As we approach the start of the regular season, the Atlanta Braves have been pretty busy. Atlanta has not only bolstered their bullpen depth with the additions of Hector Neris and Craig Kimbrel, but they also pulled off the rather surprising signing of Alex Verdugo on Thursday.
The bullpen signings made loads of sense. With Joe Jimenez out with a knee injury for a while and AJ Minter leaving in free agency, the Braves needed more bullpen depth. Neither Neris nor Kimbrel are sure things, but both have significant upside in relief roles and Atlanta won't "need" to rely upon them in the highest leverage situations.
That said, the Verdugo signing remains a little weird especially since he was immediately sent to the minors. He is coming cheap enough where it isn't a major issue one way or the other, but the Braves already have the platoon of Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz filling in for the short-term and Ronald Acuna Jr. will be returning sometime in May. However, the Braves could be playing the long game here and that could pay massive dividends when the trade deadline rolls around this season.
"This gives him a chance to go to a winning team, a winning culture... re-establish his value."#MLBTonight reacts to Alex Verdugo reportedly signing with the Braves. pic.twitter.com/hOBweQMuY5
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 20, 2025
Braves signing Alex Verdugo feels like a combination of outfield insurance and asset hoarding
Heading into the 2025 season, it is very clear that Kelenic is running out of chances. There isn't an everyday place for him in the Braves' outfield once Acuna Jr. is healthy after the team went out and added Jurickson Profar. While he started off this spring well, his OPS down at camp has dipped to .733 and he is only hitting .211 following a pretty rough 2024 campaign.
Verdugo is not a perfect player by any stretch of the imagination, but he could fill a similar role as a lefty outfield bat with some upside as Kelenic does. If Kelenic plays well, then the Braves can just keep Verdugo in the minors for a rainy day. If Kelenic struggles and Verdugo is hitting down in the minors, Atlanta can slot Verdugo in.
As for what will happen to the "loser" of this battle, the Braves could be planning a bit to have some depth to play with at the trade deadline here. In an ideal world, both players play well and would be attractive to offense-hungry teams at the deadline with Verdugo being cheap and not coming with a long-term financial commitment and Kelenic being relatively cheap and coming with team control through 2028 as well as potentially a minor league option left. Bats are often in short supply at the trade deadline and Atlanta could be in a position to swing a deal to address other areas of the roster by having an extra bat or two.
Of course, there are other reasons to sign Verdugo. As we saw last season, having roster depth pretty much everywhere is important especially with Acuna Jr.'s health still a question mark and injuries popping up unexpectedly. Verdugo isn't likely to be able to complete replace a lineup regular if they were to go down, but he almost certainly be better than the typical quad-A or bargain bin options. However things play out, Atlanta adding Verdugo feels more and more savvy the more one looks at it.