Atlanta Braves News

The Atlanta Braves have signed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract on Sunday. The Braves are in need of some outfield depth with star Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) expected to miss the first couple months of the season. De La Cruz spent time with both the Marlins and the Pirates last season but was let go after a rough stretch of play to end the season for Pittsburgh. While the 27-year-old set a career-high in home runs with 21, 18 of those came in 454 plate appearances with the Marlins (25 PA/HR). He hit just three in 168 PA with the Pirates (56 PA/HR) while hitting just .200. With a 9.3% barrel rate that was in line with his career rate, there's hope that the pop will be there for the Braves, but the right-handed hitter struck out at an above-average rate in 2024 (27.3%) while walking at a well below-average rate (4.7%), so that'll need to improve. Once Acuna returns, the 6-foot-4 outfielder likely becomes a platoon player with teammate Jarred Kelenic, as De La Cruz had success against left-handed pitchers last season (.285/.309/.425) while Kelenic was the opposite. The four-year pro is probably best left to the waiver wire in fantasy drafts unless he shows tremendous improvement in the spring.

Free-agent infielder Jose Devers agreed to a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, according to sources. Devers is the cousin of Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers. He spent the last six seasons in the Miami Marlins organization and appeared in 24 games at the big-league level, posting a weak .611 OPS. The 24-year-old Dominican only played in three games for the Fish in 2024 and hit .239/.304/.362 with three home runs, 17 RBI, three stolen bases and 28 runs scored in 54 games at Triple-A Jacksonville. Devers is mostly useful for his glove in the middle infield and he's likely to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Gwinnett as infield depth for the Braves. In seven minor-league seasons, Devers has slashed .261/.324/.362 with a .686 OPS and only 13 home runs.

Free-agent right-hander Connor Gillispie signed an undisclosed one-year major-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Gillispie, a former ninth-round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 out of Virginia Commonwealth, made his major-league debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024 and gave up two earned runs while walking five and striking out eight in only eight relief innings. The 27-year-old hurler made 27 appearances (15 starts) at Triple-A Columbus and went 5-7 with a 4.05 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and a 119:48 K:BB in 113 1/3 innings thrown. Gillispie will probably enter spring training in 2025 as a long shot to make Atlanta's Opening Day starting rotation, but he can at least provide them with some bullpen depth to open the year. In five minor-league seasons, he has a 4.01 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with a 9.1 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back), who was named the 2024 National League Cy Young winner on Wednesday, won't have his offseason hampered at all by the back spasms that he dealt with at the tail end of the season. Sale was unable to take his final turn of the regular season against the division-rival New York Mets in the regular season and then also wasn't available for the Braves in the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. However, had Atlanta advanced to the NL Division Series, he would have started Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's great news for the 35-year-old southpaw as he looks for an encore in 2025 with the Braves. He posted a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 225 K's and only 39 walks in 177 2/3 innings in his first year in Atlanta. Sale obviously has ace upside, but there's also high bust potential because of his lengthy injury history.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale won the NL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, the first time the 35-year-old has won the award in his 15-year career, despite finishing in the top five in six consecutive seasons from 2013-18. The lefty went 18-3 while posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 26.5% K-BB% while earning a trip to the All-Star game for the eighth time. The veteran also won his first career Gold Glove award in 2024. It looks like the Braves won this trade with the Red Sox, as Vaughn Grissom was sent to the Red Sox in exchange for Sale, and Grissom played just 31 games this season due to injury, posting just a .190/.246/.219. Hopefully Sale's injury issues are behind him and he can continue to pitch a few more years with this type of effectiveness before any age-related decline kicks in. The southpaw was quite the value in fantasy drafts in 2024, but he will cost much more in 2025.

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent catcher Yohel Pozo to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Pozo will give the Braves additional catching depth entering the 2025 season after they saw Travis d'Arnaud leave for the Los Angeles Angels in free agency earlier this week. Pozo made his major-league debut back in 2021 with the Texas Rangers and hasn't resurfaced in the Show since. In his 21 games played in the big leagues, he's gone 21-for-74 (.284) with a homer, nine RBI and eight runs scored. The 27-year-old Venezuelan backstop has been swinging a hot bat in the minor leagues ever since, including a .324/.335/.538 slash line with an .873 OPS, 15 home runs and 54 RBI at Las Vegas, the Triple-A affiliate for the A's, in 2024. Sean Murphy will be Atlanta's primary catcher in 2025 with Chadwick Tromp likely backing him up.

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent third baseman Charles Leblanc to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Leblanc will give the Braves additional infield depth entering spring training in February. The 28-year-old Canadian infielder has experience at second base, third base and first base. The former fourth-round selection by the Texas Rangers in 2016 out of the University of Pittsburgh made his major-league debut in 2022 with the Miami Marlins and also saw action in 11 games with the Los Angeles Angels this past season. In his 59 career games at the MLB level, he has hit .254/.330/.412 with a .742 OPS, six home runs, 17 RBI, four stolen bases and 24 runs scored in 197 trips to the plate. Leblanc hit .254 (86-for-339) with 12 long balls, 52 RBI, four steals and 56 runs scored in 98 games with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2024.

