Braves rumors: Minor league free agents the Atlanta Braves should target
The Atlanta Braves will need to fill their roster and AAA with depth that could help cover injuries throughout the season. Which minor league free agents should be appearing in Braves rumors?
Each season, a number of minor league free agents make a big impact for their major league team. The Atlanta Braves signed Danny Santana and Miguel Socolovich to minor league contracts before 2018 and saw them make the major leagues. Could Braves rumors be linking more impact from a minor league free agent this season?
(Editor’s note: While all efforts are taken to ensure none of these players have been signed already, this cannot be guaranteed as minor league deals are often slow in hitting wide notification.)
Bringing back their own
Part of having a farm system as deep as Atlanta has is seeing a number of quality players hit the minor league free agency market. The Atlanta Braves are no different. A number of excellent options are now minor league free agents and would be smart signees.
On the pitching side, Enderson Franco has seemingly found a home in the Braves organization, mentoring the young Braves pitchers and pitching as well as he ever has while doing so. The issue is that he likely won’t get a shot at the big leagues with Atlanta, so he may choose to go elsewhere.
Three excellent young arms would be good ideas to keep on board, two for the chance that they return from injury with excellent arms and the third for the chance he figures out how to locate. Jacob Lindgren and Jose Ramirez both missed all of 2018 and elected free agency when they were designated for assignment. Tyler Pike came over in trade from the Mariners, and in his first year in the bullpen in 2018, he struggled with his location.
A personal favorite of mine for many years, Carlos Franco has shown an ability to handle both infield corners. He has excellent power ability from the left side of the plate, but his contact skills are behind, so he could float as a quad-A sort of player that comes up at times to provide bench depth. The Braves also have tremendous outfielders available on the market in minor league free agency in Lane Adams, Connor Lien, and Preston Tucker. While none will likely cover the outfield for any extended time, each could serve as quality depth, with Adams and Lien providing excellent defensive depth that could hang at AAA until needed with the right major league kicker to a minor league deal.
Now, let’s take a look around the league at what’s available, starting with catchers.