Braves News: Sale's accolades, Freeman's World Series dominance, bullpen depth signing

Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale walks away with multiple MLBPA Player's Choice Awards

Award season has been good to Braves ace Chris Sale so far. He was announced as the winner of Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year a few days ago. Chris added two more awards to that list as he was named Outstanding Pitcher and Comeback Player of the Year for the 2024 MLBPA Players Choice Awards.

These are arguably more important than the official MLB awards handed out at the end of the season. MLBPA Players Choice Awards are voted on by Sale's peers across both leagues.

Unsurprisingly, Sale won each of his awards as he worked hard to get back on the mound after injuries limited him for the previous three seasons. He earned his eighth 200-strikeout season, which puts him just behind his idol Randy Johnson for most in a career by a left-handed pitcher.

Sale led the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38), and strikeouts (225), earning him the National League Triple Crown for pitchers. It was an incredible year for Atlanta's ace, and there should be more wins in his future as he's a favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, which would be the first of his career.

Former Brave Freddie Freeman continues to dominate Yankees in 2024 World Series

The 2024 World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees is underway, and it's been all LA so far. Former Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman has been a major part of that success, as he's having an incredible series.

Freeman launched the first-ever walk-off grand slam in the World Series to win Game 1 for the Dodgers. It was the biggest moment of his career and felt similar to when Kirk Gibson hit a walk-off homer for Los Angeles in Game 1 of the 1988 Fall Classic.

He followed that up with a great performance in Game 2, including another home run. Freddie has a .323/.353/.806 line with one triple, two doubles, five RBI, and a 1.555 OPS. Those are incredible numbers over the first two games, and he's shown no signs of slowing down.

During the 2021 World Series with the Braves, Freeman batted .319 over six games with one double, two homers, five RBI, two walks, five strikeouts, and a .996 OPS. He is on track to winning his second World Series title and it's hard not to root for Freddie to succeed, despite that success coming with the LA Dodgers.

Braves sign reliever Zach Thompson to minor league contract

Atlanta's transactions page indicated that the Braves signed right-handed reliever Zach Thompson to a minor league deal earlier this week. He was signed to a minor league deal with an opportunity to try and earn a spot on the big league roster.

Thompson underwent surgery to repair a partial flexor tendon tear, missing the entire 2024 season. His most recent MLB experience came with the Pirates in 2022. However, his rookie season with the Marlins in 2021 is what the Braves are banking on.

The righty started 14 games in 2021 with Miami and earned a 3.24 ERA through 75 innings. He walked 28 batters and struck out 66. However, the Marlins traded him to the Pirates for catcher Jacob Stallings during the offseason.

He struggled in Pittsburgh, posting a 5.18 ERA through 122.1 innings (22 starts). His main issues were a drop in strikeout rate and an increase in home runs allowed. Thompson allowed just six homers in 2021, but that increased to 19 with the Pirates in 2022. This poor performance led to his designation for assignment at the start of 2023 and eventually his trade to the Blue Jays. He spent the 2023 season at the minor league level and is in a similar situation with the Braves. The Atlanta bullpen has some spots available, but he will likely spend most of this season at the minor league level.

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