Alex Anthopoulos has been remarkably steady throughout his tenure with the Atlanta Braves, with few offseasons that could be considered definitively underwhelming. However, just a couple years ago, Atlanta experienced perhaps the most unusual offseason of the Anthopoulos era—marked by minimal roster movement and a handful of decisions that didn't draw the usual support his moves often do.
On Monday night, one of Anthopoulos’ more puzzling decisions from the 2024 offseason resurfaced in costly fashion, contributing to one of Atlanta’s most lopsided defeats of the 2026 campaign to date. The move in question often flies under the radar: the decision to guarantee Aaron Bummer’s contract through the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Bummer showed signs of regression in 2025, and his rough outing against Miami on Monday only intensified concerns that his effectiveness may be waning as his Major League career progresses. After the Braves had rallied to tie the game at three, Bummer promptly surrendered the lead and allowed three runs in the appearance, further underscoring his early season struggles. Unless meaningful adjustments are made, his underlying metrics offer little reason for optimism moving forward.
Bummer was a lot more interesting to me back when he was throwing 94
— Stephen (@b_outliers) April 14, 2026
I have much less interest in 89-90 mph Bummer
Aaron Bummer's reworked contract beginning to look like a misstep from Alex Anthopoulos
Relievers can fall from grace quickly, which makes Anthopoulos’ decision all the more curious. Given his typical reluctance to commit to multi-year deals for pitchers, the choice to rework Bummer’s contract in November 2024 stands out as an unusual departure from precedent.
Entering that offseason, the Braves already held control over Bummer through club options for both 2025 and 2026, each valued at just over $7 million. However, the November restructuring removed any uncertainty, effectively cementing Bummer’s future in Atlanta.
The structure of Atlanta’s reworked deal with Bummer suggests a strong emphasis on managing the 2025 payroll. The club guaranteed him just $3.5 million for that season, while deferring the remaining $9.5 million to 2026. That approach becomes even more telling when considering that the Braves’ only notable financial commitment that offseason was the addition of the now supremely disliked Jurickson Profar.
Had Bummer’s deal remained intact, his original $7.5 million club option likely would have been declined—similar to the decisions Anthopoulos made with Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley. Unfortunately, the Braves are now left hoping Bummer can rediscover his form and provide at least serviceable production in 2026.
Early indicators suggest it could be an uphill battle for Bummer. The veteran left-hander’s fastball velocity has declined in each of the past two seasons (down to 90.4 mph on average this year), and even more concerning is the sharp drop in both his groundball and strikeout rates.
In 2024, Bummer posted an elite 61.3% ground-ball rate along with a 28.3% strikeout rate. Those numbers have since fallen off significantly, with his ground-ball rate dipping to 45.5% and his strikeout rate plummeting to an alarming 16.7%.
Taken together, the Braves’ decision to guarantee Bummer’s contract now looks like a rare misstep in an otherwise disciplined approach under Anthopoulos. What once appeared to be a modest, payroll-conscious move has instead created a situation where Atlanta is financially committed to a reliever showing clear signs of decline. Unless Bummer can make meaningful adjustments and reverse his downward trend, the Braves may find themselves carrying both diminished performance and sunk cost in 2026.
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