How Alex Anthopoulos can reload the Braves roster for the 2024 season

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The Atlanta Braves made a flurry of non-tender and trades that have opened up 10 vacancies (as of this writing) on the 40-man roster. They have to fill these spots this offseason so strap in for the ride. We take a look at what Alex Anthopoulos could be planning and how he might fill these roster spots.

Expect the Braves to sign some cheap, unsexy names this offseason

Lucas Williams, Nicky Lopez, and Braden Shewmake have all been non-tendered or traded off the roster. Nicky Lopez was projected to earn close to $4MM in arbitration, according to MLBTradeRumors.com. The Braves are looking for cheaper versions of the guys they let go. The Braves are in the market for utility players similar to Nicky Lopez but they want to pay them more like Ehire Adrianza ($1MM in 2023).

Which players are currently on Braves roster as utility infield options?

Vaughn Grissom is on the roster but there have been rumors he could be destined for leftfield. His bat has been stellar in Triple-A and looked great in his brief run in 2022 with the big-league team but his infield defense was just awful. Grissom was on pace for -53 defensive runs saved at SS. That's impressively bad.

Forrest Wall was mostly used as a pinch runner and outfield glove, but he does have some experience in the infield. However, he last played second base in 2017 for high-A Lancaster when he was 21 years old.

Go to the next slide to continue reading about how the Braves might plan to add to their bench, potentially replace Arcia, and where they could find a few big starting pitcher names.

A defense-first utility infielder is not a high priority for the Braves

Division Series - Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies - Game Four / Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/GettyImages

Braves starters typically play almost every game. Bench players are not a big part of the equation in Atlanta now that the NL has a DH. So, unless someone suffers an injury, the Braves don't need to invest a whole lot in a utility player who wouldn't be a real option to replace an injured player in the long term anyway.

Projection: Look for the Braves to sign a free-agent utility player with a track record of being a Major League caliber defender from the bottom of the discount bin. Players like Kevin Smith who has 779.1 career innings with 4 defensive runs saved over four positions (3B, SS, 1B, and LF) would represent the type of discounted utility player who would be essentially as effective as the guys they let go.

Smith is a league-minimum player and is pre-arbitration eligible. It's not sexy or splashy but it results in a net savings for essentially the same production from the bench. I'm not saying Kevin Smith is the guy, I'm saying I expect someone like Kevin Smith to be the guy.

Braves could be looking for an upgrade at shortstop

Orlando Arcia is a low-cost serviceable option at shortstop. He was solid with the glove posting -6 DRS but finishing in the 88th percentile in OAA. With the bat, he posted a 98 OPS+, which is the highest of his career. He's a decent value for the two million dollars the Braves will pay him in 2024, but AA has to be open to an upgrade should the opportunity present itself.

Braves are more likely to trade for a 4th starter instead of signing one.

San Diego Padres v Chicago White Sox / Quinn Harris/GettyImages

Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton round out the top three. Bryce Elder had a solid first half and a terrible second half. The Braves' lack of starting pitching depth left them with Bryce Elder starting a critical Game 3 of the NLDS in which he gave up six earned runs over 2.2 innings.

As you know, you can never have enough starting pitching so ideally, we'll see a few guys that could give Elder some spring competition. The losers will remain in reserves until the inevitable injuries begin to happen. AJ Smith-Shawver is also a candidate for the rotation (as things stand now).

Alex Anthopoulos doesn't overpay on long-term deals. Signing a big-name free agent means overpaying and over-committing. Trading allows AA to shop the thrift stores for low-priced gems, rather than paying full retail price on the open market.

Just to name a few starting pitchers on the trade block this offseason

There are plenty of quality pitchers that would fit very nicely into the Braves rotation that are rumored to be on the block. Guys like former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes are rumored to be available. Milwaukee is taking offers on most of their roster.

Burnes has a projected salary of just $15.1MM in 2024, which is a steal for a pitcher of his quality. Shane Bieber is on the block. Like Burnes, he is entering the final year of team control and should only run around $12MM in 2024.

Tyler Glasnow has been mentioned in the same breath as the Braves multiple times this offseason. However, Glasnow is in line for $25MM next season and the Rays are going to need him if they want to compete. Dylan Cease finished second in Cy Young voting in 2022 which makes his 4.58 ERA from last season a little easier to swallow.

Cease is projected to earn a little less than $9MM in arbitration in 2024. The White Sox are willing to deal this offseason as they attempt to rebuild. The Braves have already worked with them on the deal that sent them Soroka and four others for Aaron Bummer.

The point of this article is not to run through all of the potential pitchers that will be made available via trade this offseason but to point out that the Braves are more likely to target talent that way than to overpay a big name for too many years. It's not the way Alex Anthopoulos does business.

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