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The Braves have acquired outfielder Jarred Kelenic from the Mariners, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, left-hander Marco Gonzales and first baseman Evan White are additionally headed to Atlanta within the deal. In return, the Mariners will obtain right-handers Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips. The Braves have since introduced the deal, which incorporates money issues headed from Seattle to Atlanta.
Kelenic, the sixth-overall choose within the 2018 draft and a former consensus top-5 prospect within the sport, struggled to a .168/.251/.338 slash line in 558 journeys to the plate throughout his first two seasons within the majors. Regardless of the brutal begin to Kelenic’s huge league profession, he managed to place collectively a strong marketing campaign in 2023 as Seattle’s common left fielder. In 416 journeys to the plate throughout 105 video games, the teenager slashed a strong .253/.327/.419. Now Kelenic, who will not be but eligible for arbitration, heads to Atlanta with 5 seasons of crew management remaining coming off a career-best season within the majors the place he posted a wRC+ of 108.
Even that efficiency got here with some crimson flags, nevertheless. Whereas Kelenic walked at an above common 9.9% clip, his 31.7% strikeout price ranked in simply the seventh percentile amongst certified hitters and his general slash line absolutely benefited from a .359 BABIP. He additionally struggled significantly after a sizzling April, slashing simply .235/.314/.356 the remainder of the best way. That mentioned, it’s value noting that Kelenic, who will play the 2024 season at simply age-24, posted a .321 wOBA in 2023 that was truly 12 factors decrease than his anticipated variety of .333. Moreover, his .359 BABIP in 2023 might not be as outlandish as his profession .268 mark within the majors might recommend, as he’s by no means posted a BABIP decrease than .323 on the Triple-A degree in a season throughout his profession. As well as, it’s doable his late-season numbers are skewed by the truth that the 24-year-old missed greater than two months after he suffered a fractured foot from kicking a water cooler again in July.
Looking forward to 2024, The Athletic’s David O’Brien relays that the Braves plan to have Kelenic and Vaughn Grissom compete for the on a regular basis function in left area throughout the spring, with a platoon state of affairs between the 2 doable as Grissom seems to separate time between the left area and the infield filth. That mentioned, it definitely appears doable that Kelenic may earn an on a regular basis function in Atlanta if he exhibits his step ahead in 2023 wasn’t a fluke. Even when Kelenic merely repeats his 2023 marketing campaign he would symbolize a notable improve over Eddie Rosario, who drew 122 begins in left area for the Braves final 12 months whereas slashing simply .255/.305/.450 (100 wRC+) in 516 journeys to the plate.
To amass Kelenic, the Braves tackle the salaries of each Gonzales and White. Gonzales is owed $12.25MM in 2024, whereas White is owed $7MM in 2024, $8MM in 2025, and a $2MM buyout on a $10MM membership possibility for 2026. Whereas it’s not at the moment recognized how a lot money Atlanta obtained within the deal, it’s truthful to imagine the Braves are taking over the vast majority of that just about $30MM in assured cash, together with $19.25MM in {dollars} owed this subsequent season. Earlier than accounting for the money obtained from Seattle, the deal pushes Atlanta’s 2024 payroll to only over $224MM and just below $261MM for luxurious tax functions, per RosterResource. If that projection holds going ahead, it will put the Braves simply over the second luxurious tax threshold, which sits at $257MM for the 2024 marketing campaign.
Gonzales, 32 in February, struggled to a 5.22 ERA in 50 innings throughout ten begins this season earlier than present process season-ending surgical procedure to restore a nerve challenge in his forearm. Gonzales is anticipated to be prepared for Spring Coaching in 2024 and, if wholesome, may present the Braves with a serviceable back-end rotation possibility who may give competitors to Reynaldo Lopez and Bryce Elder in Spring Coaching. Previous to his injury-marred 2023 season, Gonzales had been a dependable supply of innings for the Mariners in recent times, averaging 174 innings of labor throughout 4 162-game seasons between 2018 and 2022. Gonzales’s contract features a $15MM membership possibility for the 2025 season that doesn’t embrace a buyout, although Gonzales would probably should take a big step ahead in 2024 for the Braves to contemplate exercising that possibility.
