2 Braves non-tender candidates Atlanta should keep, 4 they should move on from
Which players on the Braves 40-man roster are in danger of losing a roster spot before the end of November?
With the World Series nearing an end the important offseason dates fans need to know become even more important. We've discussed how important this winter is for Alex Anthopoulos to get the Braves back to where they need to be, and now we're going to discuss one of the important early decisions the front office will be tasked with.
Once the Braves make their decisions on the four players with club options for 2024 Anthopoulos will turn his attention to the arb-eligible players on the roster. As a reminder players with three or more years, but less than six years of Major League service time are eligible for salary arbitration if they are not already signed to a contract (i.e. Austin Riley) for the upcoming season.
The Braves have six players on the 40-man roster who are arb-eligible this offseason; Anthopoulos will have to decide which players are worth offering a contract, and which will be non-tendered thus making them a free agent. The non-tender deadline is November 22.
The Braves have until November 22, 2024 to decide if these non-tender candidates are worth keeping on their 40-man roster
As I mentioned previously, Atlanta has six players who will be considered non-tender candidates based on their service time. While most of these decisions feel pretty straightforward, a couple of these players are borderline for being offered a contract for 2024.
We'll take our time to dive through each candidate as well as list their projected cost in arbitration via MLB Trade Rumors. In my opinion only two should be brought back in 2024, so let's start with them.
Jarred Kelenic (projected $2.3 million)
The former top prospect has struggled to find his footing at the Major League level thus far. In his first season with Atlanta, Kelenic had his share of shining moments in the summer. However, the same swing and miss problem that has plagued him so far in his young career led to his at-bats being very limited down the stretch for the Braves.
Last season the Braves planned to hand the left field job to Kelenic and live with the results expecting the rest of the offense to carry the load. Next season they are not afforded the luxury to retain those expectations.
However, this doesn't mean Kelenic is a player not worth keeping. His tools and hard-working attitude at the very least makes him a valuable fourth outfielder for the club. And with his projected salary to come in under $3 million it's a no brainer to keep the Kelenic experiment going into 2025.
Dylan Lee (projected $1.2 million)
The unsung hero of the dominant Braves bullpen, Dylan Lee could step into a larger role next season as the teams top lefty option. A.J. Minter will be a free agent and should he find a new home that would leave Lee and Aaron Bummer as the two lefties down in the bullpen.
Given how Lee has pitched as a Brave when healthy there's no reason to doubt he won't continue to excel in whatever role Snit asks him to fill. Because Lee is still under three years of service time (and a non-closer bullpen piece) he doesn't project to break the bank in arbitration. With that low cost it's basically a layup for AA to bring Lee back in 2025.
Dylan Lee of the @Braves was outrageous last night throwing his slider 13 times (15 total pitches) and generating a line of 1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K. His slider generated 4 whiffs, and was not put into play at all - winning our RP Pitch of the Day for June 16th pic.twitter.com/IQPs0Pql7g
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) June 17, 2024
Now let's get into the four remaining arb-eligible players for Atlanta. I'll detail my reasoning for each, but I'm guessing each of these guys are non-tendered by November 22, and hit free agency.
It's not a certainty however, and Alex Anthopoulos could create an avenue to find playing time for a couple of these players. If there's a pathway to that and AA feels he can get an on-field value greater than their projected salary then don't be surprised if we publish another story about how I was wrong.
Huascar Ynoa (projected $825 thousand)
The first version of Huscar Ynoa the Braves got would be well worth this projected figure. Sadly, Ynoa has battled injury every year since 2021. Last season was his his chance to reclaim a role with the club, but the stuff simply wasn't the same.
Not only that, Ynoa battled numerous injuries last season as well. Entering 2025 it feels best to cut ties with this relationship as Ynoa has been surpassed by many other rising young arms in the Braves farm system.
Cavan Biggio (projected $4.3 million)
This will probably be Anthopoulos' least stressful decision. Biggio was acquired off the scrap-heap after the Braves continued to get plummeted with injuries. The service time he racked up with Toronto now lends itself to a higher projected arb number. And anything in seven figures is something the Braves can't justify for a minor league depth infielder.
Eli White (projected $800 thousand)
The former Clemson University product Eli White possesses some very real tools that can help a MLB team. The Braves saw that last season in spurts when White was asked to pinch-run and serve as a defensive replacement for Jorge Soler.
White's projected salary is also a figure that could be justified into carrying given his athleticism. However, if the Braves make Kelenic the fourth outfielder it's hard to talk yourself into paying White to ride the bench. Backup outfielder is also a spot where we typically see Anthopoulos grab a body someime into spring training. Because of all those factors I think White is also non-tendered.
Ramon Laureano ($6.1 million)
Finally we arrive at the player who has drawn the most questions surrounding his role in 2025. Ramon Laureano was spectacular when the Braves picked him up from Cleveland summer. He played so well that he basically became the everyday left fielder for the Braves down the stretch.
Although Laureano was performing well in the most important games for Atlanta, it still feels like the Braves want to aim higher with their choice for starting left fielder in 2025. Laureano serving as a fourth outfielder would be ideal, but his projected $6 million arbitration cost will probably scare AA off from bringing him back in 2025.
While I do think Laureano will be non-tendered, he is only one I feel Anthopoulos could circle back to in February should he feel the team still needs outfield depth. Laureano's 2024 numbers could be enough to land him a starting job with another team. He's a good player with real tools, but some of his underlying numbers suggest he was living right with his batted ball luck last season.
When you factor in all of these things it feels like enough to make Anthopoulos want to aim higher and bring in a more proven outfielder to stablize the unit along with Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuna Jr.
Launch mode for Ramón Laureano🚀 pic.twitter.com/NPNLtYl8xL
— Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) August 14, 2024
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