Atlanta Braves 2024 season preview: A.J. Minter's potential swan song with Atlanta

A.J. Minter is entering his 8th season with the Atlanta Braves. The 30-year-old southpaw is under contract for the 2024 season and earns $6.22 million. Once this contract expires, Minter could potentially be looking for a new home in the offseason.

Minter has a career 19-25 record to go along with a 3.35 ERA in 314.1 innings of work. Over the past seven seasons, Brian Snitker has turned to A.J. Minter more than any other reliever on his roster because of his consistency.

During the Braves’ historic 2023 season, Minter went 3-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched. While his 2024 projections seem very similar, his reality could look very different.

Among all of the different moves Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves have made this offseason, two more lefties will be added to the bullpen. Aaron Bummer (acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox) and Tyler Matzek (returning from surgery) will give Brian Snitker more left-handed reliever options.

According to FanGraphs ZiPS projections, Minter is expected to go 5-3 with 3 saves and post a 3.55 ERA while carrying a 10.92 K/9 in 64 innings. These numbers seem very reasonable. However, with Bummer and Matzek in the bullpen as well, Minter could experience a drop in innings of work but an increase in productivity. Minter is also carrying a little more weight this upcoming season as he is looking to showcase what he is worth not only to the Braves but also to the other 29 MLB teams.

Bummer and Matzek both have experience with high-leverage situations, so they can be trusted in all of the scenarios in which Minter felt like the only option at times during the last seven seasons. Taking all of this into consideration, don’t be surprised if Minter gets fewer than 64 innings of work but posts a 3.00 ERA or even under.

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