The Atlanta Braves have lost yet another piece of their 2021 World Series-winning roster. Reliever and fan-favorite A.J. Minter signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the New York Mets on Friday.
His deal is pending a physical which could raise some questions given his hip injury, so it hasn't been made official yet.
There was hope that the team would try and bring Minter back next season but a hip injury in 2024 made that decision a bit more difficult. Hip injuries can be tough for pitchers to overcome.
A.J. Minter joins list of Braves who have exited from World Series roster
Minter even stated he expected to have to sign a one year "prove it" type of contract because of it. However, that didn't happen as the talented lefty signed a multi-year deal with an opt-out with one of Atlanta's most-hated rivals.
All of that said, for Minter to get $22 million coming off a season-ending hip surgery is quite a deal for him. I thought, and he even mentioned after the surgery, he may have to end up settling for a one-year "prove it" contract with a bunch of incentives.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) January 17, 2025
When healthy, Minter can be one of the best relievers in baseball. He has a 3.28 ERA during his eight seasons with the Braves, including a 2.89 FIP, 123 walks, and 422 strikeouts. Those are absolutely impressive numbers.
Minter was always a great relief option for Brian Snitker and one of his most memorable moments came during the 2020 NLCS when he started game five of the series. He struck out seven of the ten batters he faced on just 42 pitches across three innings.
It was an incredible showing for Minter and proved how great of a pitcher he is. He was even instrumental during the 2021 World Series run. Minter pitched to a 3.00 ERA, a 1.42 FIP, four walks, and 18 strikeouts. Fans will always remember all the exciting moments he provided over the years.
Unfortunately, he joined a long list of Braves that have exited the team since that championship win. Atlanta now needs to find a backend rotation option and they have been tied to Tanner Scott multiple times. This offseason alone, Atlanta has lost Minter, Jorge Soler, Travis d'Arnaud, Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Jesse Chavez, and Adam Duvall.
Only five remain from the actual World Series roster, including Ozzie Albies, Ian Anderson, Orlando Arcia, Dylan Lee, and Austin Riley. Ronald Acuña Jr. still remains with the team, of course, but he was not on the roster for the World Series due to his knee injury earlier that season.
It's hard to see such a strong roster disappear over the last few seasons but that's inevitable in today's game of baseball. The good thing for Braves fans is that the team has managed to build another great core to try and win another World Series.