4 free agents the Braves need to try to sign this offseason, 2 they need to avoid
The upcoming offseason is going to be very important for the Atlanta Braves and it looks like they have some good options available to them.
The Atlanta Braves still have a lot of work left to do for the 2023 season. While the Braves have long since clinched a playoff spot and already locked up the NL East race two weeks ago, they still haven't quite locked up home field advantage in the postseason and then there is the actual playoffs to sort out and see if Atlanta can make another deep October run.
However, this is also the time of the year to look ahead to the offseason a bit and see who on the free agent market could help the Braves and whether or not the team is likely to target them. Even if the Braves exercise Charlie Morton's 2024 option despite Morton's finger injury, they should still have some money to play with if they choose to.
Here are 4 free agents the Braves need to try and sign and 2 they need to avoid
Right now, the easiest positions to consider this offseason for the Braves are starting pitcher and potentially left field. Alex Anthopoulos is all but a mortal lock to add a reliever or two as well, but that is a huge pool of free agent options that will deserve its own article at a later date. While this free agent class isn't overly exciting outside of the fate of Shohei Ohtani, there are still a lot of options that could be very interesting for Atlanta especially if they are more aggressive than we have seen the last couple of years.
Let's take a look at some free agents the Braves need to consider this offseason and a couple they need to avoid.
The Braves need to avoid Michael Brantley
On the surface, Michael Brantley seems like the kind of guy the Braves would target. Brantley is likely to command a short-term deal, has a track record of production, and is the sort of reclamation project that the Braves seem to like trying to take on. It wasn't that long ago that Brantley was one of the better all-around hitters in baseball and that is certainly something to dream on.
However, the reality is that Brantley cannot stay healthy and even when he was playing this year, he wasn't particularly good with a .701 OPS in 44 plate appearances this season. Being a lefty bat is also a little problematic as the Braves already have Eddie Rosario available to them on a pretty cheap $9 million club option for next year. Brantley could end up being both good and healthy next season, but the Braves' shouldn't bet on that happening.
Bringing back Jorge Soler isn't the worst idea
Everyone loves a reunion with a fan favorite and the Braves could do a lot worse than bringing back Jorge Soler. Soler has been pretty much the same guy with the Marlins that he was with the Braves as he has 36 homers this season for Miami. Is he a perfect hitter? Absolutely not, but he is still a very dangerous hitter especially when he is on one of his tears.
There are a couple issues with this plan, though. One, he has to opt out of $9 million from the Marlins in order to hit free agency which means he is going to want real money. Given that he is somewhat one-dimensional and the Braves will likely also be trying to give playing time to Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario next season, Soler may not be the best fit. However, if the Braves' goal is to just assemble the best roster possible and figure out playing time later, Soler should be on their radar assuming Jorge isn't too unreasonable with his contract demands.
The Braves should make a play for Sonny Gray
At the top of most fans' wish list for this offseason is for the Braves to address their starting pitching. Sure, the Braves have several young pitchers that could push for opportunities in 2024, Atlanta needs some certainty in their rotation and one option that could be exciting is if the Braves decide to make a push for Sonny Gray.
For starters, Gray has been awesome for a few years now and is among the favorites to win the Cy Young in the American League in 2023 with a 2.80 ERA in 180 innings this season. He also has shown a willingness to take shorter term deals which is right up the Braves' alley. However, the biggest problem may be that Gray has flirted with idea of retiring soon despite being just 33, although the chance to play for a World Series frontrunner might make him feel better about playing a bit longer.
A reunion with Adam Duvall makes a certain amount of sense
Not much has changed with Adam Duvall since he signed with the Red Sox for the 2023 season. He continues to have stretches where he looks like Babe Ruth and others where he just makes everyone mad. Duvall has also struggled to stay healthy this season with just 87 games played this year.
However, Duvall is yet again a strong fit for the Braves' potential need for an outfielder. Having a guy that they can platoon with Eddie Rosario who is a strong defender and has significant power, but may also have to have his playing time regulated a bit is almost a perfect scenario. The downside here is that if the Braves exercise Rosario's option, Duvall may want to go somewhere where he can play every day. Given Duvall's injury history, the Braves may not want to give him that much playing time so it will just come down to what Adam is willing for his role in the future to be.
Lucas Giolito is not a good fit for the Braves
At the trade deadline, one of the top names that Braves fans hoped AA would target and one of the top pitchers available period was Lucas Giolito. This made a ton of sense as he was a pending free agent so the risk was low and the guy had been a lock for around a 3.50 ERA while missing a bunch of bats for the last three seasons.
Fortunately for the Braves, they didn't make a move for Giolito as he ended up with the Angels. Since the trade, he has posted an ERA north of 6 and found another team in the Guardians. Giolito won't be this bad going forward, but there are enough questions about his performance combined with how expensive he could end up being that Atlanta needs to look at other starting pitching options.
The Braves need to make signing Jordan Montgomery a priority
When it comes to starting pitching, the market isn't particularly exciting. Sure, Shohei Ohtani is a free agent, but he isn't going to be pitching until 2025 and no one knows what he will look like after going under the knife again. However, one name that stands out as a steady contributor that puts up results year in and year out is Jordan Montgomery.
Over the last three seasons, Montgomery has averaged a 3.51 ERA while striking close to a batter an inning and walking just 2.3 batters per nine innings pitched. Is his stuff the sexiest? No, but his command allows him to get the best out of what he has and allowed Jordan to become one of the most consistent pitchers in the league. He probably won't come cheap, but fortunately he isn't a Boras client and he would be a worthy investment for the Braves to make.
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