The Atlanta Braves have done a lot of roster housekeeping this year. Some of those moves including trading Jorge Soler and declining Travis d'Arnaud's option were big news for Braves, while other moves such as the gaggle of roster cuts ahead of the non-tender deadline sort of flew under the radar.
Non-tenders are a funny thing as they don't necessarily mean a team doesn't like a player at all. All it means is that the Braves do not want to guarantee their contract for the next season. Sure, that often means that said player isn't in a team's plans and that player is free to seek employment elsewhere. However, it isn't all that rare for the sides to reunite on non-guaranteed deals once it becomes apparent that big league roster opportunities aren't available for them.
That appears to be what happened here as the Braves' transaction log shows that two pitchers that Atlanta DFA'd before last week's non-tender deadline, Ray Kerr and Royber Salinas, have re-signed with the Braves on minor league deals.
NEWS: The Atlanta #Braves have signed Ray Kerr and Royber Salinas to minor league deals.
— Lindsay Crosby, big baseball guy (@CrosbyBaseball) November 27, 2024
Both were non-tendered last week, with Kerr set to miss most of 2025 after Tommy John last summer and Salinas having just been claimed off of waivers from Oakland on 11/1 pic.twitter.com/rpbAru8cFV
Braves bring back both Ray Kerr and Royber Salinas after being non-tendered last week
Atlanta's strategy with how they are managing their 40-man roster this offseason is now in full view. Non-tendering Kerr was a little puzzling at the time as he is a pretty intriguing arm, but other teams weren't going to offer him a deal while he is out after Tommy John surgery earlier this year. This way, the Braves get to keep Kerr around and monitor his rehab without having to use a roster spot.
Salinas is a slightly different case, but shares some similarities in terms of demand for his services. Atlanta is familiar with Salinas from his days in the Braves' minor league system as a prospect of note and had only just re-acquired him on a waiver claim earlier this offseason. The Braves knew that Salinas was likely not find a big league opportunity with a bum shoulder, so they took the opportunity to get him off the 40-man until they feel like he is ready to contribute.
While Kerr is likely to miss the entirety of the 2025 season while he recovers and Salinas at best is a depth option at the moment, this is the sort of roster maneuvering the deep organizations do to maintain that depth without compromising decisions in the majors. Atlanta deserves some kudos for identifying players that they knew they could probably keep and taking the chance to clear some roster space and payroll.