3 Free Agents The Atlanta Braves Should Sign, 2 To Avoid

After a historic 2023 season, the Atlanta Braves are back and have done little to live up to their high expectations. Atlanta crawled into the Wild Card round, doing so thanks to a three-way tie between themselves, the Mets and the D-Bucs, who were quickly eliminated when New York and Atlanta entered. The Braves ended the season after being eliminated by the Padres in the NLWC, losing the series 0–2.

The Braves have dealt with devastating injuries to star players like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley all year. Other injured stars such as Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II returned for the Wild Card round, but when they returned, two of their most reliable pitchers, Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, went down with injuries.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is taking a more frugal approach this offseason. Instead of chasing the top free agent, he’s cutting salary, as he did in the Jorge Soler trade, and looking for bargains in hopes of staying under the third luxury tax bracket. Over the years, Anthopoulos has had success trading and signing diamonds in the rough such as Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Joc Pederson and the aforementioned Soler.

But what opportunities could he take advantage of on the free agent market this offseason? Let’s see.

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3. Walker Buehler

The elite names on the free agent market this offseason are already receiving attention. But among them is a forgotten elite player who has struggled recently but has shown that he can still pitch like the indomitable hurler he was in years past.

If the Braves are scouring the field in hopes of salvaging another depleted elite team like they did with Chris Sale, Walker Buehler appears to be their best option. Buehler has pitched just 140.1 innings since 2022, missing all of 2023, and posted a pretty terrible 4.75 ERA. But in 2021, before all the injuries, Buehler threw a career-low 2.47 ERA in 207.2 innings. Now the question is: Can the Braves turn him around?

For starters, if the Braves can do it with Sale, whose last decent performance before 2024 was in 2018, then yes, they can do it with Buehler, but the interesting thing is that they will likely won’t be needed. In the 2024 postseason, Buehler gave up the worst start of his postseason career when he gave up six earned runs in the second inning of the NLDS against the Padres. However, it was the only inning last postseason in which he gave up a run. He finished the postseason pitching 15 innings, striking out the Mets and Yankees, and taking on the role of closer in the World Series finale.

With a career 3.04 postseason ERA in 94.2 innings, Buehler is one of the best postseason pitchers still active. He maintains an incredible 0.47 ERA in 19 World Series innings. There are rumors that the Braves are already targeting him. If Anthopoulos is looking for an inexpensive pitcher with top-notch potential, Buehler is worth a try.

2. Mikhail Soroka

Michael Soroka began his Braves career as a starter and future top ace. But after finishing sixth in the Cy Young voting and second in the ROY race, Soroka was constantly injured year after year. From 2020 to 2023, Soroka pitched just 46 innings. The Year Club has been closed throughout 2021 and 2022. But injuries aside, another reason to be wary of Soroka was his performance. In 2024, Soroka posted a 4.74 ERA in 79.2 innings. But there is also a positive side to this number that is worth paying attention to.

Mitchell Barbee of The House That Hank Built recently suggested that a Soroka-Braves reunion would benefit the Braves if he returned to Atlanta as a reliever. In his detailed assessment, Barbee noted Soroka’s success in the bullpen. Barbie said the following:

“After the Braves traded him in the 2023-24 offseason, the former first-round draft pick started nine games with the White Sox and posted a 6.39 ERA and an even worse 6.76 FIP. He struck out as many batters as he walked and allowed 10 long balls… In 36 innings as a pitcher, he had a much more acceptable 2.75 ERA, and while he still throws out a lot of free passes (his BB% actually increased by 0.5 %), his strikeout rate skyrocketed. Soroka struck out only 12.4% of the batters he faced as a starter. As a pitcher, he struck out 39% of batters.”

This offseason, with relievers AJ Minter, Luke Jackson, John Brebbia and Jesse Chavez testing the free agent market, the Braves will need a reliable bullpen arm. Given his injuries and poor performance as a starter, Soroka won’t cost much. If he can continue his decent play as a pitcher, the Braves will get away with another interception, and possibly many more if he becomes a successful starter again.

