Atlanta Braves: 2 Potential Free Agent Upgrades Over Eddie Rosario in 2024

This offseason the Atlanta Braves and Alex Anthopoulos will have a few decisions to make that will impact the everyday lineup. Since most of the core is locked up to long-term deals, there won't be too many big decisions. Acuna, Albies, Olson, Murphy, Riley, and Harris II are all locked up to long-term deals. Even Orlando Arcia has two years on his contract after the 2023 season.

One place our eye is drawn to is leftfield. Eddie Rosario has a $9 million club option that will likely be exercised. $9,000,0000 for a player like Rosario is a good deal. However, if AA decides he wants to attempt to upgrade in LF, there will be a few big names on the free-agent market.

Eddie has brought a lot of positives to the Braves. He has the clutch gene, he won the 2021 NLCS MVP by smashing three homers in the six-game set and posting a 1.647 OPS. He has slugged the ball well this season. He currently has 20 homers and 20 doubles with a .489 SLG. During his entire tenure with the Braves, Rosario's slugging percentage is .444.

His OBP as a Braves is under-.300 at .296.

While his defense can get ridiculed for a few memorably bad plays, he has zero defensive runs saved in left this year, which is exactly league-average. He also ranks in the 70th percentile in outs above average, which measures his ability to get to balls compared to other outfielders.

We love Eddie, but there are some intriguing free agents out there who will get on base way better than a .296 clip that could be in the same price range. Let's take a look.

1. Atlanta Braves FA Replacement for Rosario: Jorge Soler

Jorge Soler came to the Braves in the 2021 deadline as a part of the group of acquisitions that led the Braves to the World Series. He and Eddie Rosario were both a part of that ride, what a ride it was. Rosario captured the NLCS MVP and Soler took the World Series MVP.

Soler is working on a $15 million player option that he exercised this past offseason. Heading into 2024 his option is only worth $9 million. Considering the season he is having, it's unlikely that he will exercise that option. Soler will cost more than Rosario's $9,000,000 club option, but would he be worth it?

Soler has mostly played as a DH this year but he's no stranger to the outfield. Even when he was with the Royals in the AL and DH was an option, he spent the majority of his time playing the field. Granted, his defense will be a downgrade from Rosario's but will the bat be enough to make up for it?

In 2022, back issues limited Soler to just 72 games and affected his production when he played. This season, he has bounced back in a big way. Soler is slashing .238/.327/.503 for the year with 33 home runs and 20 doubles. He has 56 walks through 121 games, which is more than 25% of the walks Rosario has accumulated throughout his nine-year career.

As much as we love Rosario, this lineup would look even more terrifying with Soler inserted into it. The question is, how big is the hit on defense and is it worth it? Let us know on social media what you think. Should the Braves pick up the $9 million option on Rosario or go for one of these free agents? Is there another player you'd rather the Braves sign?

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