Alex Anthopoulos is never one to shy away from adding Major League talent late into spring training. I mean we have previously seen Jesse Chavez find his way back to Atlanta no matter who he signs with early on in the winter…and I’m not ruling that out once again should Texas keep him off their Opening Day roster.
Regardless, the bullpen is a hot-button topic for Braves fans, with many expecting one final Major League level arm to be brought in before the Braves kick the season off in San Diego on March 27. Despite that notion, some recent news may signal the Braves are more comfortable with their current internal candidates than fans think. Braves beat reporter for mlb.com, Mark Bowman, released his first installment of predicting the Braves’ Opening Day roster, and within it a couple of Rule 5 draft picks seem to be gaining momentum.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 11, 2024
Rule 5 pick Anderson Pilar predicted to make Braves Opening Day roster, Christian Cairo fringe roster candidate as well
With the only locks for the bullpen being Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee, Pierce Johnson, and Daysbel Hernandez earning a spot on the initial 26-man roster isn’t far-fetched for Rule 5 pick Anderson Pilar. He was Atlanta’s first pick in the Rule 5 Draft, and with a decent spring he feels like a safe bet to open the season with the big league club.
Last season Pilar spent time across three levels of the Miami Marlins minor league system, totaling a 2.64 ERA along the way. This includes 22 Ks across 15 innings with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Because the Braves have to carry Pilar on the Opening Day roster or offer him back to the Marlins he has a higher chance to make the 26-man than some of the veteran bullpen arms the Braves have brought in on NRI deals.
The other player the Braves selected in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft was former Guardians infielder Christian Cairo. He will come into spring battling the likes of Luke Williams, Nick Allen, and others for the backup infielder/utility-man role. The 23 year-old Cairo doesn’t hit for much power, but he did carry a .354 OBP across two levels in Cleveland’s organization in 2024.
It’s likely Cairo will get a ton of action early on this spring in order for the Braves to assess which backup infielder they want to carry with them to San Diego. Each Rule 5 pick faces a different battle, but keep a close eye on their results early on because whether or not they remain in the organization should play itself out well before Opening Day.
