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The Braves made a pair early-offseason strikes to bolster the pitching depth and set up a former prime prospect as their new left fielder. Their largest transfer got here proper across the New 12 months with the acquisition and extension of a one-time ace whom they’re hoping will get again on observe in 2024.
Main League Signings
Choice Selections
Trades and Claims
Notable Minor League Signings
- Skye Bolt, Ben Bowden, Charlie Culberson, Tommy Doyle, Phillip Evans, Leury García, Ken Giles, Luis Liberato, Zach Logue, Alejo López, Jordan Luplow, Sebastian Rivero, Chadwick Tromp, Andrew Velazquez, Jake Walsh, Taylor Widener, Luke Williams
Extensions
Notable Losses
- Kolby Allard (non-tendered), Yonny Chirinos (non-tendered), Ben Heller, Sam Hilliard (misplaced on waivers), Grissom, McHugh (retired), Rosario, Shewmake, Shuster, Soroka, Michael Tonkin (non-tendered), Wright
Whereas the primary few weeks of the offseason had been usually pretty quiet across the league, the Braves struck early. They started their work earlier than the offseason technically started. Inside two weeks of being bounced within the NL Division Collection, Atlanta stored certainly one of their free brokers off the market.
The Braves inked Pierce Johnson to a two-year, $14.25MM extension, holding the deadline pickup within the high-leverage combine after a dominant second half. The bullpen funding continued in early November. Joe Jiménez inked a three-year, $26MM pact (on a uncommon Atlanta extension that didn’t embrace a workforce possibility on the finish) days earlier than he would’ve been capable of discover the open market.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his workers didn’t cease there. They orchestrated the primary offseason commerce of significance with the White Sox, sending 5 gamers to Chicago for lefty reliever Aaron Bummer. It’s a guess on Bummer’s velocity and powerful strikeout and ground-ball charges regardless of his 6.79 ERA from a season in the past. Atlanta subtracted back-of-the-roster depth in parting with rotation candidates Michael Soroka and Jared Shuster and infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake. Nobody from that group projected to play a big position early within the 2024 season, making that a better name for the entrance workplace.
With that stage of early funding within the bullpen, it got here as a shock when the Braves dipped into free company for one more energy arm who has spent the previous couple seasons as a reliever. Reynaldo López inked a three-year, $30MM pact. That worth level isn’t too stunning in itself, however the subsequent revelation that the Braves will enable him to compete for a rotation spot was surprising. López struggled as a beginning pitcher early in his profession with the White Sox. He has been much better in reduction over the previous couple of seasons, but it’s nonetheless truthful to query whether or not he has the extent of command essential to be an efficient starter.
López is battling the likes of AJ Smith-Shawver, Bryce Elder, Huascar Ynoa and prime prospect Hurston Waldrep for the ultimate spot within the beginning 5. That’s a high-octane assortment of depth arms behind one of many sport’s strongest entrance fours. Spencer Strider and Max Fried are again of their customary prime two rotation spots. The Braves exercised a $20MM choice to preserve Charlie Morton for his fourth season in Atlanta.
There was by no means a query they’d add yet another established starter behind the Strider, Fried and Morton trio. The supply of intrigue was which pitcher that will be. The Braves had been tied to Georgia native Dylan Cease in commerce rumors early within the winter however balked on the White Sox’s asking worth. In the end, they turned to a pitcher few anticipated to be traded: Chris Sale.
Sale narrowly topped 100 innings over 20 begins for the Crimson Sox final season, his first time hitting the century mark since 2019. A pedestrian 4.30 ERA belied a way more spectacular 29.4% strikeout fee and 13.2% swinging strike share. The stuff that had made Sale an ace earlier in his profession appears largely intact. But there’s threat in betting on a pitcher who turns 35 this month and has missed prolonged stretches over the previous three seasons due to Tommy John surgical procedure, a damaged finger, a wrist fracture, and final 12 months’s bout of shoulder irritation.
Between that damage historical past and a hefty $27.5MM wage, it appeared unlikely the Crimson Sox would discover a taker for Sale. Atlanta obtained across the latter concern by convincing Boston to eat $17MM. With one other $10MM of the wage set to be deferred, Sale primarily value the Braves nothing this 12 months financially. Getting the Sox to pay down that enormous a portion of the wage required parting with certainly one of Atlanta’s prime younger gamers.
Whereas Vaughn Grissom has technically exhausted his prospect eligibility, he was primarily Atlanta’s finest younger place participant who was not already a key piece of the key league roster. The 23-year-old has hit .287/.339/.407 in scattered huge league seems to be over the past two seasons. He’s coming off a .330/.419/.501 displaying in Triple-A. Grissom could possibly be a median or higher MLB second baseman as quickly as this 12 months. His path to enjoying time on the Truist Park infield has lengthy been blocked, so it appeared the Braves would money him in for rotation assist sooner or later.