1. Jurikson Profar

Given his recent success, Jurickson Profar may end up being a little more expensive than Anthopoulos might have hoped, but it looks like he’s knocked enough names off the payroll to afford him. If he can replicate the success of 2024, Profar would be a solid addition. In 2024, Profar slashed a respectable .280/.380/.459/.839 with 24 home runs, a career high for the 11-year MLB veteran (didn’t play in 2014 due to injury) and worthy of his first silver. Slugger.

The Braves (if they can stay healthy) will have a ton of firepower next season with the rest of their injured players returning. But since he’s been suppressed in the postseason for three straight seasons, it would make sense to add another quality at-bat or two. Their main weakness all year has been their inability to score and score. Considering the Kelenic/Duvall experiment didn’t pan out, upgrading left field would benefit the Braves.

Profar’s only real concern is his lack of a solid track record. If the past year had been just a fluke, he would have found it difficult to accept paying a new salary. But from a money standpoint, if the Braves can’t put together an attractive trade package, Profar seems like their best option.

2. Willie Adams

One name that is often associated with the Braves is Willie Adams. Adames, like Profar, is having a memorable season. Adames slashed .251/.331/.462/.794 with a career-high 32 home runs. The Braves will already have a strong lineup, but you can never have too many hits. Adding Adames to the middle of the lineup will not only add much-needed depth, but it will also give Marcell Ozuna more power where he needs it. So why avoid someone who could easily improve the lineup?

Rumors about “Willie Adams” are circulating mainly because Orlando Arcia had to forget a whole year. Arcia is coming off a year in which he hit .218 with 17 home runs. His home run total matches his 2023 record, but his performance last year all but guarantees he won’t be a starter next season. Future Nacho Alvarez Jr. (the Braves’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) was thought to replace Arcia, who is a soon-to-be free agent (club option for 2026).

But filling the shortstop position with Adames leaves no room for Alvarez. Alvarez, who will turn 22 next season, was considered the future of the Braves. The Braves could trade Alvarez and sign Adames, but Atlanta’s farm system is somewhat depleted. Any bidding war over trade candidates would leave the Braves defenseless against the top names in the market.

But as long as Adames can perform like he did in 2024, it’ll be worth it, right? This leaves us with one final question that Anthopoulos will have to answer.

Adames is in for a nice raise, and there will be plenty of suitors willing to spend more than the Braves. Should the Braves go all-in with Adames? This brings us to the key reason why the Braves should avoid him.

Adames’ defense team expressed some concern that a change of position might be necessary down the line. If so, he’s blocked by Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies. I don’t want to say that Adames “should be avoided,” but his defense really went downhill quickly. With that said, if the Braves only have enough money to significantly improve two positions, it would probably be better to focus on the rotation and outfield rather than shortstop.

1. Max Fried

One undeniable name Braves fans know and love is Max Fried. Last season, Fried threw 174.1 innings for a 3.25 ERA with 166 strikeouts. With those numbers, Fried made a compelling case for the Braves to re-sign him. But there are several key reasons not to pursue Fried (other than injuries, which only seriously hampered him for one season).

First, there’s his postseason record. Fried owns an unsightly 5.10 postseason ERA through 67 innings. That’s not to say Fried has never done well in the postseason, as he’s thrown plenty of gems, but the numbers aren’t on his side here. The final game of the Braves’ 2024 season certainly left a sour taste in the mouths of Braves fans. However, it’s hard to blame Fried for all the damage since he showed a lot of soft contact. But his postseason record aside, the main reason a reunion shouldn’t be in the cards is money.

Fried is a great pitcher. Fried has been a serious contender in two Cy Young races, nearly finishing second in 2022 with a 2.48 ERA. With a track record like that during the regular season, Fried is set to receive a big payday. If the Braves were desperate for pitching, pursuing Fried would make more sense. But the Braves will enter next season with a stellar rotation that includes Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Ian Anderson and Spencer Schwellenbach. With that in mind, the Braves should be more interested in landing a less expensive safety unit with star potential like Walker Buehler.