Offseason in review for the Braves

The Braves made a pair early offseason strikes to bolster the pitching depth and set up a former high prospect as their new left fielder. Their greatest transfer got here proper across the New Yr 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, $14.25M extension, preserving 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, $26M pact (on a uncommon Atlanta extension that didn’t embrace a group choice on the finish) days earlier than he would’ve been in a position to discover the open market.

President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his employees 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 wager 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 function early within the 2024 season, making that a better name for the entrance workplace.

With that degree 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 Lopez inked a three-year, $30M 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. Lopez struggled as a beginning pitcher early in his profession with the White Sox. He has been much better in reduction over the previous few seasons, but it’s nonetheless honest to query whether or not he has the extent of command essential to be an efficient starter.

Lopez is battling the likes of AJ Smith-Shawver, Bryce Elder, Huascar Ynoa and high 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 high two rotation spots. The Braves exercised a $20M choice to maintain Charlie Morton for his fourth season in Atlanta.

There was by no means a query they’d add yet one more established starter behind the Strider, Fried and Morton trio. The supply of intrigue was which pitcher that may 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 proportion. The stuff that had made Sale an ace earlier in his profession appears principally 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 yr’s bout of shoulder irritation.

Between that harm historical past and a hefty $27.5M wage, it appeared unlikely the Crimson Sox would discover a taker for Sale. Atlanta received across the latter concern by convincing Boston to eat $17M. With one other $10M of the wage set to be deferred, Sale basically price the Braves nothing this yr financially. Getting the Sox to pay down that giant a portion of the wage required parting with certainly one of Atlanta’s high younger gamers.

Whereas Vaughn Grissom has technically exhausted his prospect eligibility, he was basically Atlanta’s greatest younger place participant who was not already a key piece of the Main League roster. The 23-year-old has hit .287/.339/.407 in scattered huge league seems to be during the last two seasons. He’s coming off a .330/.419/.501 exhibiting in Triple-A. Grissom could possibly be a median or higher MLB second baseman as quickly as this yr. His path to taking part in 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, $38M deal not lengthy after the commerce. That decreased the group’s luxurious tax obligations within the quick time period and tacked on a membership choice for the 2026 season whereas guaranteeing the lanky southpaw a $22M wage for ’25 – a yr that had beforehand been lined by a group choice.

That accomplished the large work on the pitching employees. As has been the case for a couple of offseasons, the Braves entered the winter with a principally settled group of hitters. Eight members of final yr’s main lineup are again. The one unsettled place was left area. Atlanta declined a $9M choice on Eddie Rosario, leaving that as the only real lineup spot which they wanted to handle.

Whereas the Braves loosely floated the potential of transferring Grissom to left area 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 have a look at former high 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 exhibiting, as he turned in a good .253/.327/.419 batting line over 416 plate appearances final yr. It wasn’t a completely 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 yr away from arbitration, Kelenic himself isn’t costing the Braves a lot for the upcoming marketing campaign. They did take an excellent chunk of useless cash off Seattle’s books. The Braves added $24.5M 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 chance to play every day in left area, 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 during which the Braves ate underwater contracts to amass depth items of curiosity. They offloaded Gonzales to the Pirates for nothing greater than $2.75M in financial savings on his $12M 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 $6M to the books, ostensibly so as to add Fletcher within the glove-first utility function 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 by means of outright waivers. The latter stays within the group in a non-roster capability and will nonetheless get to the majors this yr, 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 one more commerce of this ilk in mid-December. Atlanta absorbed $4M 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 group that has seven relievers – Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Jimenez, 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 not less than highlights the sort of flexibility afforded the entrance workplace by setting up a group 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 harm rehabbers Penn Murfee and Angel Perdomo as forward-looking bullpen strikes. It quantities to loads of tinkering in an offseason that’ll be outlined by the Sale, Kelenic and (to lesser extents) Lopez and Bummer acquisitions.

Most of final yr’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 underneath contract for yet one more season at designated hitter.

Sustaining good continuity is inconceivable for any group. 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 fast concern will probably 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.