With the MLB offseason underway, free agency begins at 5 p.m. today, and the Braves will be involved in several situations.
Obviously, they have their own pending free agents. Max Fried is going to headline the offseason for Atlanta, but the overwhelming belief is he’ll sign elsewhere. A.J. Minter and Charlie Morton are also names to monitor, but this piece isn’t about them. It’s about free agents from other teams that could pique the interest of the Atlanta Braves.
Tim Britton of The Athletic projected the contracts of the top free agents around the league, several of which will be on Alex Anthopoulos’ radar.
Willy Adames
Projection: 6 years, $150 million
Coming off the best season of his career, Adames is hitting the market at the perfect time. There’s a limited supply of shortstops, and there’s plenty of teams looking for one. That means Adames is going to be a rich man. Unfortunately for the Braves, their competition is the deep-pocketed Dodgers.
Blake Snell
Projection: 4 years, $110 million
Snell settled for a two-year, $62 million with the Giants last offseason but opted out of it. He came into the season struggling but after a stint on the injured list, Snell came back and was arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the second half.
Anthony Santander
Teoscar Hernández
Projection for Santander: 5 years, $105 million
Projection for Hernández: 3 years, $69 million
The Braves have a need for a corner outfielder, and the two best options are Santander and Hernandez. Because the latter is a bit older, his contract will be shorter, but he should get a higher AAV following a great season with the Dodgers. I’d wager the Braves prefer higher AAV, shorter-term contracts this offseason.
Nathan Eovaldi
Projection: 2 years, $45 million
The Braves rotation is formidable, but this club knows better than any that you can never have too many pitchers. Eovaldi posted a 3.80 ERA across 29 starts in 2024, but more importantly, he holds a career postseason ERA of 3.05. That’s the kind of production the Braves should be interested in, but that’s a high AAV.
Ha-seong Kim
Projection: 2 years, $36 million
He underwent shoulder surgery late in the season, so his free agency status is a bit unclear. Though he’s in a different tier than Willy Adames, Kim would be a tremendous upgrade over Orlando Arcia. If all it takes is a two-year, $32 million deal to nab him in free agency, it’s a no-brainer for me.
Tyler O’Neill
Projection: 3 years, $45 million
O’Neill hit 31 homers in just 131 games, but he also spent multiple stints on the IL, and that’s the one factor that could turn the Braves away. He’s played more than 100 games in a season just twice over his seven years. For a club that dealt with so many injuries last year, it might not be the preferred situation.
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Photographer: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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