On Monday, the Atlanta Braves sent minor-league pitching prospect Jared Johnson to the Athletics in exchange for shortstop Nick Allen. Allen made his major league debut in 2022 but has failed to stick at the major league level due to his underperformance at the plate. He's got a career slashline of .209/.254/.283 with a 53 wRC+ in 760 MLB plate appearances (247 games). The 26-year-old has solid bat-to-ball skills, with an 80.6% contact rate at the major league level, but it hasn't translated to hits. That hasn't been the case in the minors, slashing .345/.431/.497 in 81 games at Triple-A last season. Still, it is his glove that makes him worthy of a major league roster spot if he can manage to at least hit better than .209. Orlando Arcia manned short for the Braves last season, but even his .218 BA with a 72 wRC+ was better than that. Johnson pitched to a 2.60 ERA in 52 relief innings last year at High-A Rome for the Braves and figures to be a bullpen arm as well whenever the 23-year-old gets a shot in the bigs.

Atlanta Braves catching prospect Drake Baldwin has carried an impressive .377/.452/.491 line through 13 games in the Arizona Fall League. The backstop has tallied one double, one home run, nine RBI, and held a strong 8:9 BB:K ratio. Last summer, the No.5 prospect in the Atlanta system held his own through his first look at Triple-A. Through 72 games with the Gwinnett Stripers, the former third-round pick posted a solid 298/.407/.484 slash line with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, and a 52:54 BB:K ratio. It is a promising sign to see the backstop continue to show a great eye at the plate in the AFL. With Travis d'Arnaud no longer under contract in Atlanta, Baldwin could have a viable path on making the major league roster directly out of Spring Training if he continues to develop well.

According to David O'Brien of The Athletic, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and starting pitcher Spencer Strider (elbow) are not expected to be ready by Opening Day. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said, "We're planning on not having them on the Opening Day roster. How soon after that, we'll see how that goes. And as we get closer and get into spring training, we'll probably be able to update." Fantasy managers should continue monitoring their progress during the offseason and Spring Training; they could potentially sit out significantly during the 2025 season. Acuna suffered a torn ACL in his left knee last May, while Spencer Strider underwent an internal brace procedure in April. During the 2023 season, Acuna captured the NL MVP by hitting a stellar .337/.416/.596 line with 41 home runs and 733 stolen bases. In the same season, Strider finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting with a 3.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 281 punchouts across 186 2/3 innings of work. When healthy, both players are elite fantasy assets and would have been consensus first-round selections in all fantasy formats.

Atlanta Braves right-handed reliever Joe Jimenez (knee) is expected to be out eight to 12 months after having surgery on Oct. 29 to fix cartilage damage in his left knee. The surgery was performed in Chicago by Dr. Brian Cole. We'll have a better idea of Jimenez's specific timetable for a return next year, but he's almost certainly going to miss all of the first half of the 2025 season. It's a significant blow to Atlanta's bullpen, as the 29-year-old hurler was one of the team's best bullpen arms in 2024. Despite going 1-5 in his second season with Atlanta in 69 appearances out of the bullpen, he posted a career-best 2.62 ERA (2.34 FIP), a 0.99 WHIP, three saves, a career-high-tying 82 strikeouts and 23 walks in 68 2/3 innings pitched. Don't be surprised if Jimenez's rehab extends into the second half of next season after the All-Star break.

The Atlanta Braves exercised designated hitter Marcell Ozuna's $16 million club option for the 2025 season on Monday. It was a no-brainer decision for the Braves after Ozuna was once again one of the best all-around hitters in the game in 2024. The 33-year-old veteran Dominican slugger helped carry Atlanta's offense this year with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Ozuna made the All-Star team for the third time in his career and finished his fifth year with the Braves with an impressive .302/.378/.546 slash line, .925 OPS, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, one steal and career-high 96 runs scored in a league-high 162 games played. He's recorded a whopping 79 home runs and 204 RBI the last two seasons, but his loss of outfield eligibility makes him a bit more volatile for fantasy managers heading into 2025.

The Atlanta Braves signed right-hander Reynaldo Lopez to a new three-year, $30 million deal on Saturday, the team announced. Lopez will earn $8 million in 2025, $14 million in 2026, and $8 million in 2027. He originally signed a three-year deal with the Braves last November that included a club option for 2027. Additionally, the team signed left-hander Aaron Bummer to a two-year, $13 million deal on Saturday. He'll make $3.5 million next season and $9.5 million in 2026. The 30-year-old Lopez was originally set to make $11 million in both 2025 and 2026. He faded down the stretch due to injuries, but overall, the Dominican hurler had a fantastic first season in Atlanta in a return to a starting role, going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 135 2/3 innings over his 26 outings (25 starts) during the regular season.

