Braves General Manager and President of Baseball Operations, Alex Anthopoulos, is known for being one of the best in the business. He always seems to know when and when not to value a player and how to be savvy business-wise.
Atlanta is in a tough position this offseason as they have a few key positions to focus on fixing. AA has stated he expects payroll to increase this season but the team has also shown they are trying to be careful of exceeding the second-tier of the luxury tax.
He will need to use that savviness to try and find value in players that may not seem like the big "impact" move. That means he will likely employ a similar tactic that he's used on veteran players who may not have performed well last season or are in the late stages of their careers.
Let's examine a few names they could consider giving the "Alex Anthopoulos special."
5 free agents the Braves should consider giving the "Alex Anthopoulos special"
Walker Buehler
2024 was rough for the Dodgers starter as he returned from Tommy John surgery. Buehler earned a 5.38 ERA over 75.1 innings with 28 walks and 64 strikeouts. However, he ended his season with an impressive postseason performance.
Buehler had a career 3.02 ERA with 690 strikeouts before missing the 2023 season. He is a prime candidate for a one-year "prove it" type of contract with a second-year option. Buehler has been projected to earn a two-year contract worth $32 million. It's a tough decision but Buehler is one of the best in baseball when he's healthy so it may be worth the chance.
Randal Grichuk
Over 279 plate appearances, he batted .291 with 20 doubles, two triples,12 home runs, and 46 RBI in 2024. This was good for a 139 wRC+ in his platoon role with the D-Backs and he excelled against lefties. He even did pretty well against righties as he put up an .801 OPS against them versus a .913 OPS against lefties.
He did turn down a $6 million mutual option to stay in Arizona after making just $1.5 in 2024. So he'll be expecting more than one-year so AA would at least need to offer him a 2-3 year deal. Grichuk could be a great candidate for a platoon role with Jarred Kelenic in left field.
Joc Pederson
Joc did a pretty good job for the Diamondbacks in 2024 with an impressive .275/.392/.531 slash line and 22 homers in 407 plate appearances. He functioned in a platoon role and was mostly a designated hitter. The Braves need to decide if they believe he's good enough to play the field still before making a decision. Atlanta has been rumored to want a left-handed bat in free agency and Pederson still has juice in his bat. He is projected to earn a two-year deal worth $26 million in free agency. He's already a fan favorite from his time in Atlanta during the 2021 season so there's no reason to think he wouldn't return.
OKAY. https://t.co/BJw12ZMPNi pic.twitter.com/4zIIxFgYrK
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 10, 2024
Nathan Eovaldi
Eovaldi is too obvious of a candidate for the type of pitcher Alex Anthopoulos likes to target. He turned down the qualifying offer from Texas so he's not likely to consider an AAV below $20 million. He is a seasoned pro and fits the bill of previous deals done by AA for vets looking for employment in the latter years of their careers.
The righty starter posted a 3.80 ERA over 170.2 innings in 2024 with a 3.83 FIP, 8.8 K/9, 42 walks, and 166 strikeouts. His 23.9% strikeout rate is the highest he's reached since 2021 when he and Chris Sale were teammates in Boston. Eovaldi also has the postseason experience Anthopoulos looks for with a 9-1 record and 2.85 ERA in 12 career postseason starts. He pounds the strike zone and induces a good amount of chase. Atlanta could sign him to a two-year deal worth around $50 million with a third-year option.
Chris Martin
Chris Martin had a rather mediocre 2024 season with a 3.45 ERA over 44.1 innings. The former Braves reliever also carried a 1.7% walk rate and a 27.8% strikeout rate. He will turn 39 next June so he's approaching the end of his career. He was on a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Red Sox, so he fits the AA archetype.
Martin has stated that 2025 will “95% be his final season." This would be a perfect time to allow him to go out with a team that has World Series aspirations and where he's had success before. Spotrac has the righty earning around $1.5 million next season so the Braves could look to add him on a one-year deal for $2 million and fill their bullpen with a proven arm.