3 big moves the Braves could be planning after their flurry of trades
The Brave sure seem like they are gearing up some massive changes going into 2024.
The Atlanta Braves certainly shook things up over the last couple days and that is putting it mildly. After trading away a gaggle of players that weren't in their future to the White Sox, the Braves took things further on Friday when they not only traded Kyle Wright away to the Royals for Jackson Kowar, but they let go seven players at the non-tender deadline and also traded Nick Anderson for cash.
For those counting at home, that means that Atlanta now has a whopping 10 spots open on their 40 man roster which is quite the difference given that they had a roster crunch just 48 hours ago. The real questions right now are why did the Braves do such a drastic roster purge and what are they planning for the rest of the offseason?
Here are some potential big moves that the Braves could be planning this offseason
For all the roster movement, the Braves haven't actually saved all that much money. Reliever Aaron Bummer, the return in the deal with Chicago, is going to be making $5.5 million next season which eats up some of the financial savings from that move and most of the rest of the guys that got non-tendered or traded just weren't set to make a lot of money. These moves were (mostly) about the roster spots and while it could be as simple as the Braves feel like they have better internal options to fill those spots and some of these guys could return to the organization on minor league deals, it certainly feels like they have big plans for the rest of the offseason.
Let's take a look at what the Braves could be planning for the rest of the offseason.
The Braves could make a big splash in the Rule 5 Draft
Clearing a bunch of room on the 40 man roster could very well mean that the Braves are planning to be very active in this year's Rule 5 Draft. While that isn't the sexiest option on the table, a team has to have open spots on the 40 man roster to make picks in the major league portion of the Rule 5 and Atlanta has plenty of room now.
The Rule 5 Draft is a somewhat arcane process. Basically, it is a way to prevent teams from indefinitely stockpiling prospects in their minor league systems by making minor leaguers who have been around for 4-5 years who are not on 40 man rosters available to be picked by other teams. There is a bit more to it than that, but that is the general gist.
This year's Rule 5 class is somewhat interesting as guys like pitchers Tanner Burns, Shane Drohan, and CJ Van Eyk along with position players Grant McCray, Troy Johnston, and Blaine Crim are among those that are going to be available. For teams that need to fill out 40 man spots on the cheap, the Rule 5 can be a great way to go about it.
However, this explanation doesn't make the most sense upon a closer look. The Braves are almost certainly going to make a couple picks in the Rule 5 now that they have so much roster space, but this particular group of Rule 5 eligible players isn't THAT deep and the Braves are going to be picking near the bottom which makes relying on getting impact players a very dicey proposition. On top of that, most of the guys that get picked in the Rule 5 are bullpen arms which is one area of the roster that looks pretty settled at the moment.
Atlanta may be planning for a big trade return
One explanation for making all of this roster space is that the Braves recognize that they need an influx of new blood on the 40 man roster and they aren't wrong about that. The 40 man had a lot of guys like Shewmake, Shuster, and Tromp that weren't in their long term plans and another group of guys like Allard, Chirinos, and Tonkin who were on the fringes to begin with. Michael Soroka is in his own tragic group given his injuries and lack of minor league options, but you get the idea.
With the Braves big league roster in mostly a good spot, Atlanta may have just decided that the depth they had on 40 man roster was just not sufficient going into 2024. While their measures to change that may look extreme because, well, they are, the vast majority of the guys that were culled weren't likely to move the needle much anyways.
However, another explanation for all of the moves is that the Braves are planning for a big influx of players beyond promotions from the minors or minor free agent signings. That means a big trade or trades could be in the works and that would really spice up the offseason.
The obvious name is Vaughn Grissom who the Braves have been selling pretty hard as an option for them in left field in 2024 despite the fact that he has never played the position in a game before. Were Grissom to be traded to a team that needs a middle infielder, he could feasibly fetch a multi-player return that would require some roster room. However, the more apocalyptic option would be trading Max Fried who is entering his final year under contract with the Braves. Trading Fried seems unlikely given the state of the Braves' rotation and Atlanta's competitive window, but he would absolutely command a large package on the trade market and moving him isn't THAT crazy if the Braves don't feel like they can sign him to an extension.
A big signing coming explains some of the need to purge the roster
In all honesty, the best explanation for the Braves roster moves is that there are a combination of factors in play. They would probably like to have the room to take a lot of chances on minor free agent signings and Rule 5 picks while also giving them the flexibility to make a trade for multiple players without having to make 40 man roster moves later.
However, one downstream benefit of all of these moves is that it does save them SOME money for 2024 and that could make their pursuit of a high-end starter more likely. Sure, Bummer is taking some of the savings, but Soroka, Wright, and Nicky Lopez alone were set to make roughly $8.3 million next season and all of the other guys do add up to some decent payroll savings overall which could make a bigger contract less painful in terms of the luxury tax next season.
So who could the Braves be looking to sign? Well, Sonny Gray is probably the early favorite right now as he fits the mold of a pitcher the Braves would like. He probably won't require a lengthy contract in terms of years and he just finished second in the AL Cy Young. Aaron Nola has been mentioned as being on the Braves' radar as well and it would be nice to steal him away from the division rival Phillies. However, he does have some issues with the long ball which is a little spooky. If the Braves want to avoid signing a guy that costs them draft picks, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the sexiest option, but that seems extremely unlikely on a number of fronts.
The Braves clearly have big, big plans for this offseason. Now, all fans can do is wait and see what they have in store.
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