I’ve been pounding my fist all offseason for the Braves to bring back Adam Duvall, but today, we learned that will not be happening, as Craig Mish reported he is signing a one-year deal with the Red Sox.
Free Agent Outfielder Adam Duvall is in agreement with the Boston Red Sox. The deal is 1 year $7 million Dollars. Performance bonuses could get the deal up to $10 million dollars per source.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) January 18, 2023
The contract is worth $7 million but could get up to $10 million with performance bonuses.
This is now the second time the Braves have let Adam Duvall walk in free agency, and last time, it didn’t take Alex Anthopoulos long to realize it was a mistake. Following the 2020 campaign, Duvall signed a two-year deal with the Fish and put together a career year. Luckily, the Marlins are run like a little league organization and were willing to trade Duvall back to the Braves prior to the deadline for Alex Jackson. Duvall went on to help Atlanta win the World Series that year.
I wouldn’t count on the Braves being so lucky this time around. Although there is a chance the Red Sox are not contending and end up trading Duvall mid-season, I think this deal tells you all you need to know about what Anthopoulos was working with this offseason.
The Braves have only spent $3 million on free agents and are already set to be in the luxury tax. Left field and DH could have been upgraded this offseason, but it has become overwhelmingly apparent Anthopoulos wasn’t given the money to do so.
A player like Adam Duvall on a one-year pact worth only $7 million in this market is a bargain. He will almost certainly be worth that, and the Braves could have desperately used him. However, I’m not sure it was an option. Hopefully, Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna can bounce back in 2023, but I would have felt much better about the team if they had a cheap backup plan like Duvall in the fold. There’s a chance left field is once again a black hole for the team, and the DH spot may not be in much better shape.
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