A big addition leaves the Braves with a few more holes to fill before spring training.
The Atlanta Braves finally — finally! — made an offseason splash on Thursday, signing outfielder Jurickson Profar to a three-year, $42 million deal. Profar solidifies the Braves’ outfield picture heading into 2025, where he could form one of the game’s top outfields alongside Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. Profar should also bring lineup versatility to Atlanta, batting anywhere from leadoff to sixth depending on the personnel around him.
With the outfield set for next season, the Braves and Alex Anthopoulos still have work to do. Let’s take a look at the rest of the roster and what Atlanta might add in the coming weeks.
Starting rotation
For my money, this is the biggest remaining need on the roster at the moment.
If healthy, the foursome of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach could be one of the best rotations in the game. Add in Grant Holmes or Ian Anderson or A.J. Smith Shawver (or a handful of others) as the fifth starter. But there is a high probability the Braves will find themselves shorthanded on starting pitching at some point, and adding a reliable arm to the rotation this winter feels imperative. The Braves have routinely used upwards of 10 starting pitchers to cover 162 games the past few years.
There is still a decent amount left in the free agent market, from Jack Flaherty to Andrew Heaney to Nick Pivetta to Jose Quintana. Outside of Flaherty, I’m not sure if any of the remaining free agents are significant needle movers, but they could provide value and stability in the back end of the rotation.
There is also the trade market. At the risk of guessing what 29 other teams do and don’t have available, it’s a fun exercise to try and figure out who the front office fancies.
Bullpen
The loss of Joe Jimenez was a big one, especially since it seemed to be a routine knee procedure going in. Add in A.J. Minter officially signing with the Mets this week, and the Braves suddenly find themselves a bit short at the end of games.
Raisel Iglesias is locked in to the ninth. Lefties Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee are locks for the roster from the left side, as are righties Pierce Johnson, Grant Holmes and (probably) Daysbel Hernandez. But that’s only six arms you feel somewhat good about, and we all know the Braves will call on far more than just eight names all season.
Bullpens are finicky year over year, but Anthopoulos has always prioritized having a good one — and isn’t afraid to spend money or prospects to make it happen.
Shortstop
The one position in the lineup that could use an upgrade is shortstop, where Orlando Arcia is currently primed to start for the third season in a row. Coming off a miserable 2024 campaign offensively with historically bad performance with runners on base, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Braves were looking to improve the position. I’m just not sure they’re going to be able to.
Ha-Seong Kim is the lone shortstop on the free agent market, and he is 1) a Scott Boras client and 2) won’t be ready for at least the first month of the season as he recovers from shoulder surgery. It seems like Kim may look for a contract with an opt out included to help garner as much value and flexibility as possible, and that is something Anthopoulos has never gone for in the past. Still, the door is seemingly open.
It seems highly unlikely a good shortstop would get traded in late January (or early February), but stranger things have happened. It does seem, however, that it will be another year of Arcia at shortstop in Atlanta.
Closing thoughts
The Braves are banking on 2024 being a sign of things to come for Profar, who enjoyed a career-year with the Padres before cashing in with Atlanta. There is plenty of reason to believe it’s a legitimate turnaround for the soon-to-be 32 year old, who changed his swing and hit the crap out of the baseball all season. He should also bring a much needed infusion of OBP to the lineup that was often homer-or-bust last season. Are there concerns that it may have been a one-year wonder? Sure. But at the price of $14 million AAV over three years, it’s a worthwhile gamble given the state of the market this winter.
Eyes now shift to the remaining holes on the roster, where Anthopoulos should have some money remaining to address most of them (if not all). It could be a busy few weeks ahead as spring training is right around the corner.