The Braves have made a multitude of trades over the last week or so that all began when they swung a deal with the Mariners, sending Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar to Seattle for Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White.
For the Mariners, it was primarily a salary dump. Kowar has a big arm but has really struggled at the major-league level, and Phillips is a 2022 second-round pick that has yet to pitch a professional inning after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Why Seattle was willing to send former 6th overall pick Jarred Kelenic to the Braves is because they took on the contracts of Gonzales and White, who are owed a combined $27.5 million over the next two years.
Alex Anthopoulos has since sent both Gonzales and White out of town in what looked to be money-saving transactions. However, it doesn’t look like the Braves were able to save much cash after all. According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves ate $9.5 million when shipping Gonzales to the Pirates. They also took on quite a bit of money in the trade with the Angels for David Fletcher and Max Stassi.
Now that we’ve got a feel for the actual financial cost for Jarred Kelenic, it’s apparent that president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos really loves the outfielder’s potential. This isn’t the bargain acquisition I suggested in Thursday’s newsletter. Since then I’ve learned that the Braves are paying the Pirates $9.25 million of Marco Gonzales’ $12.5 million salary. They also have since ditched Evan White’s ugly contract in exchange for infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi (the latter was traded to the White Sox 24 hours later).
As Bowman notes, Stassi is no longer with the organization after being traded to the White Sox along with cash for a player to be named later. Fletcher looks like he might stick for now and is owed $6 million next year and $6.5 million in 2025. He also has a club option for $8 million in 2026 and $8.5 million in 2027 with a buyout of $1.5 million.
With all of these moves, FanGraphs currently has the Braves 2024 estimated luxury tax payroll at $263 million, and most still expect them to add a starting pitcher in some form or fashion before the start of the season. They are currently projected to be a top five payroll in baseball, and while a lot more moves will take place between now and Opening Day, the narrative that the Braves are cheap is dead. They’ve been aggressive with their budget with each passing season, and there are no signs that they are stopping anytime soon.
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Photo: Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire
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