While most of the attention when it comes to the Atlanta Braves this offseason is on sexier roster pursuits like shortstop or the starting rotation, the fact is that the Braves' wave of injuries the last couple of years has exposed the unfortunate reality that Atlanta does not have much depth right now. Not every signing can be a Raisel Iglesias or a Ha-Seong Kim and it is often the lesser deals that allow a team to make it through a full season successfully.
At least, that is probably what Atlanta is hoping will happen here. Bringing in Mauricio Dubon gave the Braves some coverage in the infield whether or not they add an everyday shortstop, but there is a decided lack of options to provide fallback plans in the outfield. As Jurickson Profar's suspension and Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injuries showed, playing a full 162 games is anything but a given and the Braves need to have a real plan in place just in case.
Well, they took a step towards that plan this week as it was revealed the Braves added Brewer Hicklen on a minor league deal.
Braves sign Brewer Hicklen in their quest for real outfield depth
If you are hoping that Hicklen is some sort of secret weapon signing with a lot of realistic upside, you may want to brace for disappointment. Hicklen has a grand total of 13 plate appearances in the majors despite being almost 30 years old, although he has shown some power, speed, and a willingness to draw walks in the minors.
The problem that has held Hicklen back and forced him to bounce around from organization to organization is that his hit tool has been lacking for some time now. Following the 2019 season (yes, he has been in the minors a while), the highest batting average Hicklen has posted in the minors is .248 and that was in 2022 and he struck out quite a bit.
That said, there are some tools to work with here. Hicklen has some speed which helps him on defense as well as making him a stolen base threat and again, he has some pop. The odds that he will turn into anything but a quad-A depth piece stashed in Gwinnett are small, but this is a low risk bet by the Braves on a player that has an actual chance of helping them in 2026.