The non-tender deadline is upon us, and the Atlanta Braves have a few players to make decisions on. It's not an easy task deciding who to keep or let go, but the decisions have to be made regardless.
Atlanta has been busy the last few days adding to their roster. They've signed an MLB free agent, made trades, and added players on minor league deals. But the time has come for them to decide which non-tender candidates they want to keep and several of those decisions came with the non-tender deadline just hours away.
Braves agree to terms with trio of players ahead of non-tender deadline
The Braves announced on Friday that they agreed to terms with three of those candidates. Atlanta completed one-year contracts with LHP Joey Wentz, OF Eli White, and newly acquired INF Mauricio Dubon.
The #Braves today agreed to terms with INF Mauricio Dubón, LHP Joey Wentz and OF Eli White on one-year contracts for the 2026 season.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 21, 2025
Financial figures haven't been released yet for these contracts with the notable exception (so far) of Dubon who agreed at $6.1 mil. The Braves have three more players to make decisions on, including Dylan Lee, Alek Manoah, and Jose Suarez. It will be interesting to see what the team decides to do with these three, but we will find out soon enough.
Wentz had a bit of a resurgence when he landed with the Braves last season. However, his season didn't end as well as he had hoped. The lefty finished the season with a 4.92 ERA over 64 innings, including 23 walks and 64 strikeouts. Atlanta hopes that new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner will help Wentz find success again.
White has been a great utility player for the Braves over the last three years. His role will likely be more of the same in 2026. He appeared in 105 games last season and slashed .234/.270/.406 with 10 homers, 35 RBI, and an 84 wRC+.
Finally, Dubon was acquired in a trade that sent Nick Allen to the Astros. It was clear that Dubon was going to be offered a contract for this season. Reports are that he's expected to make around $5.8 million this season. He won a Gold Glove last season and produced a 1.7 WAR despite an underwhelming plate performance.
Dubon could be a candidate to be the starting shortstop, but Alex Anthopoulos stated the team sees Dubon as a super utilityman who can play virtually every position on the field. The hope is they find a better option to start every day at short like Ha-Seong Kim.
It's great to see things coming together rather quickly ahead of the 2026 season. It helps ease any anxieties fans or players have during the offseason.