Since becoming the Braves general manager in the winter ahead of the 2018 season, Alex Anthopoulos has established himself as one of the best executives in the game. He’s helped the Braves to seven straight postseason appearances, six division titles, and a World Series. To this point, the resumé has been nearly impossible to argue, and Liberty Media has given him a more than respectable budget to work with.
That changed this offseason. Despite Alex Anthopoulos stating on several occasions that payroll would continue to rise, it didn’t. According to Spotrac, Atlanta’s payroll ranks barely in the top half of the league at just over $212 million. Compared to last season when the Braves ranked 7th at nearly $240 million. That’s $30 million Atlanta chose not to spend to improve their roster this offseason, and they might just end up paying the ultimate price.
You didn’t need to be an astute general manager to realize the Braves bullpen could be a dire concern for the team. Atlanta lost their top two setup men from a year ago, with A.J. Minter leaving in free agency and Joe Jimenez undergoing knee surgery that might cost him the entire season. Common knowledge would suggest it was an area that needed some TLC ahead of Opening Day. Instead, for a reason that only upper management can explain, the Braves decided to completely neglect it, signing a couple of journeyman veterans that were nothing more than a lottery ticket.
One of those journeymen, Hector Neris, was tasked with pitching in a high leverage situation on Opening Day with a one run lead. He managed to give up three runs without recording a single out. Not even a week later and he’s been designated for assignment in favor of Jesse Chavez, who was also designated for assignment after just one appearance. That’s how poorly constructed the Braves bullpen was coming into the season.
It’s the sign of a club that’s just throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks, which is exactly what the Braves are doing. There are only about five relievers on the 40-man roster that are even major-league caliber arms. The rest is a logjam of guys that don’t have any business being a part of a bullpen on a team with championship aspirations. But the bullpen is just one of a few areas the Braves chose to overlook.
Most expected Atlanta to also add a starting pitcher this offseason after losing Max Fried and Charlie Morton in free agency. They were reportedly in on some names, but nothing ultimately came to fruition, and they chose to roll with a few internal candidates in Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, and AJ Smith-Shawver to round out the rotation. Not even a week into the season, and that looks like another gross miscalculation.
Ian Anderson was traded to the Angels before the start of the season, and Reynaldo Lopez appeared just once before heading to the IL. Bryce Elder has been called up in his place, and now what was the strongest rotation in baseball a year ago has become Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenabach, and a group of arms with about 40 combined career starts under their belt. Spencer Strider will help alleviate some of those concerns, but the depth of the Braves starting pitching is paper thin, and the calendar just turned to April.
The only area the Braves actually chose to address was the outfield, inking Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million contract, a deal that’s already looking like a colossal mistake, as Profar played in just four games with the Braves before being suspended 80 games for violating the league’s PED policy.
It was an unusual signing for Alex Anthopoulos, buying high on a player coming off a career year. Something he typically chooses to avoid, but the Braves believed his success in 2024 was sustainable, which now looks like the result of cheating. Who knows how Profar performs when he’s able to return, but it’s fair to assume he’ll never replicate the numbers he put together a year ago.
Things have gone from bad to worse in Atlanta quickly. The Braves are 0-5 and have multiple key contributors already sidelined without the depth necessary to overcome those absences. There is no aspect of this team — lineup, bullpen, or rotation — that is championship caliber, and the only people to blame are the people pulling the strings behind the scenes.
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Photo: David John Griffin/Icon Sportswire
