Coming into the offseason, most of Braves Country had one thing in mind for the club’s plans this winter — replace Orlando Arica.
It’s fair. After being named an All-Star in 2023, setting career-highs across the board offensively, Arcia barely hit over the Mendoza Line this past season. He did mash 17 homers, tying his career-high from 2023, but he was dismal with runners in scoring position, and his .625 OPS is not good enough to start in any lineup, let alone one with World Series aspirations.
The obvious target for the Braves is Willy Adames, who is by far the best free agent shortstop in this year’s class, and the good news is that Atlanta is expected to make a push, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
“It would be surprising to see Adames move off shortstop, as he’s the clear-cut No. 1 free agent at the position this winter. Among the teams expected to make a push to sign him are the Dodgers, Braves, Red Sox and Giants, with most viewing Los Angeles as the odds-on favorite,” Feinsand writes.
The bad news? The other clubs expected to make the same push for the top free agent on the market. While the Braves can make a push for Adames all they want, they’ll be competing with the deepest pockets baseball has to offer. If the Dodgers want Willy Adames, they’ll probably get him.
There’s only one other bigger fish than LA, and that’s the Mets. Steve Cohen can literally buy anyone he wants, but New York already has a long-term shortstop in Francisco Lindor, right? Wrong. According to Mike Rodriguez, the Mets have a seven-year contract worth over $160 million on the table for Adames, who they want to come play third base.
Rodriguez also notes that Willy Adames has an offer on the table from the Dodgers. It’s not been reported, but it already feels like the Braves aren’t going to be pursuing him. A more realistic upgrade over Orlando Arica is Ha-Seong Kim, who is looking at a shorter-term free agent deal to rebuild his value.
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Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire
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