After Jorge Soler was traded to the Los Angeles Angels, it became clear that Alex Anthopoulos aimed to resolve the logjam that had developed during the trade deadline this past season. With the recent news that Ronald Acuña Jr. won’t be ready for the start of the 2025 season. There may still be some uncertainty as the season begins. The team is already in need of an outfielder to platoon with Jarred Kelenic with a healthy Acuña. This situation is compounded by the decision to non-tender Ramón Laureano in order to save a projected $6 million.
The Braves’ 40-man roster currently has six outfielders. Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Eli White, Luke Williams and Carlos Rodriguez. Already having needed to address starting pitching and shortstop, it seems unlikely that Anthopoulos will spend top-tier money on an outfielder. Atlanta could live with it if they address shortstop. The construction of Atlanta’s lineup has been catered to the weak link at shortstop. Have 1-8 be elite to above average with offensive production, and you can live with the nine spots not exactly producing.
Another trade this winter for an outfielder doesn’t seem likely this off-season. The Braves took on a good amount of money to acquire Jarred Kelenic. It had its ups and downs last season, but there are still more questions than answers in the end, which leads to the possibility of a free agency signing. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported that the Braves are interested in the deep free agent outfield market. Also adding that they prefer a left-handed bat to help diversify their right-handed heavy line-up. Though they have a preference, they still may have to settle on a right-handed bat.
Potential Free Agent Signings
Michael Conforto
After spending the last two seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Michael Conforto will be a free agent for the second time in his career. Conforto signed a two-year, $36 million contract in 2022. Injuries have been a concern for him in recent seasons, which will influence teams’ decisions about signing him. However, the Braves are known to take chances on players looking for a bounce-back from injuries.
In 2024, Conforto batted .237 with a .309 on-base percentage and a .450 slugging percentage, hitting 20 home runs in 130 games for the Giants. He also recorded a 1.3 bWAR and a 116 OPS+. MLB Trade Rumors predicts that he will sign a two-year, $18 million deal this winter. There is a possibility that Conforto would be willing to sign a one-year contract as a “prove-it” deal, which could benefit both the Braves and Conforto in the 2025 season.
Max Kepler
The German native Max Kepler has spent the last ten seasons with the Minnesota Twins, consistently putting up productive numbers. Unfortunately for Kepler, the 2024 season was not one of his best offensively. He finished the year batting .253 with a .302 on-base percentage and a .380 slugging percentage. He recorded an even 1.0 bWAR to go along with a 91 OPS+.
Kepler is also a strong defender, which will be refreshing for Braves fans after the Jorge Soler experiment in the outfield last season. In 2024, he had four outs above average (OAA), which placed him in the 85th percentile in baseball.
Kepler is ranked 30th on ESPN’s Free Agent rankings and predicting a two-year, $28 million contract.
Mike Tauchman
Tauchman, 33, found a role on the Cubs bench as a fourth outfielder over the past two seasons. This led to the Cubs deciding to non-tender his contract, especially after the emergence of Pete Crow-Armstrong. Over the last two seasons in Chicago, he’s batted .250 AVG, .360 on-base percentage, and a .372 slugging percentage with a 20.7% K-rate and a 13.7% walk rate. Putting up 3.2 bWAR as well as posting a 110 wRC+.
Spotrac has Tauchman valued at an estimated 2 years at 13 million dollars this off-season.
2025 Payroll Flexibility
Alex Anthopoulos has already indicated this offseason that he expects an increase in the team’s payroll. According to Roster Resource, the Braves spent approximately $232 million on last season’s roster and currently have a projected payroll of $202 million for 2025. This leaves room for some potential player additions.
The Braves have over $217 million in projected luxury tax obligations, which puts them around $24 million away from reaching this year’s luxury tax threshold of $241 million. If they exceed this limit, they would incur a luxury tax for the third consecutive season and face the highest tier of penalties. The penalties would start at a 50% tax on the first $20 million over the threshold, followed by a 62% tax on the next $20 million, a 95% tax on the subsequent $20 million (in addition to losing ten places in their top draft pick for 2026), and a 110% tax on any amount exceeding that.
With needs at shortstop, in the starting rotation, and in the bullpen, Anthopoulos will face a challenging task in effectively managing the team’s roster without crossing into the next tax tier.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
