One of the bigger surprises today across the entire league came from the Braves, who decided against picking up Travis d’Arnaud’s option for 2025, which was scheduled to pay him $8 million.
However, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves aren’t totally against bringing Travis d’Arnaud back on a similar deal; they just want to make sure they have the financial flexibility to address their more pertinent needs first.
The Braves are open to bringing Travis d'Arnaud back, but they aren't currently positioned to lock into paying him $8M for next season. There might be some financial room for him once the team fills other needs.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 4, 2024
In theory, this makes sense, but the Braves are playing a dangerous game by letting Travis d’Arnaud hit the open market. The list of free agent catchers this winter is extraordinarily underwhelming. Odds are high another competitive club with a need behind the plate will be very willing to offer the same $8 million deal the Braves just balked on, perhaps even higher. About the only hope the Braves really have of retaining him is if he’s open to taking a discount to stay with the organization.
But Alex Anthopoulos is well aware of that possibility, which tells us two things. First and foremost, he’s very confident in the progression of top prospect Drake Baldwin and believes he’ll be ready to contribute next season. It also signals that the Braves could be thinking of making a big splash this offseason.
The Braves have had one common goal since the season ended–shedding salary. It started with the trade of Jorge Soler. Then, they reworked the contracts of Aaron Bummer and Reynaldo Lopez, and now they’re parting ways with Travis d’Arnaud to save even more cash. That’s a lot of money the Braves are saving, and they don’t have a ton of glaring needs to fill. Given that payroll is expected to rise in Atlanta again in 2025 and beyond, it’s reasonable to expect the Braves to be in the market for at least one marquee name this offseason.
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Photo Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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