The Atlanta Braves returned from a historic 2023 season, but they fell short of their high expectations. Through a three-way tie with the Mets, the D-Backs, and themselves, Atlanta made it to the Wild Card round. The D-Backs were immediately eliminated when Atlanta and New York entered. After losing the series 0-2, the Braves would end the season after being kicked out by the Padres in the NLWC.
Star players like Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna Jr. had debilitating injuries during the season. Even though other injured stars like Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies returned for the Wild Card round, their two most dependable pitchers, Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, were hurt in the process.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is adopting a more economical strategy this offseason. In an attempt to remain in the third luxury tax category, he is slashing salaries, like he did when he traded Jorge Soler, and searching for deals rather than pursuing a top free agent. Anthopoulos has successfully traded for and signed diamonds in the rough throughout the years, including Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Joc Pederson, and the aforementioned Soler.
What prospects does he have to seize on the free agency market this offseason? Let’s examine.
The Atlanta Braves should sign…
3. Walker Buehler
There is already a lot of interest in the top players available on the free agent market this offseason. Despite his recent struggles, this overlooked elite arm has proven that he is still capable of throwing like the unstoppable hurler he was in the past.
Walker Buehler appears to be the Braves’ best chance if they are searching the field for another injured, talented arm, as they did with Chris Sale. Buehler has a very horrifying 4.75 ERA and has only tossed 140.1 innings since 2022, missing all of 2023. However, in 2021, prior to all of the ailments, Buehler pitched 207.2 innings with a career-low 2.47 ERA. Can the Braves turn him around? That is the question now.
First off, the Braves can definitely do it with Buehler if they can do it with Sale, whose last strong showing before 2024 was in 2018. The worst part is that they probably won’t have to. When Buehler allowed six earned runs in the second inning of the NLDS against the Padres in 2024, it was the worst start to his postseason career. But he only gave up a run in that inning during the previous postseason. He tossed 15 innings at the end of the postseason, blanking the Yankees and Mets while filling in as closer for the World Series finale.
One of the top postseason pitchers currently in the game, Buehler has a career 3.04 postseason ERA over 94.2 innings. He has pitched 19 World Series innings with an amazing 0.47 ERA. There are rumors that the Braves are already interested in him. Buehler is a good option if Anthopoulos is searching for a cheap pitcher with elite ace potential.
2. Michael Soroka
As a standout starter and eventual top-tier pitcher, Michael Soroka started his career with the Braves. However, Soroka was injured year after year after finishing second in the ROY competition and sixth in the Cy Young voting. Only 46 innings were thrown by Soroka between 2020 and 2023. For the entirety of 2021 and 2022, the one-year stud was absent. Aside from his injuries, Soroka’s performance was another cause to be cautious. Soroka threw 79.2 innings in 2024 with a 4.74 ERA. However, there is a positive aspect to this figure that merits consideration.
If Soroka comes to Atlanta as a reliever, Mitchell Barbee of House That Hank Built recently indicated that the Braves would benefit from a reunion. Barbee mentioned Soroka’s success from the bullpen in his thorough evaluation. This is what Barbee said:
“The former first-round draft pick started nine games with the White Sox after being traded by the Braves in the 2023–2024 offseason, with a 6.39 ERA and an even worse 6.76 FIP. He gave up 10 long balls and struck out as many batters as he walked. He posted a much more acceptable 2.75 ERA in 36 innings as a reliever, and although he continues to give up a lot of free passes (his BB% actually went up by 0.5%), his strikeout rate soared. As a starting pitcher, Soroka was only hitting out 12.4% of the batters he faced. He struck out 39% of batters in his role as a reliever.
The Braves will want a trustworthy bullpen arm this offseason as relievers AJ Minter, Luke Jackson, John Brebbia, and Jesse Chavez test the free agent market. Due to his injuries and subpar starting performance, Soroka won’t cost much. The Braves will have gotten away with yet another steal if he can maintain his valuable performance as a reliever. If he can be turned back into a good starter, they may have gotten away with much more.
1. Jurickson Profar
Jurickson Profar may be a bit more costly than Anthopoulos would have hoped given his previous performance, but it appears he cleared enough payroll names to make him affordable. If he can replicate the performance of 2024, Profar would be a good addition. Profar earned his first Silver Slugger award in 2024 after hitting a solid.280/.380/.459/.839 with 24 home runs, all career-highs for the 11-year MLB veteran (who missed 2014 due to injury).
With the return of the remaining injured players, the Braves will have an abundance of firepower the next season (if they can stay healthy). However, it would make sense to add one or two more good bats after being shut out in the postseason for three straight seasons. Their incapacity to hit and score runs has been their worst flaw all season. The Braves will benefit by strengthening left field, especially since the Kelenic/Duvall experiment didn’t work out so well.
Profar’s unreliable track record is the only significant worry. It would be difficult to accept his higher wage if the previous year had been an anomaly. However, Profar appears to be the Braves’ best option for the money, unless they can put together a compelling trade package.