It may not have quite the connotations of the Doomsday Clock in Watchmen — which was tied to how close the world was to a global catastrophe of its own making — though the proverbial clock ticking as the Braves are teetering toward February without its lineup having addressed a gaping hole while its biggest rivals in the National League East have vastly improved feels a little catastrophic.
But that’s where things appear headed with a yet-to-be-determined report date for spring training looming. The month has been the stage for major deals in recent years like the ones inked by Manny Machado (Padres) and Mike Moustakas (Brewers) in 2019, Yu Darvish (Cubs) Eric Hosmer (Padres) and J.