You know what time it is: Mailbag Monday

MailbagMonday

Will the Hawks sign a super star this offseason? (@m3_turner)

Chase Irle: Atlanta has a little over $62 million on the books already for next season with the cap set at $101 million. That is enough to sign a superstar caliber player, but the Hawks have some free agents of their own they have said they want to keep. Both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Millsap are on the market, and if the Hawks decide to keep those players, they will not have enough cap space to go after any notable free agents. That makes the most logical way for the Hawks to acquire a superstar through trade, which I wrote about here. Atlanta has capital to make a move for some of the big names who could be traded, but I do not think it would be wise for them trading away their future. Nobody is going to put the Hawks past the Warriors. Not even Lebron, so the Hawks just need to hang tight and focus on the future.

Who will close once Johnson is traded? (@DasCoffee)

Harrison Coburn: There is no guarantee the team parts ways with Johnson. Many speculated such a move last season, and it never happened   Johnson has been really solid and it is yet to be seen how the team plays between now and the deadline. If he were to get moved, Arodys Vizcaino would likely reclaim his closing role. He has experience in the role and has performed well this season. A sleeper could be Jose Ramirez, but it is more likely he slides into more of a setup man role . My prediction, however, is that the team holds onto Jim.

When do you expect to start seeing some of the young arms and possibly Ronald Acuna? (@MightyBoa)

Harrison Coburn: Check out our recent article, where I predicted when the AAA starters would get the call. Sims and Newcomb should get a shot this season and Patrick Weigel has an outside shot as well. As far as Acuna goes, I could see him stepping into an everyday role for the team as early as next season. Markakis will be on the last year of his deal, and while he has been terrific for the Braves, Acuna could be a future star. The team may want to get his feet wet during September this year.

 

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