Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has had a busy offseason so far. Atlanta fell short of expectations this season, and much of that was due to injuries to star players like Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. However, the Braves lack of depth at key positions was exposed, and ruined an otherwise impressive resumé.
So, where do the Braves go from here? An NL Wild Card series loss to the Padres surely wasn’t how they hoped their season would end. The MLB offseason really starts to heat up at the winter meetings, which will take place from Dec. 8-11 in Dallas, Texas.
Anthopoulos is always one of the more active general managers at this time of the season. Whether it’s via trade or free agency, AA knows he must improve this Atlanta roster, all the while saying goodbye to stars he helped groom in the Braves farm system. It’s a tough balance, and one Anthopoulos has perfected over the years.
As much as the Braves may want to keep Max Fried, he’s expected to receive a contract around $30 million AAV, which is out of their price range. Fried had dinner some Dodgers players in Los Angeles just last week, and has interest from several AL East teams, including the Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox.
All of this is to say the Braves won’t get in a bidding war for Fried’s services. As they proved just last season, Atlanta’s rotation is plug and play. If Fried leaves, Anthopoulos is confident he can be replaced by a player with a cheaper price tag. The best chance the Braves have at keeping Fried is if his price comes down and options dwindle later this winter. However, the demand for starting pitching is so high it’s hard to see that happening.
Why Max Fried will leave the Braves: Asking price is too high
2. Travis d’Arnaud is as good as gone
The Atlanta Braves declined the option on catcher Travis d’Arnaud is a fairly surprising decision. The catching market is pretty thin this winter, so d’Arnaud should receive any number of offers elsewhere from catcher-needy teams, including perhaps the Chicago Cubs.
The Braves felt they could move on from d’Arnaud for several reasons. First, Atlanta wanted to free up capital they could spend at other positions of need, like the outfield and starting pitcher. Second, the Braves organizational depth at catcher is a strength. Chadwick Tromp is an MLB-level catcher should he return. Drake Baldwin is one of the team’s top prospects and projects to reach the majors in the next few years.
As great as d’Arnaud is, he deserves a chance to start somewhere. He won’t get that with the Braves, as Sean Murphy is entrenched as the backstop.
Why Travis d’Arnaud will leave the Braves: Too much depth
This one is more of a hunch, but the Braves can afford to trade one of their top prospects, especially a starting pitcher. AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep were both highly-touted prospects, with the latter a former first-round selection out of Florida.
Waldrep only started two games for Atlanta last season, and it did not go well. He had an ERA over 16, proving he could’ve used a little more time in Gwinnett. At 22 years old, Waldrep is still the team’s third-ranked prospect, but they can afford to trade one of he or Smith-Shawver, especially after the success of Spencer Schwellenbach in 2024. Schwellenbach had a 3.35 ERA and 2.7 WAR in 21 starts last season, and he’s still just 24 years old.
The Braves have shown interest in improving their infield – namely at shortstop – as well as adding more outfield depth given the recovery timeline of Acuña Jr. Add in the need for another proven veteran in the starting rotation if Fried leaves, and the Braves ought to make some of their young starting pitchers available. Atlanta’s top three prospects are all pitchers, and Waldrep is No. 3.
In the end, prospects always look good on paper. That talent is rarely realized, and the Braves know Waldrep better than I do at this juncture.
