Jon Heyman announced that the Atlanta Braves agreed to terms with Lucas Luetge and Joe Jimenez, avoiding arbitration. Both relievers were acquired by the Braves this offseason in separate trades.
The two become the third and fourth members of the Braves to agree to arbitration terms today, which is the deadline for arbitration-eligible players to exchange figures with teams. AJ Minter and Dennis Santana agreed to deals earlier in the day, leaving just Max Fried as the only arbitration-eligible player on the team who hasn’t signed.
Lucas Luetge: $1.55M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 13, 2023
Joe Jimenez: $2.765M
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 13, 2023
What this means for the Atlanta Braves’ Lucas Luetge and Joe Jimenez
By agreeing to terms today, the Braves avoid the arbitration process for both relief pitchers. These are both one-year deals for the 2023 season.
Lucas Luetge, a lefty who the Braves acquired after the New York Yankees DFA’d him earlier this offseason, is in his second year of arbitration and signed for $1.55 million. He was projected to earn $1.7 million by MLB Trade Rumors, so the Braves signed him for a few thousand less than expected.
Joe Jimenez, who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers back at the beginning of December, is in his final year of arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors projected that the righty would earn $2.6 million. Jimenez and the Braves agreed to $2.765 million, which was $165,000 more than projected.
Both relievers are expected to play major roles in the Braves’ bullpen this year. Joe Jimenez was the 27th-best reliever in baseball by fWAR, finishing 1.4, which tied with current Braves reliever, Collin McHugh. While Jimenez finished the season with a 3.49 ERA, his FIP was a much lower 2.00.
Lucas Luetge finished the season with the 63rd-best fWAR by a reliever, finishing with 0.9. His 2.67 ERA was about a half run lower than his 3.03 FIP. Luetge joins AJ Minter and Dylan Lee as the lefty members of the bullpen.