In years past, the Atlanta Braves might have offered Ramón Laureano a contract, even if it meant overpaying him by a million or two. But on Friday, the Braves parted with Laureano rather than offer him a one-year deal in arbitration — a move that, for a team already short on outfielders, came as somewhat of a surprise.

Actually, the decision not to pay Laureano a projected salary in the $6 million range was consistent with how the Braves have operated all offseason. The team faces a considerable amount of uncertainty, from left-hander Max Fried and righty Charlie Morton possibly departing to righty Spencer Strider and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. starting the season on the injured list to setup man Joe Jiménez potentially missing the entire year. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is trying to save wherever he can.

While the Braves’ cash payroll might end up higher than it was last season, the team might be inclined to stay under the luxury-tax threshold after exceeding it the past two years. The threshold for 2025 is $241 million. The Braves, according to Fangraphs, are currently at $217 million.

Consider Anthopoulos’ moves thus far:

• A trade of outfielder/DH Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels to escape the remaining two years and $26 million on Soler’s contract. The Braves non-tendered the pitcher they acquired in return, righty Griffin Canning.

• The restructuring of righty Reynaldo López’s and reliever Aaron Bummer’s deals to save a combined $4.25 million in 2025.

• The declining of catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s $8 million option, resulting in d’Arnaud signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the Angels.

• The non-tender of Laureano, along with Canning.

Laureano, released by the Cleveland Guardians on May 25, hit 10 home runs and had an .832 OPS in 226 plate appearances after joining the Braves. After Acuña, the only outfielders on the Braves’ 40-man roster are Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Eli White, Luke Williams and the newly signed Carlos D. Rodriguez — not exactly a stellar group. But the free-agent class is deep in outfielders who might offer comparable production to Laureano at a lower price.

The Braves’ preference is for a left-handed hitter — Harris, Kelenic, Matt Olson and switch-hitter Ozzie Albies are currently their only options from the left side. If the better fit is right-handed, so be it. The market includes numerous options beyond the four outfielders expected to command the biggest contracts: Juan Soto, Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández and Jurickson Profar. With Acuña expected to return a month or two into the season, the Braves need not shop at the high end.

The left-handed hitting free agents include Michael Conforto, Ben Gamel, Jason Heyward, Travis Jankowski, Max Kepler, David Peralta, Michael Tauchman, Alex Verdugo and Jesse Winker. The right-handers include Mark Canha, Randal Grichuk, Austin Hays, Connor Joe, Manuel Margot, Andrew McCutchen, Tyler O’Neill, Tommy Pham and Michael A. Taylor.

Anthopoulos typically addresses his offseason needs quickly. He figures to be aggressive in the starting pitching and possibly the relief markets. But with the outfielders, he need not rush. The secondary options likely will need to wait for Soto and Co. to come off the board. And given the number that are available, bargains eventually should emerge.

Inside the Patrick Sandoval non-tender

The Angels’ decision to non-tender left-hander Patrick Sandoval, like the Braves’ choice with Laureano, was a move designed to free up money for 2025. Time will tell whether it proves another example of the Angels’ often short-sighted approach under owner Arte Moreno.

Sandoval, 28, underwent Tommy John surgery last June and likely will be out for most if not all of ’25. Paying him a projected $6 million under such circumstances admittedly would not have been an efficient use of Moreno’s money. But Sandoval also was under club control for ’26, when he presumably will be healthy. The total cost of keeping him figured to be $13 million to $14 million for two years — a reasonable sum, even for one year of a pitcher of Sandoval’s caliber.

As a free agent, Sandoval likely will command the type of back-loaded, two-year deal the Texas Rangers awarded righty Tyler Mahle ($22 million) and the Milwaukee Brewers gave righty Brandon Woodruff ($17.5 million) last offseason. Both also were coming off major surgeries, and whether the reward ultimately will exceed the risk remains unknown.

Mahle, recovering from Tommy John surgery, returned for three starts last August, then spent the rest of the season on the IL with shoulder tightness. Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery, did not pitch at all. It’s anyone’s guess what either might contribute in 2025.

Sandoval’s best season was 2022, when he produced a 2.91 ERA in 148 2/3 innings. He regressed in ’23, then was injured in ’24. His departure continues a pattern of the Angels parting with prospects drafted or acquired under Billy Eppler, who was the team’s GM from 2015 to ’20.

Current GM Perry Minasian hired manager Ron Washington last offseason to initiate a culture change. The rapid promotions of Minasian draft picks such as shortstop Zach Neto, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and reliever Ben Joyce were part of the attempted transformation. So were the additions this offseason of high-character 30-somethings such as d’Arnaud, Soler, Kevin Newman and Kyle Hendricks.

The Angels, coming off 63 wins, still need to find one or two starters — they secured one on Monday, reaching agreement with free-agent left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on a three-year, $63 million deal, according to a source. They also need to upgrade their bullpen, address second or third base and possibly center field. The 2025 season will be a test of whether they are making true progress, or simply spinning their wheels again.

Who’s the next Jayson Werth for the Nationals?

The Washington Nationals are in a position not unlike where they were when they signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million free-agent contract entering the 2011 season. Most in the industry viewed the deal as a wild overpay, but the Nationals wanted to add a proven veteran to their emerging young core.

Werth, who was turning 32, came close to fulfilling the value of his contract, according to Fangraphs’ dollars metric, which is WAR converted to a dollar scale based on what a player would earn in free agency. So, assuming the Lerner ownership is willing to spend — never a sure thing — the Nats must identify which free-agent position player can boost them the way Werth once did.

First base is the obvious place to put such a player. Pete Alonso, who turns 30 on Dec. 7, likely will be out of the Nationals’ price range and probably prefers to join an established winner. Christian Walker might be more realistic, but he, too, might have better options, and the Nationals might prefer someone younger. Walker turns 34 on March 28. A three-year deal also would cover his ages 35 and 36 campaigns.

The 2025 Nationals certainly would benefit from adding Walker. People in the game rave about his makeup and instincts. Over the past three seasons, he has averaged 32 homers with an .813 OPS while winning three straight Gold Gloves. Perhaps he will continue producing at high levels. The concern, for any team that signs him, is that he might decline in the latter years.

For the Nationals, the cost of a player such as Alonso, Walker or Santander, another free agent to whom they have been linked, would go beyond the financial guarantee. All three of those players rejected qualifying offers. To sign one of them, the Nationals would need to part with their second-highest draft pick, the sixth selection of the second round.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are among the other teams with room to upgrade at first, yet likely to be priced out on Alonso and even Walker. The demand should bode well for some of the other free-agent first basemen, a group that includes Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell and Justin Turner.