The Atlanta Braves couldn't have expected Tyler Mahle to be one of the best trade deadline acquisitions when they made a deal with the Giants. However, he ended up being one of the best starters in baseball after making the move to Atlanta.
Mahle had one poor start at the end of September, but outside of that anomaly, he was virtually unhittable in a Braves uniform. Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the rest of Atlanta's staff immediately had Mahle use his splitter more often. That's all it seemed to take for the right-hander to find success again.
When the dust settled, Mahle ended his Braves stint with a 1.99 ERA, nine walks, and 48 strikeouts over 54.1 innings (nine starts). It's an absolutely incredible turnaround, considering he had a 5.13 ERA over 94.2 innings (18 starts) with the Giants.
Mahle shone in the postseason as well, with a 1.35 ERA, two walks, and 10 strikeouts over 13.1 innings. It was his first taste of the playoffs, and it didn't seem like it. He remained poised in every situation, and that's what you need out of a starter in the postseason. His incredible showing for the Braves has rightfully left fans clamoring for his return next season. He proved he can still pitch well in the big leagues, and Atlanta needs a starter or two.
A reunion between Tyler Mahle and the Braves is a no-brainer, but he will be a hot commodity after his second-half resurgence
The problem is that his success will have other teams looking to add him as well. However, he should be rather affordable for the Braves, and it seems Mahle would like to remain with the organization as well. All signs point to a reunion for 2027 and beyond.
That leads to a conversation about what the price tag would be to retain his services. It shouldn't be too hard for the Braves, and a deal similar to the one Nathan Eovaldi agreed to with the Rangers might be appropriate. Eovaldi's deal is a three-year, $75 million contract, which comes out to a $25 million average annual value (AAV). It's not cheap by any means, but a pitcher who has a similar build and repertoire to Mahle.
Mahle made only about $8 million in 2026, so seeing him jump to $25 million would be a bit shocking. However, he deserves a raise after how well he pitched for the Braves. A two-year, $40 million contract with an option for a third year seems perfectly reasonable.
A little under the $25 million AAV, but still a sizeable raise for the right-hander. The option for a third year would likely be a club option. That's common for the Braves to do. It's rare that they hand out multi-year deals for starting pitchers, but now is the time to break that. A two-year deal should be a low enough risk for them to pounce on.
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