The Braves have a number of arbitration candidates this offseason, and not all of them will be tendered a contract, including a couple of notable names who could be looking for a new home.
From MLB Trade Rumors, Braves arbitration candidates and their projected salaries:
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- A.J. Minter (5.154): $6.5MM
- Max Fried (5.148): $14.4MM
- Yonny Chirinos (5.114): $2MM
- Michael Soroka (5.009): $3MM
- Nick Anderson (4.153): $1.6MM
- Nicky Lopez (4.139): $3.9MM
- Kolby Allard (3.162): $1MM
- Ben Heller (3.102): $900K
- Sam Hilliard (3.094): $1.1MM
- Michael Tonkin (3.074): $1MM
- Kyle Wright (3.062): $1.4MM
- Andrew Velazquez (3.033): $740K
- Huascar Ynoa (3.011): $1MM
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Max Fried and A.J. Minter are no-brainers. They will be with the Braves next season. Kyle Wright will also be brought back, even though he is scheduled to miss the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery.
The rest, however, are up in the air.
Yonny Chirinos
The Yonny Chirinos experiment didn’t work this past season, but the Braves opted not to release him for a reason. They think they can toy with his stuff over the offseason and make him a quality pitcher again. For just $2 million, and given all the questions surrounding this rotation, I’m leaning towards the Braves tendering him a contract and bringing him into Spring Training next year as a potential depth piece.
Michael Soroka
This one might be the most difficult decision of them all. Everybody in Braves Country wants to see Soroka back and making an impact at the major-league level again. $3 million also isn’t going to break the bank, but the issue is Soroka is out of options, which means he has to make the club out of Spring Training or be released. At this point, it’s impossible to ignore all of the injuries. I would hope the Braves decide to see it through, but it’s very possible they end up cutting the cord this offseason.
Nick Anderson
Anderson was really terrific for the Braves in the first half of the season, but a shoulder injury held him out in the second half. As long as he’s deemed healthy, the Braves should tender him the $1.6 million.
Nicky Lopez
Nicky Lopez is another intriguing candidate. $3.9 million is a relatively hefty price tag for a backup infielder, but unless the Braves go out and acquire another starting caliber shortstop, they probably will keep Lopez around. Orlando Arcia was very good for the Braves this season, but who knows if he will be able to replicate that production in 2024.
Ben Heller
Heller showed some chops in limited action for the Braves this year and features some really good stuff. He’s probably worth keeping around for less than $1 million.
Sam Hilliard
Hilliard had some moments for the Braves, but injuries cut his season short. The Braves should probably look to upgrade their outfield depth across the board.
Michael Tonkin
For the majority of the season, Tonkin was an incredibly reliable long reliever for the Braves. At a $1 million price tag, he should be brought back unless Alex Anthopoulos really wants to focus on bolstering Atlanta’s relief core.
Andrew Velazquez
Velazquez never made an appearance for the Braves and likely will not be tendered a contract.
Huascar Ynoa
Ynoa was once a bright young arm for the Braves, but he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of last year. Given his age, upside, and arbitration figure, one can assume the Braves will hang onto him as long as they believe he can make a return to the mound.
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Photo: Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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