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In years past, the Atlanta Braves might have offered Ram\u00f3n 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 \u2014 a move that, for a team already short on outfielders, came as somewhat of a surprise.<\/p>\n
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 Acu\u00f1a Jr. starting the season on the injured list to setup man Joe Jim\u00e9nez potentially missing the entire year. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is trying to save wherever he can.<\/p>\n
While the Braves\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
Consider Anthopoulos\u2019 moves thus far:<\/p>\n
\u2022 A trade of outfielder\/DH Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels to escape the remaining two years and $26 million on Soler\u2019s contract. The Braves non-tendered the pitcher they acquired in return, righty Griffin Canning.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The restructuring of righty Reynaldo L\u00f3pez\u2019s and reliever Aaron Bummer\u2019s deals to save a combined $4.25 million in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The declining of catcher Travis d\u2019Arnaud\u2019s $8 million option, resulting in d\u2019Arnaud signing a two-year, $12 million deal with the Angels.<\/p>\n
\u2022 The non-tender of Laureano, along with Canning.<\/p>\n
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 Acu\u00f1a, the only outfielders on the Braves\u2019 40-man roster are Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic, Eli White, Luke Williams and the newly signed Carlos D. Rodriguez \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
The Braves\u2019 preference is for a left-handed hitter \u2014 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 Hern\u00e1ndez and Jurickson Profar. With Acu\u00f1a expected to return a month or two into the season, the Braves need not shop at the high end.<\/p>\n
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\u2019Neill, Tommy Pham and Michael A. Taylor.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Angels\u2019 decision to non-tender left-hander Patrick Sandoval, like the Braves\u2019 choice with Laureano, was a move designed to free up money for 2025. Time will tell whether it proves another example of the Angels\u2019 often short-sighted approach under owner Arte Moreno.<\/p>\n
Sandoval, 28, underwent Tommy John surgery last June and likely will be out for most if not all of \u201925. Paying him a projected $6 million under such circumstances admittedly would not have been an efficient use of Moreno\u2019s money. But Sandoval also was under club control for \u201926, when he presumably will be healthy. The total cost of keeping him figured to be $13 million to $14 million for two years \u2014 a reasonable sum, even for one year of a pitcher of Sandoval\u2019s caliber.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Patrick Sandoval reacts after injuring his arm in June. (Ashley Landis \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess what either might contribute in 2025.<\/p>\n
Sandoval\u2019s best season was 2022, when he produced a 2.91 ERA in 148 2\/3 innings. He regressed in \u201923, then was injured in \u201924. His departure continues a pattern of the Angels parting with prospects drafted or acquired under Billy Eppler, who was the team\u2019s GM from 2015 to \u201920.<\/p>\n
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\u2019Arnaud, Soler, Kevin Newman and Kyle Hendricks.<\/p>\n
The Angels, coming off 63 wins, still need to find one or two starters \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Werth, who was turning 32, came close to fulfilling the value of his contract, according to Fangraphs\u2019 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 \u2014 never a sure thing \u2014 the Nats must identify which free-agent position player can boost them the way Werth once did.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inside the Angels’ non-tender of pitcher Patrick Sandoval and a look at potential veteran hitters the Nationals could target.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[71,288,44,296],"class_list":["post-12923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-mlb","tag-washington-nationals"],"yoast_head":"\n