The MLB offseason has begun, but it’s off to a slow start. Things, however, should accelerate rapidly with the Winter Meetings approaching, as Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos indicated. So, leading up to the Winter Meetings, let’s play a little game of Buy or Sell about trade and free agency rumors surrounding the Braves.
Braves are the most appealing team for Garrett Crochet to sign with long-term
“Sox would rather put him in the NL,” the exec said. “Wouldn’t rule out other big-market clubs. Where Garrett wants to sign an extension is a factor and would think Atlanta is the most appealing landing spot for him long term.”
The Braves have become synonymous with the trade-and-sign move in baseball. Anthopoulos has acquired and extended Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, Chris Sale, Joe Jimenez, and Pierce Johnson since the club won their World Series title.
AA prefers to go big game hunting on the trade market rather than in free agency because he sees the value is better in that avenue. It only works when the player wants to be in Atlanta long-term, though. Fortunately, Crochet is eager to sign a contract extension.
Verdict: Buy
Braves are targeting Willy Adames, per Jon Morosi
If fans had it their way, Orlando Arcia would never start another game in Atlanta, with the most obvious upgrade being top free agent Willy Adames. The Brewers shortstop is hitting the open market at the perfect time (for him); he’s the only healthy starting caliber shortstop available in free agency.
For that reason, every club with a need for a shortstop will be in the Adames sweepstakes, and to make things more competitive, he’s willing to move off of shortstop and play third base. There will be no shortage of suitors, and given the Braves’ other holes (rotation, outfield, and bullpen), upgrading the position feels more like a luxury.
Verdict: Sell
Braves are interested in Walker Buehler, per Jon Morosi
The Braves need to bolster the rotation. Alex Anthopoulos has a type, and Walker Buehler checks a lot of boxes.
The former Dodgers ace was once a premier starter in this league, a regular in the Cy Young conversation. From 2018-2021, Buehler had a 2.82 ERA across 564 innings of work with a 27.7% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate.
However, that version of Buehler hasn’t been seen in years. After missing the entire 2023 campaign, he threw 75.1 innings with a 5.38 ERA and career-worst strikeout and walk rates of 18.6% and 8.1%, respectively.
This would be a high-reward free agent signing for the Braves. Buehler is likely to garner a one-year deal worth less than $20 million, but there’s a possibility he turns in a Cy Young-caliber campaign. After all, he’s only 30 years old and has all the incentive in the world to perform in 2025 to entice a club to give him a long-term lucrative deal next offseason.
Verdict: Buy
Braves interested in Nick Pivetta, per Jeff Passan
“Teams believe his stuff plays like a frontline starter, and whether it’s the Cubs, Orioles, Braves or others, Pivetta is looking at one of the biggest deals of the winter for a starter.”
In recent memory, the Braves rotation has been hit by injuries every single season. That shouldn’t be expected to change either. Chris Sale got through the 2024 season healthy, but he battled injuries for the better part of the four seasons prior. Spencer Strider is coming off a significant elbow injury. Reynaldo Lopez battled fatigue issues, and Spencer Schwellenbach has never pitched a full season’s worth of innings since being drafted a few years ago.
Since joining Boston via trade from the Phillies in 2020, Pivetta has pitched at least 142 innings in each of the last four seasons. Most recently, Pivetta recorded a 4.14 ERA over 26 starts for Boston last year. That’s not exactly sexy stuff, but his expected ERA is well below that at 3.59. His 88th percentile strikeout rate and 80th percentile walk rate are also big draws. The veteran averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023 and 10.6 in 2024 while setting a career-low mark in walks per nine (2.2).
Verdict: Buy
Six clubs are interested in Max Fried, per Jon Heyman and Jeff Passan
“The Yankees checked on the free-agent ace pitchers — Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell — but it remains uncertain whether they would do Soto and an ace pitcher, too,” Heyman wrote. “The Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all in on at least Fried. Boston is looking to upgrade its pitching and they don’t have a lefty, so Fried could make sense.”
“San Francisco and Baltimore will be part of the mix, too. And don’t forget the Dodgers, who are targeting at least one high-end starter,” Passan wrote. “Fried, 31 on Opening Day, looks likely to get the second-largest guarantee for a pitcher this winter after posting a major-league-best 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons.”
Outside of Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell, Max Fried is the top free agent pitcher on the market. He’s arguably been the best lefty on the planet since 2019, and he’s battle-tested. Every club with a need for a pitcher will be interested in Fried, and that’s why I’m not buying this rumor because it doesn’t include a club like the Mets, who will surely be in the market for Fried if they lose out on Burnes and Snell.
Verdict: Sell
Braves are targeting Nathan Eovaldi, per Mark Bowman
“Nathan Eovaldi ranks near the top of the Braves’ wish list, according to an industry source,” Bowman writes.
The 34-year-old veteran is coming off another impressive season in which he posted a 3.80 ERA, 1.107 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9 over 29 starts with the Rangers. The year before, Eovaldi earned All-Star honors, but what should interest the Braves the most is his track record in the playoffs.
He boasts a 3.05 ERA over 79.2 postseason innings, helping two different teams to the Commissioner’s Trophy, the Rangers in 2023 and the Red Sox in 2018, when he was teammates with current Braves ace Chris Sale. It makes a ton of sense.
Verdict: Buy
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Photographer: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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