Atlanta Braves Roster
- NL East
- Stadium
- Truist Park
Free-agent infielder Yolmer Sanchez signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Sanchez, a 30-year-old switch-hitting infielder, played in just 17 major-league games in 2022 with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets and hit a combined .108/.214/.108 with a .322 OPS, no home runs, two RBI and one run scored in 44 plate appearances. He spent all of the 2021 season with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett and is likely to begin the 2023 season back there. Sanchez spent the first seven seasons of his big-league career with the Chicago White Sox, and he has a .243/.299/.355 career slash line with a .654 OPS, 32 home runs, 217 RBI, 253 runs scored and 30 stolen bases in eight seasons in the majors. He'll serve as infield depth for Atlanta.
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (finger) said he would have been ready for the National League Championship Series had the team advanced, and he hasn't had any restrictions during the offseason. Albies suffered a fractured pinkie in mid-September and was unable to play in the first round of the postseason. It was a frustrating season overall for the 26-year-old, as he played in only 64 games and hit .247/.294/.409 with a career-low .703 OPS, eight home runs, 35 RBI, 36 runs scored and three stolen bases in 269 plate appearances. Albies also missed time with a broken foot in 2022, but he should be all systems go for Opening Day this year and could easily bounce back for fantasy managers. He should be treated as a top-five second baseman on draft day.
Left-hander Lucas Luetge and the Atlanta Braves avoided arbitration after agreeing to a one-year, $1.55 million deal. Luetge was waived by the Yankees during the offseason and traded to the Braves a few weeks ago. The 35-year-old made quite an impact for the Yankees in 2022 after molding a 2.67 ERA across 50 appearances. He whiffed 60 batters with a 23.9% strikeout rate. Along with Wandy Peralta, Luetge was the only lefty arm out of the Yankees bullpen. He provided consecutive sub-three ERA's in the two years that he spent in the Bronx, and the southpaw will likely display similar numbers in Atlanta. Luetge will make a fantasy impact if you are looking for a dependable bullpen arm.
The Atlanta Braves and relief pitcher Joe Jimenez avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.765 million deal on Friday. The Braves picked up Jimenez in a trade last month with the Detroit Tigers. The 27-year-old right-hander had a career-best 3.49 ERA (2.00 FIP), 1.09 WHIP, two saves, 77 strikeouts and 13 walks in 56 2/3 relief innings in 2022 for the Tigers. He has 20 career saves in six major-league seasons with Detroit, but he'll probably only have any fantasy value in holds leagues in 2023 as one of Atlanta's setup men in front of closer Raisel Iglesias. Jimenez holds a 5.24 ERA (4.03 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP in 266 major-league relief innings.
Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in an interview with the Athletic Tuesday that he is optimistic that Vaughn Grissom could serve as the team's primary shortstop. The 22-year-old spent time primarily at second base in 2022, but the team now has a hole at that position with Dansby Swanson signing with the Chicago Cubs. Grissom had a nice big-league debut, slashing .291/.353/.440 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and five stolen bases in 156 plate appearances. He may not offer much power, but Grissom's average and speed would make him a nice late-round pick if he were to see consistent playing time in the Braves lineup.
