hristmas is approaching, the winter meetings have passed, and the Braves — despite having a plethora of needs — have yet to make a substantial acquisition.
Among Atlanta’s holes, starting pitching is near the top of the list. They’ll likely have to rely on an unproven commodity to round out their rotation until Spencer Strider returns, but adding at least one more proven arm feels like a necessity, and the top options are almost all off the board.
One of the more intriguing names that has been connected to the Braves, however, remains available. Walker Buehler is coming off a career-worst season after returning from Tommy John surgery, but he may have made himself a lot of money by resurrecting in the postseason and looking more like the guy that was once a perennial Cy Young candidate.
Typically, a year like the one Buehler just had would garner a one-year contract, allowing him to rebuild his value and enter the market next offseason in hopes of landing something much more lucrative. Those are the kind of deals the Braves love, but in this absurd market for starting pitching, he might be able to land something much more advantageous.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Walker Buehler is looking for a multi-year contract with opt-outs, with several prominent teams interested.
Walker Buehler is one of the most established free-agent pitchers still on the board following his strong showing in October, and per sources, his reps looking for multi-year deal with opt-outs. Yankees had talked about him before Fried signed. Red Sox, Tigers, Giants, among…
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 12, 2024
This is an absolute no-go for the Braves. They do not do player options, and there is very little chance that they change their stance for Walker Buehler.
The reasoning is rather simple. Player options are awfully disadvantageous to the club. If Buehler bounces back in 2025, he’ll opt out and sign a bigger contract with another team next offseason. If he’s terrible or gets injured, he’ll opt-in and the Braves will be forced to pay him against their will.
It’s understandable why Walker Buehler is looking for a deal like this, and he’ll probably get it from someone in this market, but it won’t be the Braves.
