In what’s been a rather quiet offseason to this point, the Braves have been among the busiest teams. They’ve re-signed several of their own players and made a slew of trades. They also seriously pursued Aaron Nola, who re-upped with the Phillies, and were also in on Sonny Gray before he signed with the Cardinals. Their sights are set on adding a marquee name to this rotation, but in order for them to accomplish that, they may have to shed some salary in the process.
The Braves projected Opening Day payroll is already significantly higher than it has ever been before after they acquired Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White from the Mariners. Kelenic is owed pennies for the next couple of years and is projected to be the team’s left fielder, but Gonzales is under contract for $12 million in 2024, and Evan White is owed $15 million combined over the next two seasons.
Ken Rosenthal already reported that Gonzales is likely to be included in another deal, and it’s fair to expect the Braves to try and swing a similar trade to rid of White’s salary.
Fallout from last night’s Braves-Mariners trade: The Braves do not plan on keeping left-hander Marco Gonzales, sources tell @TheAthletic. Expected to be part of another deal. Destination unknown.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 4, 2023
But perhaps they aren’t the only candidates who could be moved to help the Braves shed some salary while also putting a better product on the field. Mark Bowman of MLB.com recently suggested Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias as potential trade candidates.
Or the Braves could attempt to move designated hitter Marcell Ozuna — who is owed $18 million before his contract expires at the end of the 2024 season — or closer Raisel Iglesias, who is owed $16 million both of the next two seasons.
Ozuna bounced back with a 40-homer season this year. The Braves could roll the dice on him repeating his success. Or they could sell high and strengthen their pitching staff. Iglesias is also a sell-high candidate. He’s a dependable and proven closer. But Reynaldo Lopez, Pierce Johnson, Joe Jiménez and A.J. Minter are all seemingly capable of filling that role.
I’m positive the Braves aren’t interested in paying increased luxury tax penalties for players that aren’t going to have an impact like Marco Gonzales and Evan White. They should be looking to do everything possible to rid of their contracts; although, there’s a reason the Mariners had to give up Jarred Kelenic to accomplish the same thing. It’s going to be much easier said than done.
However, I’m not so sure the Braves are interested in actively making their team worse to save money. Selling high on Marcell Ozuna is sensible. It’s unlikely he comes anywhere close to replicating the kind of season he had this year. But at the same time, Ozuna has been an integral piece to the clubhouse. That’s why the Braves hung onto him for as long as they did despite his struggles both on and off the field.
I’m even less confident the Braves might explore moving Raisel Iglesias. He may not be the best closer in baseball, but he’s had a lot of success in Atlanta, and more importantly, has a ton of experience closing games. It’s not every day you see clubs actively shop their closers in the middle of a championship window.
The Braves have placed an emphasis on the bullpen this offseason. It’s poised to be one of the best in baseball after their acquisitions this offseason. Trading Iglesias, even if it saves the club $32 million over the next two seasons, would arguably put the Braves relief core in a worse position than it was in 2023. That’s not something I see Alex Anthopoulos interested in accomplishing.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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