The Atlanta Braves could turn to catching prospect Drake Baldwin, who is considered the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, next season if there's a catching injury to either Sean Murphy or Travis d'Arnaud. Baldwin, 23, was impressive in the minors in 2024 and has continued that in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .310 with three extra-base hits and an .892 OPS in seven contests. While his defense isn't weak, his bat is certainly ahead of his glove. Baldwin had just four homers and a .650 OPS in 52 games at Double-A early on this year, but he hit .298 with 12 long balls and an .891 OPS in 72 games after being promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett. "The way he's played, he's definitely a phone call away at this point," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. Baldwin will begin 2025 back at Triple-A while sharing time with Chadwick Tromp.

The Athletic's David O'Brien writes that the Atlanta Braves are unlikely to get into a bidding war to retain impending free-agent left-hander Max Fried. The Braves exceeded luxury-tax thresholds each of the last two seasons and will be returning Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider. Fried will be 31 in January, a little on the old side for a free-agent starter, but he is 71-31 with a 3.06 ERA in 145 regular-season games since the start of 2019 and figures to attract multiple suitors. His age and multiple injuries in his career could keep his cost low enough for Atlanta to consider re-signing him. Fried has been a three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time All-Star and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting twice. If Fried leaves and Charlie Morton retires, Atlanta has options to fill out their rotation in Ian Anderson, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep.

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that the team is planning to exercise their 2025 club options for catcher Travis d'Arnaud ($8 million) and left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer ($7.25 million). d'Arnaud saw much more playing time than expected in 2024, even when Sean Murphy was healthy. He was the better offensive backstop of the two also, hitting .238/.302/.436 with a .739 OPS, 15 home runs, 48 RBI and 40 runs scored in 99 regular-season games for Atlanta. The 35-year-old veteran should be expected to split duties at catcher with Murphy again in 2025. Bummer, 31, could be Atlanta's primary late-inning left-hander in 2025. In his first year with the Braves in 2024, he went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings over his 56 appearances out of the bullpen.

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that the team is planning to exercise their club option for the 2025 season on outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna for $16 million. It's a no-brainer decision after Ozuna made the All-Star team for the third time in his career in 2024 by hitting .302/.378/.546 with a .925 OPS, 39 home runs, 104 RBI and 96 runs scored in 688 plate appearances over a full 162-game season. It was the first time that Ozuna played in all 162 games in his career, and he's now clubbed 79 home runs and driven in 204 runs in 306 games for the Braves the last two regular seasons while slashing .289/.364/.552 with a .916 OPS. The 33-year-old was helped health-wise by the fact that he played all 162 of his games as the team's DH. Ozuna tried to pick up the slack as best he could offensively with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and Austin Riley (hand) suffering injuries this year.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back) threw a side session on Friday and felt great. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told Sale earlier this week that he would have been on the roster for the National League Division Series had the Braves advanced past the San Diego Padres in the Wild-Card Series. Sale had to be scratched from Game 2 of Monday's divisional doubleheader against the New York Mets and then was unavailable to pitch in either of the two games of the Wild-Card Series in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a disappointing end of the season for the 35-year-old veteran, who is the front-runner to win the National League Cy Young this year after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings over his 29 starts in his first year with the Braves. The eight-time All-Star obviously still has lots of upside, but he's also a big injury risk at his age.

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said it's too early to know when right-hander Spencer Strider (elbow) will be back and said it could be as soon as Opening Day in 2025 or as late as early June, if for some reason he needed more time. Right now, there have been no setbacks for Strider or reason to think his timetable would be on the longer end. The 25-year-old had an internal-brace procedure done on his right elbow in the middle of April to fix UCL damage in his right elbow. Strider previously had Tommy John surgery on the same elbow, but the hope is that the internal-brace procedure will help him return sooner than later. Fantasy managers looking to draft Strider as their ace should have more clarity on a specific timetable once he gets deeper into his rehab this winter. Strider won a league-high 20 games for Atlanta in 2023 but started just two games in 2024.

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that it's too early to know when outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) will be back. Anthopoulos said it could be as soon as Opening Day or as late as early June, if for some reason he needs more time. Right now, there have been no setbacks or reason to think it would be on the longer end of that timetable. Acuna tore his left ACL in 2024 and needed surgery, so he's not a lock to be ready for Opening Day next season. The 26-year-old had surgery on his knee in early June. Despite the uncertain timetable for Acuna, by draft season early next year, fantasy managers should have a bit more clarity on when Acuna might be ready to go. The four-time All-Star won the National League MVP in 2023 and led the league in runs (149), hits (217), steals (73), on-base percentage (.416), OPS (1.012) and total bases (383). He'll still be a high-end fantasy option for his upside across all categories despite coming off a major injury.