Atlanta doubled down on the cube roll on Sale by transforming his contract. They signed him to a restructured two-year, $38MM deal not lengthy after the commerce. That diminished the workforce’s luxurious tax obligations within the quick time period and tacked on a membership possibility for the 2026 season whereas guaranteeing the lanky southpaw a $22MM wage for ’25 — a 12 months that had beforehand been coated by a workforce possibility.
That accomplished the massive work on the pitching workers. As has been the case for a couple of offseasons, the Braves entered the winter with a largely settled group of hitters. Eight members of final 12 months’s main lineup are again. The one unsettled place was left subject. Atlanta declined a $9MM possibility on Eddie Rosario, leaving that as the only lineup spot which they wanted to deal with.
Whereas the Braves loosely floated the potential of transferring Grissom to left subject earlier than his inclusion within the Sale commerce, they took that off the desk on the Winter Conferences. Atlanta leveraged monetary area to take a change-of-scenery take a look at former prime prospect Jarred Kelenic. The left-handed hitter was a disappointment in Seattle, the place he hit .204/.283/.373 over components of three seasons.
Kelenic is coming off a career-best offensive displaying, as he turned in a good .253/.327/.419 batting line over 416 plate appearances final 12 months. It wasn’t a wholly constructive season, although. He struck out at a borderline untenable 31.7% fee, persevering with the problems making contact which have plagued him all through his profession. Kelenic additionally missed a pair months with a self-inflicted foot fracture sustained when he kicked a water cooler in frustration after a strikeout.
Controllable for 5 seasons and a 12 months away from arbitration, Kelenic himself isn’t costing the Braves a lot for the upcoming marketing campaign. They did take a superb chunk of useless cash off Seattle’s books. The Braves added $24.5MM in wage on Marco Gonzales and Evan White. The precise return — reliever Jackson Kowar, acquired weeks earlier from the Royals for injured starter Kyle Wright, and mid-level pitching prospect Cole Phillips — wasn’t exorbitant. Kelenic will get a possibility to play every day in left subject, which isn’t stunning contemplating the quantity of wage and luxurious tax charges they took on to get him.
The Kelenic commerce kicked off a collection of additives through which the Braves ate underwater contracts to accumulate depth items of curiosity. They offloaded Gonzales to the Pirates for nothing greater than $2.75MM in financial savings on his $12MM contract. White went to the Angels in a weird transfer that noticed Atlanta tackle the offers of infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi. The Braves added an additional $6MM to the books, ostensibly so as to add Fletcher within the glove-first utility position which Nicky Lopez had performed down the stretch.
Atlanta ate all however the league minimal on Stassi and flipped him to the White Sox for nothing, whereas they ran Fletcher via outright waivers. The latter stays within the group in a non-roster capability and will nonetheless get to the majors this 12 months, however the subsequent signing of Luis Guillorme to a $1.1MM free agent deal makes him a bit redundant. The Fletcher/White swap appeared pointless within the bigger context of the offseason.
The Braves made yet another commerce of this ilk in mid-December. Atlanta absorbed $4MM on Matt Carpenter’s wage to herald hard-throwing reliever Ray Kerr from the Padres. The Braves launched Carpenter (he subsequently signed a giant league deal to return to the Cardinals), however Kerr is an intriguing lefty bullpen arm who can nonetheless be optioned to the minors. That’s a plus for a workforce that has seven relievers — Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Jiménez, Johnson, Tyler Matzek, Bummer and Jackson Stephens — who can’t be despatched down with out clearing waivers. All however Stephens are locks to be within the MLB bullpen if wholesome.
It’s debatable whether or not the collection of maneuvers behind the roster improves the Braves sufficient that it was worthwhile. It at the very least highlights the form of flexibility afforded the entrance workplace by setting up a workforce with such a powerful core. The Braves made a pair different small-scale modifications.
They dealt veteran center reliever Nick Anderson to the Royals, acquired fifth outfielder J.P. Martínez from the Rangers, and took minimal fliers on damage rehabbers Penn Murfee and Ángel Perdomo as forward-looking bullpen strikes. It quantities to plenty of tinkering in an offseason that’ll be outlined by the Sale, Kelenic and (to lesser extents) López and Bummer acquisitions.
Most of final 12 months’s star-studded group is again. The catching tandem of Sean Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud stays in place. Ditto the beginning infield of Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia and Austin Riley. Defending NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. dodged a scare along with his proper knee and ought to be within the Opening Day outfield beside Michael Harris II and Kelenic. Marcell Ozuna is below contract for yet another season at designated hitter.
Sustaining good continuity is not possible for any workforce. The Braves parted with Rosario, Wright, Soroka, Grissom and a pair ancillary veteran contributors within the bullpen. Longtime third base coach Ron Washington was lastly poached for an additional managerial alternative after years of hypothesis. He’s now in control of the Angels dugout.
Regardless of that handful of exits, the Braves once more head into the season with one of many strongest groups within the majors. They’re nonetheless firmly of their championship window, although the extra instant concern will likely be snagging a seventh straight NL East title. Subsequent offseason will carry extra questions, significantly concerning the long-term state of the rotation with Fried trending in direction of free company.
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