Two veteran players the Braves could consider extending right now

Over the years, the Braves have issued a plethora of early extensions to their young talent. Some have worked out wonderfully. Others haven’t aged as well.

We haven’t seen any of that this year. Perhaps that’s a result of how some of those deals have turned out, but there are a couple of veteran players the Braves should probably be interested in extending before they hit free agency at season’s end.

Mauricio Dubon

I’ve been pounding the table for a Mauricio Dubon extension since the first couple of months of the season. He’s the perfect fit for this team, and his performance as the starting shortstop has been more than adequate. He’s the best player they’ve had at the position since Dansby Swanson departed in free agency, and there’s nobody in the farm system anywhere close to major-league ready.

Tate Southisene, Alex Lodise, and John Gil are all intriguing prospects. It’s possible two of them end up being the middle infield of the future in Atlanta. But as of right now, they’ve each only played a handful of games at the Double-A level. Acting as if any of them will be ready at any point next season — let alone Opening Day — just isn’t realistic.

That’s another reason Dubon is the perfect fit. He’s not going to be looking for a mega-contract, probably something in the two-to-three-year range at around $10-15 million per season. And in the event one of those talented prospects does pop during his next deal, Dubon has enough versatility to slide in wherever else he’s needed.

Maybe the lockout is what’s preventing some of these extensions from happening. Perhaps Dubon believes he can get a much bigger bag on the open market. But it would be really disappointing to see him walk out the door after just one season given how valuable he’s been.

Tyler Mahle

Hand up — I did not expect to be typing this when the Braves acquired Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline. He was a 31-year-old journeyman who had just posted a 5.13 ERA with the Giants.

However, the Braves saw something in him nobody else did, and it’s evident guys like Sean Murphy and Jeremy Hefner have done wonders helping him reach his full potential. The sample size remains small — it’s only been four starts — but if the trends continue, there should be mutual interest in both sides finding a new deal that works. We’ve seen the Braves acquire a player and then hand him an extension soon after. Tyler Mahle could be next in line.

Lord knows the Braves should be looking to hold onto any healthy starting pitcher they can find.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)