6 dream Braves free agent targets this offseason that would drive fans wild

It would be awesome to see the Braves really push their chips in for the 2024 season with these free agents.

Aug 28, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani
Aug 28, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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Josh Hader

Atlanta's starting rotation is going to get the bulk of the attention this offseason, but they could use another bullpen arm or two as well. The Braves did bring back Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez which helps the cause a lot. However, if we know anything about AA, it is that the man loves having a loaded bullpen and that is where Josh Hader comes in.

Aside from his bizarrely bad 2022, Hader has been one of the absolute best relievers in MLB for years now. He has a career 15 K/9 strikeout rate and 2.50 ERA and his 2023 season was even better than that as he posted a 1.28 ERA in 61 appearances this season in San Diego.

We have seen Anthopoulos pay real money for a reliever before as he signed Will Smith to a pretty expensive three year deal before the 2020 season. However, that investment didn't pay off quite as well as one would have hoped (although he was awesome in the postseason) and Hader's expected deal will likely dwarf Smith's contract with multiple years at $20 million plus being likely.

If the Braves were able to get a deal done for Hader, though, their bullpen would be absolutely stacked especially if Tyler Matzek can come back from injury and look like the guy he once was.

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