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Seattle Mariners (28-41 Dwight Gooden Jersey , fifth in the AL West) vs. ; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Mike Leake (5-6, 4.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 56 strikeouts) Twins: Martin Perez (7-2, 3.72 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 60 strikeouts)Article continues below ...BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota and Seattle match up to begin the three-game series.The Twins are 19-9 in home games. Minnesota has hit 125 home runs this season, second in the majors. Eddie Rosario leads the club with 19, averaging one every 12.9 at-bats.The Mariners are 15-19 on the road. Seattle has hit a league-leading 126 home runs this season. Edwin Encarnacion leads them with 20 http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , averaging one every 11.6 at-bats.TOP PERFORMERS: Rosario leads the Twins with 52 RBIs and is batting .272. C.J. Cron is 10-for-32 with five doubles, a home run and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Minnesota.Domingo Santana leads the Mariners with 48 RBIs and is batting .273. Encarnacion is 10-for-36 with a double, seven home runs and 12 RBIs over the last 10 games for Seattle.LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 6-4, .275 batting average, 5.44 ERAMariners: 4-6, .229 batting average, 5.65 ERA, outscored by seven runsTwins Injuries: Adalberto Mejia: 10-day IL (calf).Mariners Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Sam Tuivailala: 60-day IL (achilles/shoulder), Hunter Strickland: 60-day IL (lat), Connor Sadzeck: 10-day IL (elbow) Jesus Aguilar Jersey , Felix Hernandez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Chasen Bradford: 10-day IL (forearm), Mitch Haniger: 10-day IL (testicle), Braden Bishop: 10-day IL (neck), Ryon Healy: 10-day IL (back), Dee Gordon: 10-day IL (wrist), J.P. Crawford: 10-day IL (ankle). Are the Braves finished? Is the offseason really over?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Talking Chop User’s GuideTalking Chop PodcastAround the NL EastBaseball Analysis PrimerBraves Mailbag: Playing the waiting gameNew,253commentsAre the Braves finished? Is the offseason really over?ESTShareTweetShareShareBraves Mailbag: Playing the waiting gameAdam Hagy-USA TODAY SportsPitchers and catchers report to spring training in less than a week and real live game are just around the corner. This week’s mailbag mostly centers on the offseason and how slow and deliberate Atlanta has played things. Thanks to everyone that sent in questions and we will do this again soon. Barring the first week of free agency, Braves have taken a wait-and-see attitude. I get the impression that they’re content the team can win the division again given current construction of both theirs and opponent’s rosters. However, if a major upsetting factor like Machado and/or Harper signing with the Mets, Nats http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , or Phillies occurs, do you see the Braves quickly reacting?Not really. I get the sense that Alex Anthopoulos has a plan and intends to stick to it. It is still a bit unclear what that plan looks like but the Braves have been very deliberate throughout this entire process except for the Donaldson signing. I think they know what their targets are and if the opportunity presents itself they will strike. However, it has been pretty clear from how things have transpired that they are not going to let what another team is doing or outside pressures influence their decision making. From here it looks like Braves are sticking to plan without over reacting to last season. Do you think they will go all in for WS contention?Sure at some point but it doesn’t appear that they think that point is now. They have said more than once that they are not interested in mortgaging the future for short term gain. However, Anthopoulos has shown in the past that he isn’t afraid to make a bold move. If the front office felt like they were one piece away from going to the World Series or winning a championship then yes I believe we would see them acting in a much more aggressive manner. If the owners pass the DH rule as early as 2019 for the NL, how does that change our strategy with the current makeup of the team?It does not look like we are going to have to worry about the designated hitter coming to the Naitonal League for the 2019 season but it does seem like it could be part of the next collective bargaining agreement. I chose to keep the question in here because I think it is an interesting thought. Certainly having the DH in the National League would be good news to guys like Evan Gattis or Matt Kemp who can hit but are liabilities in the field. However, more and more you see teams focusing more on versatility with players. I think having the DH as an option would allow teams more flexibility when building a lineup. I won’t say that the player who is a full time DH would disappear but I am not sure that teams are approaching the position in as traditional sense as we saw a few years ago either. If no other significant moves are made, opening day payroll will be significantly lower than it was at the end of 18, despite repeated statements from AA about increased payroll this season. Should I assume that was just GM speak? Or is it an indication that their offseason plan (primary FA and trade targets) has gone off the rails?As things stand currently, Cot’s Contracts has the Braves’ salary obligations at just under $115 million. Also per Cot’s they ended last season at just over $136 million. That is roughly a $21 million difference. It is easy to say that they should have just spent more money but spending for the sake of spending isn’t always the correct answer. There is still time (and a big name closer still on the market) for the team to make another splash. However, it seems they are committed to waiting things out in order to get the best value possible. I don’t know that I would characterize their plans as having gone off the rails. I think they were in on Michael Brantley until he chose to go to Houston. They were in on J.T. Realmuto but balked at paying the price it was going to take to acquire him. We don’t know who they are in on currently but odds are they aren’t just sitting around waiting on the season to arrive.