The non-tender deadline this past Friday opened up a slew of new free agent possibilities, and there are a couple of outfielders that could pique the interest of the Braves as buy-low candidates.
Mike Tauchman
The 33-year-old Tauchman is coming off a couple of solid years for the Cubs. He hit .248 with seven homers and a .729 OPS last season over 109 games, accruing 0.6 WAR. However, he is just a year removed from a 2.4 WAR season in which he hit .252 with a .739 OPS. If the Braves are just looking for a cheap stopgap option that can hit both lefties and righties at an above-average clip, similar to Ramon Laureano, they could do a lot worse than Tauchman.
Bryan De La Cruz
After trading for him at this year’s trade deadline, the Pirates didn’t get what they wanted out of Bryan De La Cruz. He hit just .200 with a .514 OPS over 44 games with the Pirates, and his overall body of work over the last couple of seasons is far from impressive, combining for -1.8 WAR since the start of the 2023 season. However, teams will be willing to take a shot on him because of his power and ability to hit left-handed pitching, two things that could make him an attractive buy-low option for the Braves.
Austin Hays
From 2021-2023, Austin Hays combined for 8.2 WAR, hitting at least 16 homers in every season and even making the American League All-Star team in 2023. Last year was a down year across the board, including playing time, but he still put up a respectable .699 OPS over 85 games with the Orioles and Phillies. However, Hays mashes left-handed pitching, recording a .354 batting average and .941 OPS against southpaws last season. He makes a lot of sense as a cheap platoon option in left field with Jarred Kelenic.
—
Photo: Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.