MLB rumors: Braves' free agency priorities come into focus
Today at 02:45 PM
Atlanta Braves President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos doesn’t have to say it outright; the evidence speaks for itself. The Braves are looking to cut costs headed in to 2025.
Look no further than Atlanta’s decision not to offer Ramon Laureano a one-year deal in arbitration. With MLB Trade Rumors projecting Laureano to be worth around $6 million for 2025, bringing him back would have hardly been a major expense. In fact, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal pointed out, the Braves of the past may have even been willing to overpay to retain him.
There’s a reason they didn’t.
“The team faces a considerable amount of uncertainty, from left-hander Max Fried and righty Charlie Morton possibly departing to righty Spencer Strider and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. starting the season on the injured list to setup man Joe Jiménez potentially missing the entire year,” Rosenthal wrote. “President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is trying to save wherever he can.”
There’s plenty more evidence. Rosenthal points to the team restructuring Reynaldo López's and Aaron Bummer's contracts to save more than $4 million as well as declining Travis d’Arnaud’s $8 million option for next year. Atlanta also non-tendered Griffin Canning, the pitcher they received in exchange for Jorge Soler — another salary-saving move.
The Jorge Soler trade and other moves give the Braves flexibility
By trading Soler, the Braves offloaded the two years and $26 million remaining on the outfielder’s contract. They also got rid of someone they know to be a productive hitter. Between his time with the San Francisco Giants and Braves in 2024, Soler hit 21 home runs with a 121 OPS+. He was also World Series MVP with the Braves in 2021, and by non-tendering Canning, Atlanta got essentially nothing for him.
Rosenthal pointed out that the Braves may be trying to stay under the luxury tax, which they were unable to do the last two years. The 2025 threshold will be $241 million and Atlanta currently has $217 million committed for next year. That gives the Braves some room to play with as they try to field a competitive team that will start next season at a disadvantage with Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr beginning the year on the injured list.
Atlanta can also decide to try and bring back starters Fried and Morton, though Fried especially will command a hefty price tag.
The Braves won 89 games in 2024, finishing second in the NL East. The expectations are always high in Atlanta and if the Braves want to build on last year, it will be a tough needle for Anthopoulos to thread.
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