Yesterday, I talked about the three potential candidates on the Braves that could be non-tendered. That means the Braves are essentially releasing them, allowing them to become unrestricted free agents and join another club. Those three players were Johan Camargo, Luke Jackson, and Grant Dayton. None of those three may be on next year’s roster, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves hung on to one or two of them. Today, we will go over all of the Braves arbitration candidates and their projected salaries for 2021.
* All salary projections are courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors
Mike Soroka
Projected Salary: $1.8 million
Mike Soroka enters his first year of arbitration this season and is projected to earn just under $2 million in 2021. That number would be a lot higher if he didn’t suffer a torn Achilles this past season, but we will see if he attempts to negotiate for a larger figure. I don’t imagine he will, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Braves worked out an extension with him, buying out his arbitration years and extending him a few years after that. However, Alex Anthopoulos may hold off on doing that, given his injury history.
Max Fried
Projected Salary: $2.4 million
Fried is also entering his first year of arbitration, and he couldn’t have picked a better time to do so. He’s coming off a career-year in which he was a legitimate Cy Young candidate. $2.4 million seems a little low, but you have to remember last year’s sample size was tiny. Fried is another guy I could see the Braves extending, buying out the remainder of his arbitrations years.
Adam Duvall
Projected Salary: $4.7 million
If 2020 was a full season, Duvall had a legitimate shot at blasting 40 home runs. That’s pretty remarkable considering where he was at just a couple of years ago. This is his last year of arbitration, so I could see his actual salary figure for 2021 being a little higher than this. Either way, the Braves won’t want to let him go.
A.J. Minter
Projected Salary: $1.1 million
A.J. Minter put together quite the bounce-back campaign in 2020 and figures to be a staple in the Braves bullpen for years to come. This projected number seems about right.
Luke Jackson
Projected Salary: $1.9 million
Given how high Jackson’s projected salary is for 2021, you can see why he’s a non-tender candidate. Since he wasn’t even on any of the postseason rosters, and the Braves bullpen is so deep, I don’t imagine Atlanta will keep Jackson around at this figure.
Dansby Swanson
Projected Salary: $5.0 million
Swanson continues to improve and is slowly becoming one of the best all-around shortstops in the game. He has earned every penny he will receive this offseason and is another candidate I could see the Braves extending.
Johan Camargo
Projected Salary: $1.9 million
Camargo’s last two seasons have made him a non-tender candidate. However, $1.9 million isn’t a boatload of money. If the Braves still believe he can return to his 2018 form, he should be back in Atlanta. I’m just not sure they think he can.
Grant Dayton
Projected Salary: $800k
Dayton was actually pretty good for the Braves, posting a 2.30 ERA last season over 27.1 innings. His FIP was over four, which suggests he got lucky. However, for $800k, keeping him around is probably worth it.
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