The Braves have a lot of critical options they have to decide on this offseason, but three of them appear to be no-brainers. As MLB.com’s Mark Bowman is reporting the club plans to pick up the options of Marcell Ozuna, Travis d’Arnaud, and Aaron Bummer.
The Braves plan to exercise the options for Ozuna ($16M), Bummer ($7.25M) and d'Arnaud ($8M).
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 4, 2024
The Braves have a bit of a logjam when it comes to the designated hitter spot for a couple of reasons. Mainly because the future of Ronald Acuña Jr. is cloudy at best. He’s coming off his second ACL surgery, and whether or not he’ll be healthy enough to play in the outfield is unclear at this moment.
Jorge Soler is also better served as a designated hitter, even though he played right field for the Braves this season and is under contract for two more seasons. Ozuna’s option was always going to be picked up, but that still doesn’t mean both he and Soler will be on next year’s Opening Day roster.
Aaron Bummer also isn’t going anywhere, and for good reason. His 3.68 ERA on the season isn’t anything to write home about, Â but his 2.23 FIP suggests he was plagued by some really abysmal luck. Bummer also struck out 11.2 batters per nine innings, and his performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series is exactly why he’s sticking around for at least one more season.
The Braves will be bringing back Travis d’Arnaud as well to presumably platoon with Sean Murphy again behind the plate. Murphy had a season to forget after straining his oblique on Opening Day. d’Arnaud was better in every facet of the game once Murphy returned, and his presence in the clubhouse is also a huge plus.
A lot of people have suggested that d’Arnaud could potentially replace Brian Snitker as the manager when Snitker eventually decides to hang it up. It’s not that crazy of an idea, but that will have to wait at least one more year. Snitker has already made clear that his intention is to return next year, and d’Arnaud still has some left in the tank as a player.
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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