Needs can change at the drop of a hat throughout the offseason, and that’s exactly what’s happened for the Braves over the last 24 hours. Following the decision not to pick up Travis d’Arnaud’s option, adding another catcher as insurance in case top prospect Drake Baldwin isn’t quite ready for the majors feels necessary. But even more so, relief help rocketed up the list of top priorities with the news that Joe Jiménez will miss the next 8-12 months after undergoing knee surgery.
Both must now be addressed over the next several months, so it’s time to continue my series of free agent targets at positions of need for the Braves. This will cover relief arms, with a group of catchers that could potentially replace Travis d’Arnaud up next.
If you missed any of the previous pieces to this series, follow the links below.
- Potential Braves Free Agent Targets: Right Field
- Braves Free Agent Targets: Shortstops
- Braves Free Agent Targets: Left Field
- Braves Free Agent Targets: Starting Pitchers
Braves Free Agent Targets: Bullpen
Tanner Scott
Jeff Hoffman
David Robertson
Aroldis Chapman
Clay Holmes
Kenley Jansen
Chris Martin
Carlos Estévez
Shawn Armstrong
Danny Coulombe
Dylan Floro
Kirby Yates
José Leclerc
Jakob Junis
Caleb Ferguson
Yimi GarcÃa
A.J. Minter
Craig Kimbrel
Buck Farmer
Paul Sewald
Scott Barlow
Jalen Beeks
Trevor Gott
Brooks Raley
Blake Treinen
Héctor Neris
Andrew Chafin
Joe Ross
Scott Alexander
Joe Kelly
Ryan Yarbrough
Will Smith
Phil Maton
Ryan Borucki
Drew Smyly
John Brebbia
Jesse Chavez
Andrew Kittredge
Lucas Sims
Carl Edwards Jr.
Luis GarcÃa
Tommy Kahnle
Trevor Richards
Drew Smith
Caleb Thielbar
Matt Barnes
Shelby Miller
Adam Ottavino
T.J. McFarland
Hunter Strickland
Shintaro Fujinami
Luke Jackson
Jonathan Loáisiga
Bryan Shaw
Justin Wilson
Jacob Barnes
Tim Hill
Keynan Middleton
Ryne Stanek
Naoyuki Uwasawa
David Buchanan
Miguel Castro
Kendall Graveman
Matt Moore
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As you can see, there are a million names available in free agency this offseason, and this isn’t even close to all of the guys the Braves could potentially target. As we go through the offseason, I’ll highlight them more individually, but I really see the Braves targeting multiple guys, including at least one high-priced arm that can serve as a set-up man in front of Raisel Iglesias.
A.J. Minter certainly fits that profile, and the Braves will probably be interested in retaining him. However, they probably need at least one more high-leverage arm to pair with him now that Jimenez could miss the entire 2025 season. Some guys that would be really quality additions are Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Clay Holmes, Kenley Jansen, Carlos Estevez, Kirby Yates, Aroldis Chapman, as well as several more.
There is no shortage of options for Alex Anthopoulos to choose from this offseason, but with Luke Jackson, Jesse Chavez, and A.J. Minter all hitting free agency, and Joe Jimenez recovering from a significant injury, the Braves now have to be aggressive in adding to the bullpen before the start of the 2025 campaign.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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