3 remaining free agents the Atlanta Braves have to sign, 2 they should avoid
An argument can be made that the Atlanta Braves have had the most disappointing offseason in the league. Sure, it’s fair for them to expect injury luck to be better, and for some of their players to rebound following down years in 2024. It also was never likely that the Braves were going to entertain re-signing Max Fried. However, that doesn’t excuse them for Bryan De La Cruz being their biggest addition in mid-January.
Chances are, Alex Anthopoulos will make moves to fortify needs on this roster, but, the longer he waits, the more likely it is that those moves will underwhelm.
Most of the big names are off the board, but several of the free agents still available would fit the Braves quite well. With that being said, not all of the remaining free agents are ones Anthopoulos should pursue. Here are some they should consider and others to avoid.
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5) Tanner Scott can help the Braves build the best rotation in all of baseball
Most fans point to Atlanta’s lineup (when healthy) and rotation as the biggest strengths of the team, and understandably so, but their bullpen is as good as it gets. The Braves’ bullpen ranked third in the majors last season with a 3.32 ERA. Imagine adding a reliever as good as Tanner Scott to that.
Scott has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball the last two seasons, following up his impressive 2.31 ERA campaign in 2023 by posting a 1.75 ERA in 72 regular season appearances and looking nothing short of dominant against these Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers in October.
The Braves have one of the best closers in the league in Raisel Iglesias, so imagine how fun it’d be to pair him with someone as good, if not better, who throws from the left side in Scott. Plus, with Iglesias set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, Scott can potentially be his successor in the closer role.
It has always felt unlikely that the Braves would consider an expensive long-term deal with a reliever, but the longer Scott remains on the open market, the more likely it is that he’d consider something shorter-term. The Braves have been linked to him, and could steal him from potential NL rivals. It makes too much sense if they can limit the length of the deal.
4) Max Scherzer’s best days are well behind him
It’s easy to see the upside with a Max Scherzer signing. He’s a three-time Cy Young Award winner, an eight-time All-Star, and one of the best pitchers of this generation. Plus, he’s had all kinds of success in the NL East dating back to his days with the Washington Nationals.
As fun as it’d be to add someone with Scherzer’s pedigree to this stacked rotation, it feels like a disaster waiting to happen. First and foremost, durability is a major concern, which already makes him an iffy fit for a Braves rotation with some injury woes to consider. Scherzer has not made 30 starts in a season or thrown enough innings to qualify for an ERA title (162) since 2021. He has not eclipsed 30 starts since 2018.
He’s coming off a season that saw him make just nine starts with the Texas Rangers, posting a 3.95 ERA in 43.1 innings of work. The season before that saw him post a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts.
Will Scherzer really find a way to stay healthier as a 40-year-old? He might make more than nine starts, but it’s tough to rely on him to even make 20 at this point. That clear cause for concern combined with his massive dip in strikeouts this past season (22.6 percent K rate, lowest since 2011) is enough for Atlanta to stay away, even on a one-year deal.
