The Braves have made several payroll-saving moves in the early going of the offseason.
Alex Anthopoulos reworked the contracts of Aaron Bummer and Reynaldo Lopez after trading Jorge Soler to the Angels. In all, it saved the club around $20 million for 2025.
It would seem the Braves would be gearing up for a potential blockbuster, which Anthopoulos alluded to during the winter meetings in San Antonio. But what could that entail?
Well, how about the biggest name on the market in line for a record-setting contract? Juan Soto.
In a knee jerk reaction, of course, the Braves aren’t going to be in on Juan Soto… right? Well, Jon Heyman reports there’s a “mystery team” flying out to Southern California to visit with the free agent.
“The Dodgers, Giants and Red Sox and two other “mystery” teams (one believed to be from a smaller market) are believed to be planning to join the Jays, Mets and Yankees on trips to southern California to visit with the 26-year-old superstar starting this week,” Heyman writes.
The largest contract the Braves have given out in free agency was to Marcell Ozuna, who inked a four-year, $65 million deal a few offseasons ago. Austin Riley owns the title of the richest contract in franchise history with his $212 million extension.
That’s chump change to Juan Soto, who is in line to garner a deal of around $600 million. It might even go higher too, given all of the suitors. The biggest and baddest are in the Soto sweepstakes. The Dodgers just gave out $1 billion worth of contracts last year. The Yankees have already invested the prospect capital in Soto and can’t watch him sign with the crosstown rival Mets.
But the Mets have something nobody else has — Steve Cohen. New York’s owner is by far the richest in baseball, and he’s not afraid to spend. Cohen is one of those men who refuses to lose, and I sincerely doubt he will lose the Soto sweepstakes if it’s truly just about money to the 26-year-old.
The Braves would be the dark horse of all dark horses in this race. It made much more sense from a value standpoint for the Braves to pursue Shohei Ohtani because of his ability to impact the game as a hitter and pitcher, but Juan Soto doesn’t scream Alex Anthopoulos.
I hope I’m wrong, though. The Braves do have a need for another outfielder, and Juan Soto just might be the best outfielder in the sport.
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