White, 27, doesn’t determine to be a contributor to the Braves over the lifetime of his contract. The previous prime prospect owns a profession .165/.235/.308 slash line within the majors and has not appeared within the huge leagues since Might 2021. Over the previous two seasons, White has appeared in simply 30 skilled video games with a slash line of simply .200/.310/.397 on the Triple-A degree throughout that point. White spent nearly all the 2023 marketing campaign on the 60-day IL, first resulting from a left adductor pressure after which due to hip surgery, although he too is anticipated to be prepared for Spring Coaching.
Along with taking over the salaries of White and Gonzales, the Braves parted with a pair of attention-grabbing younger arms in Kowar and Phillips. Kowar’s keep within the Braves group was a brief one, because the righty had just been acquired from the Royals final month because the return within the Kyle Wright commerce. As a former top-100 prospect and Kansas Metropolis’s first-round choose within the 2018 draft, Kowar is an intriguing piece regardless of his struggles within the majors thus far in his profession. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams famous on the time of his commerce to Atlanta, Kowar averaged 97 mph on his fastball in 2023 after changing to full-time aid duties and because of his eligibility for a fourth possibility 12 months in 2024 figures to supply the Mariners with a fireballing, optionable aid arm headed into subsequent season. Phillips, in the meantime, was Atlanta’s second-round choose within the 2022 draft. The 20-year-old has not but made his skilled debut after present process Tommy John surgical procedure, however ranked because the Braves’ #7 prospect per MLB Pipeline previous to the swap.
As for the Mariners, the membership is clearly within the midst of retooling their lineup. The membership has traded each Kelenic and third baseman Eugenio Suarez and non-tendered DH Mike Ford because the offseason started whereas watching Teoscar Hernandez depart by way of free company, leaving 4 main holes within the membership’s lineup. That being mentioned, the departures of these 4 gamers determine to assist Seattle of their quest to improve their lineup’s contact skills subsequent season; every of the aforementioned hitters struck out greater than 30% of the time in 2024. Parting methods with 4 of the league’s most punchout susceptible bats is a superb begin towards that purpose, even because the membership faces an uphill battle in changing the quartet’s manufacturing.
Whereas changing 4 members of the membership’s beginning lineup isn’t any simple activity, Seattle not less than figures to have loads of payroll area with which to perform that purpose. RosterResource tasks the membership for a payroll of simply $115MM in 2024 pending the addition of money issues despatched to Atlanta, whereas Adam Judge of The Seattle Times notes that president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto indicated in the present day that the membership’s payroll will “very probably” rise in 2024 relative to its 2023 complete. The Mariners posted a payroll of $140MM in 2023, which means the membership ought to have greater than $25MM value of room to make additions to their lineup, although it’s unclear how a lot Seattle is prepared to surpass that $140MM determine.
Even with that amount of cash obtainable for additions, it’s value noting that the membership would wish to considerably enhance payroll over its 2023 ranges to have the ability to make even one impression addition on the extent of, for instance, Cody Bellinger or Juan Soto. Given the variety of holes the Mariners might want to fill of their lineup, it appears extra probably that the membership can be restricted to including mid-level salaries to its payroll. The free agent market is unlikely to supply many options, with the most effective mid-level bats reminiscent of Hernandez and Matt Chapman being among the many extra strikeout-prone gamers obtainable this winter.
That mentioned, the membership has reportedly mentioned offers for each outfielder Randy Arozarena and third baseman Isaac Paredes with the Rays lately. Including even a type of gamers would absolutely require vital capital when it comes to prospects and younger gamers, although it’s value noting that the Rays seem like on the hunt for controllable beginning pitching, which the Mariners have an extra of. Speculatively talking, swinging a deal for Paredes and/or Arozarena would permit Seattle to shore up its lineup with out breaking the financial institution, permitting the membership to pursue contact-oriented bats like Lourdes Gurriel Jr. or Whit Merrifield in free company.
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