Despite the exciting news last night of Sean Murphy inking an extension with the team, the Braves have been one of the quieter teams this offseason. They did make the trade to acquire Murphy with the Athletics, but they’ve spent less than $3 million on free agents thus far, and while the team doesn’t have many glaring needs, shortstop and left field could have been upgraded in some capacity.
It looks like the Braves were operating with one hand tied behind their back this offseason due to payroll restraints. They are already a luxury tax team for the first time, entering 2023 with the highest Opening Day payroll in franchise history. I’m still hoping for some form of upgrade to left field, but Braves fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
Alex Anthopoulos commented on the potential of any remaining offseason moves, saying the Braves “continue to explore things” and that he “wouldn’t anticipate anything big.”
Alex Anthopoulos said #Braves "continue to explore things as long as guys are out there" (via FA, trades, DFA, etc). "I wouldn't anticipate anything big, but we'll continue to keep the lines of communication open, and there's still a lot of time before we get started in camp."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) December 28, 2022
As I wrote a few days ago, there are still a couple of free agents that could pique the Braves’ interest. For the most part, the pitching staff is set to be one of the best in the majors once again, and it looks as if they are confident in what they have in Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia at shortstop.
The one place I keep looking at is left field. The best names and even second-tier guys are off the market, but if someone like Adam Duvall is healthy and willing to take a small one-year deal, I’m not sure why the Braves wouldn’t be in on that. They have a relationship, he’s a quality clubhouse guy, and has the potential to hit 30+ homers and provide Gold Glove caliber defense. That’s probably the only move I would watch out for the remainder of the offseason from Alex Anthopoulos.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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