One constant that the Atlanta Braves have maintained under Alex Anthopoulos is that they always at least try to build a very strong bullpen. Going back to 2019, this Braves front office has a lengthy track record of going after both high end bullpen arms as well as quality depth from the somewhat surprising trades for Shane Greene and Mark Melancon to the questionable signing of Will Smith (at least at the time) that eventually helped them get over the top in 2021.
The 2024 Braves are no different. The last minute deadline deal that brought Raisel Iglesias to Atlanta continues to pay dividends for the Braves even though it came with some current payroll problems. Pierce Johnson, Joe Jimenez, Jesse Chavez (a few times), and Aaron Bummer have all come from outside the organization as a result of the Braves aggressiveness in creating a strong, deep core of relievers.
That philosophy is going to be put to the test this offseason as the Braves are going to have to potentially significantly overhaul their bullpen given the number of potential departures.
The Braves 2025 bullpen looks very uncertain ahead of the offseason
There a few things we know for certain. Unless Atlanta finds themselves in desperate need of payroll space, Raisel Iglesias is going to be closing games next season for the Braves. Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez are two of their higher leverage guys and they, too, are under contract for a reasonable rate through at least next season. After that, the picture gets a lot murkier.
Raisel Iglesias, 2Ks in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/xk16aAGQxk
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 5, 2024
For starters, we have the guys that have club options for next year. As much as fans love what he used to be, Luke Jackson has looked rough upon his return to the Braves and he almost certainly will have his $7 million option declined. Aaron Bummer has been better than fans think and gives Atlanta a quality lefty in the bullpen, but it sure doesn't feel like Snitker trusts him very much and his $7.25 option for 2025 is not a sure thing.
Then we have the impending free agent relievers for the Braves. Below are all of the bullpen arms that are set to hit the open market for Atlanta this offseason.
- AJ Minter
- Jesse Chavez
- John Brebbia
While the length of that list isn't the problem, a couple of those names are guys that the Braves have relied extremely heavily upon. The Braves probably would have loved to bring Minter back this offseason, but his hip surgery has thrown his status up in the air and one wonders what he will look like upon his return. Jesse Chavez had a tremendous first half, but he has finally shown his age in the second half and he previous indicated that he would retire after 2024.
Even if the Braves' exercise Bummer's option, that likely leaves them down four bullpen arms heading into the offseason with a particular lack of lefties. With shortstop an open question for the Braves given how much Orlando Arcia has struggled and Charlie Morton's time potentially coming to an end with the Braves, Atlanta finds themselves in the rare position of needing to potentially fill multiple roster spots with steadily decreasing payroll to do so. Looks like Anthopoulos is going to have to work his magic again.