The Braves came into the offseason with the need for a left fielder, a few relievers, and a starter or two.
To kick off the winter, Alex Anthopoulos re-signed Joe Jimenez and Pierce Johnson, while welcoming back Charlie Morton on his option. Then through a multitude of trades, the Braves netted Jarred Kelenic to patch up the hole in left field, Aaron Bummer and Ray Kerr to bolster the bullpen, and most recently, they shipped Vaughn Grissom to Boston in exchange for Chris Sale.
The Braves are loaded and balanced. The rotation features aces, veterans, and high-upside youngsters. The relief core is littered with high-leverage arms on both sides, lefties and righties. The lineup was already the best in league history, and Kelenic joined the outfield.
Suffice to say, Alex Anthopoulos is probably done wheeling and dealing at the highest degree. Of course, he’ll continue to churn the bottom of the roster, but the blockbuster-esque deals are done.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic confirmed such in a recent piece, noting the Braves are no longer in the mix for Dylan Cease, which isn’t shocking considering the acquisition of Chris Sale.
“The Braves and Reds, two early suitors for Cease, no longer appear in the mix. Both pivoted to other pitchers — the Braves to Chris Sale, the Reds to Nick Martinez and Frankie Montas — rather than meet the White Sox’s price,” Rosenthal said.
It was clear the asking price for the Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease’s of the world was too high for Anthopoulos’ liking. In an interview on 92.9 The Game, Atlanta’s GM confirmed that the Braves hadn’t acquired a frontline starter because they don’t want to trade a handful of projectable players.
Considering Sale only cost Vaughn Grissom, who had no role with the Braves in 2024, the minimized risk has to appeal to Braves fans. There’s an inherent risk with any acquisition. Watching Burnes walk in free agency after one season or Cease after two is the price of doing business with a Scott Boras client.
The asking price would probably have included two of Bryce Elder, A.J. Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep without the guarantee of Cease remaining in Atlanta. That clearly didn’t appeal to Anthopoulos.
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