Braves non-tender nearly half a dozen players in latest roster and payroll purge
The non-tender list ended up being a lengthy one for the Braves.
The Atlanta Braves waited well past the 8 p.m. EST deadline, but the team finally announced their decision to non-tender five total players. The list features a few non-surprises and a couple of unexpected departures as well.
Veteran outfielder and key 2024 contributor Ramon Laureano headlines the group of non-tendered players who will now seek a Major League contract in free agency.
The #Braves today declined to tender contracts for the 2025 season to RHP Griffin Canning, LHP Ray Kerr, RHP Royber Salinas, RHP Huascar Ynoa and OF Ramón Laureano.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 23, 2024
Braves 5 non-tenders at deadline include Ramon Laureano
Atlanta picked Laureano up off the couch last summer, and he went on to be a helpful everyday outfield option for a struggling Braves offense in 2024. His .259/.311/.437 slash line made him a guy worth keeping around, but his arb projection of $6 million was too steep for a guy you really don't want to commit to as more than you're fourth outfielder.
With Kelenic set to make substantially less is arbitration and possessing the ability to play each outfield spot, non-tendering Laureano became more and more clear as the offseason continued.
The secondary headline player from this group is the recently acquired Griffin Canning, who came over from the Angels in the Jorge Soler trade. With Canning set to make around $5 million in arbitration the Braves decided to open up a roster spot. For those asking, "why trade for him in the first place?"
Anthopoulos was simply hoping he could trade Canning for anything of value before the deadline. In the end he didn't find a willing partner, so the Soler trade ends up a straightforward salary dump.
Three more pitchers round out the group of non-tenders for Atlanta: Ray Kerr, Huascar Ynoa, and Royber Salinas. Kerr comes a bit of a surprise as he was not arb-eligible this offseason. However, given his spotty outings last season and his elbow troubles the Braves decided to open up another roster spot in the meantime.
For now, Alex Anthopoulos is going to aim higher in terms of talent as he monitors the free agent and trade market this winter.
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