The Atlanta Braves have had a boring offseason to say the least. Fans were excited when general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the claim earlier this winter that the luxury tax threshold would not keep him from making moves.
Contrary to these comments, it feels like the Braves have only removed valuable players from their roster rather than make additions. While everyone saw the departures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton coming, it is shocking that Atlanta has not made any moves to compensate for these losses.
Starting pitching still needs to remain the primary focus for Anthopoulos over the next few weeks but he has a chance to upgrade the offense in a major way with this free agent signing.
Anthony Santander: The Home Run Extraordinaire pic.twitter.com/pguEw5IdgP
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 11, 2024
Free agent Anthony Santander makes loads of sense for the Braves
While most big name free agents are off the board, there are still a few players who could be difference makers available, one being outfielder Anthony Santander. Santander is coming off a massive power season where he hit .235 with 44 homers and 102 RBI.
Santander’s defense may be sub-par but it would be well worth the trade off to add him to the Atlanta offense in 2025, especially with the type of contract he is now open to. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, Santander is open to a short term contract with high average annual value. These are the types of deals that Alex Anthopoulos thrives on.
With Max Fried and Charlie Morton off payroll, Atlanta can most certainly afford Santander for a season or two. Adding him to the lineup could bring the Braves’ offense back to that historic 2023 status. Just imagine this lineup when everyone is healthy.
- Ronald Acuna Jr.
- Ozzie Albies
- Austin Riley
- Matt Olson
- Anthony Santander
- Marcell Ozuna
- Michael Harris II
- Sean Murphy
- Orlando Arcia
This would be an absolute nightmare for any opposing pitcher to face. If the Braves could snag Santander on a short-term deal this would still leave room to address the starting pitching needs as well. This is a no-brainer for Atlanta.