Relief pitcher A.J. Minter was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2015 MLB draft. In 2024, he will be entering his 8th season at the big league level with the Braves. He has consistently been the best left handed option out of the Atlanta bullpen since he was called up in 2017. It appears there is a possibility that could change at the end of this upcoming season.
Minter is currently on a his final year before hitting free agency, and making $6.2 million. It appears that A.J. Minter wants to stay with the Braves but is also aware that this could be something out of his control.
A.J. Minter said the Braves haven't inquired about an extension.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) February 14, 2024
"Obviously, I would love to stay in Atlanta. Who wouldn’t?" he said. "But yeah, that’s something that’s kind of out of my control at the moment."
From North Port: https://t.co/uXAFVwHuXK
The Braves have reconstructed their bullpen this offseason and now have more southpaw relief options than Brian Snitker is used to having. Tyler Matzek is back from injury and Aaron Bummer was acquired from the Chicago White Sox. One would imagine that Minter would be the best option for a contract extension given his younger age and proven performance. However, if Bummer and Matzek do what they are capable of, it could make Minter expendable.
We fully expect the Atlanta Braves to be chasing a World Series title in 2024. Alex Anthopoulos will be looking for ways to improve the team at the trade deadline to give them the edge heading into October. This very well could mean trading a high leverage lefty reliever for potentially another backend starter or position player depending on the team’s strengths and weaknesses at the time.
Over his 7 seasons with the Braves, Minter has appeared in 345 games where he has a 3.35 ERA to go along with 387 strikeouts in just 314.1 innings. If AA does not see Minter as a candidate for a contract extension, he has a great sales pitch to provide 29 other teams regarding Minter’s strikeout pitch arsenal.