fame cases who did not get voted in

With Andruw Jones being the talk of the town with the HOF vote this week, it seems like a perfect time to reflect on notable for players of the Atlanta Braves franchise who had solid careers but could not quite get the votes needed to be enshrined. The purpose of this exercise is not to […]

MLB

about 1 month ago | 1 read

What will Ronald Acuña Jr. produce in 2026?

Prior entries: Forecasting most players has, well… constrained error bounds. A pretty good player with a point estimate of about 3 WAR might give you a couple more in a great year or lose you three wins in a worse-than-forgettable campaign. Ronald Acuña Jr., though? He can make your season by himself, if things go his […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Braves News: Andruw Jones, Hall of Fame, Jorge Mateo, More

The 2026 Hall of Fame Class will be announced on Tuesday. Several former Braves on on the ballot for consideration, but the one name that likely is being followed the most is Andruw Jones. In his 9th and second to last year of initial eligibility, Jones is projected to have a very good shot at […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Offseason open thread: January 19

Good evening, everybody. Please stay warm and watch your step wherever you may be this evening. The floor is now yours.

about 1 month ago | 1 read

A look at the former Atlanta Braves eligible for the 2026 Hall of Fame

On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the Baseball Hall of Fame will likely gain new inductees when the results of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote will be announced at 6PM Eastern on the MLB Network. These possible inductees will join second baseman Jeff Kent who was some-what surprisingly elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads