More aggressive mindset could mean Drake Baldwin makes the Braves roster

But while teams (and singers) are working out kinks for the long season ahead, the Braves are already engaging in what could be a tough climb towards an eighth consecutive playoff berth, to say nothing of their pursuit of a seventh National League East title in the same eight seasons or a fifth World Series championship.

The Braves are expected to be more aggressive in the formation of their opening day roster than they have in previous seasons, meaning younger players whom they normally might have been content to keep in the minor-league system could break with the club for the start of the season.

A prime example is 23-year-old catcher Drake Baldwin, a 2022 draftee who hit .298 with 12 home runs with 55 RBI in 72 games at Triple-A Gwinnett last year. Baldwin has yet to make his major-league debut and is not on the team’s 40-man roster, meaning he can be kept in the minors without problem.

But, if Baldwin proves in the spring that he can clearly help the club and is a better option than Chadwick Tromp, it will not be a surprise if he makes the opening-day roster and is possibly even in the lineup with expected starting catcher Sean Murphy out with a cracked rib.

Sunday, manager Brian Snitker gave a hint at the possibility of this plan.

“I’m trying to get (Baldwin’s) hands on as many of the guys we know are going to be starters,” Snitker said at the team’s complex in North Port. “I wanted him to catch (Spencer) Schwellenbach (Saturday), and he caught Chris (Sale) the other day. He’s going to get probably more playing time than what you would normally do just because I want him to experience that because we want to see what it looks like.”

The choice is essentially between Baldwin and Tromp as the backup behind Murphy. The far-sighted choice would be Tromp, who was a valuable (if offensively limited) option last year when Murphy missed time with an oblique muscle injury. Since Tromp is out of minor-league options and would have to be designated for assignment if he weren’t kept on the major-league roster (and available to any other team), it could behoove the Braves to keep him on the roster as the backup behind Murphy while allowing Baldwin to continue to develop in the minors.

However, if the club believes Baldwin is the definitively better option, the more aggressive play would be to promote him and designate Tromp for assignment.

While Baldwin wouldn’t play as much as he would at Triple-A, he would benefit by filling in for Murphy while also giving Snitker a left-handed bat off the bench.

Most likely, the Braves would take such an approach because of an anticipation that the National League will be more competitive than in seasons past. You’ll remember that the Braves — while saddled with a preposterous number of injuries to key players — didn’t secure their postseason berth until the final game of the regular season last year.

And beyond the other five playoff qualifiers — including the world-champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia and New York Mets in the NL East — teams such as the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks should make stronger bids for the postseason after adding pieces in the offseason. And it doesn’t help, obviously, that the Braves didn’t do much aside from adding left fielder Jurickson Profar.

It leaves the Braves with less margin for error, even at the start of the season. A few games with a suboptimal roster in April could end up making a difference.

The possibility of Baldwin getting promoted to the majors after only a partial season at Triple-A isn’t out of line with president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ way of doing things. Schwellenbach and center fielder Michael Harris II are among Braves who were moved quickly along the minor-league chain to the majors, both of them jumping directly from Double-A.

The thinking has gone that if a player can help the major-league club win games, there’s no reason to keep him in the minors. But that strategy hasn’t normally been applied as aggressively to the initial 26-man roster, for which the emphasis has been on depth and being prepared for the full 162-game season.

It’s good news for Baldwin, who is hitting .333 this spring in 18 at-bats. It’s not great news for Tromp, who has fit in well in the Braves clubhouse.

As for the Braves, it’s a sign that the postseason spot that has practically become a given ought not to be assumed.