5 Biggest Questions Facing Atlanta Braves
From September call-ups to free agents, we take a look at the three-biggest questions facing the Atlanta Braves.
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Can the Atlanta Braves afford to bring back pitcher Max Fried. Can they afford not to? / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2024 Atlanta Braves season is in the third act – the climax of the story. Much is left to be resolved, both for the season and what’s to come at its conclusion.
Here are five of the biggest questions facing the Braves as they march toward October.
Who is Worthy of Earning the September Call-Up Spots?
The era of calling up the 40-man in September is long over. However, rosters still expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1. The Braves have to decide which two players would best help them down the stretch.
Being in the midst of a tight playoff race, these choices could make or break their chances.
One solid option is veteran Yuli Gurriel, who has been batting .300 with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. There have been some rumors that he could be on his way soon. A few weeks ago, an insider said he could join the lineup. The flames were fanned when he was reportedly working on playing third base again for the first time in five years after Autin Riley’s injury.
After that, it gets more complicated. Could be a bat. Could be more pitching depth.
Maybe this is when Ian Anderson finally makes his return. There was a moment when he might have been called up to fill a spot due to injuries, but all that happened was his next start was moved back. With expanded rosters, the Braves could call him up without having to sacrifice someone else.
However, the same could be said about bullpen arms who haven’t been able to stay in the big leagues despite strong performances. Daysbel Hernández has spent most of this season with Gwinnett despite having a 0.82 ERA with the Braves this season.
There are some tough decisions to make with just two spots, but decision time is closer than many realize.
Which Impending Free Agent Starters Should Be Re-Signed?
The Braves have two-key members of the starting rotation who are set to be unrestricted free agents this winter, Max Fried and Charlie Morton.
Fried will be a free agent for the first time at age 30, while the 40-year-old Morton is in the twilight of his MLB tenure. The Braves likely have an interest in bringing both back. However, they have to p out if they can pay Fried the money is going to want and what contract would be worth offering to Morton.
Fried is making $15 million this season. According to Spotrac, his market value is about $21.4 million and could get a six-year deal worth about $128.4 million. When calculating it based on comparable contracts, he could get a contract that is around $25 million a year and a total of $150 over six years. He’s a two-time All-Star with a history of injuries. He’ll get a good contract but not as much as he could if he was consistently healthier. Either way, this is a deal the Braves should absolutely sign Fried to. Keep your ace and a fan favorite long term at good price.
Meanwhile, Morton is coming off a season making $20 million a year. The Braves cannot afford to give him that kind of deal again. Spotrac puts his value at $17 million and a one-year deal. While it’s fair to say the value of middle-of-the-rotation arms has gone up in value, especially ones that can go six or seven innings a start, it wouldn’t be wise for the Braves to hand out that type of deal either. Between his age and declining performance, it wouldn’t be worth it, especially meant not re-signing the aforementioned Fried.
They also should have Spencer Strider back sometime next year. Somebody has to be the odd man out, and it shouldn’t be Fried.
Which Team Options Should Be Exercised?
There are four players with club options this offseason: Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and relief pitchers Luke Jackson and Aaron Bummer.
The Braves are a reportedly going to exercise Ozuna's $16 million option, and it’s the easiest decision they can make. The 33-year-old All-Star, currently chasing the triple crown, could easily command more than that on the open market.
d’Arnaud has an $8 million option. That’s a steal. Spotrac values him at $13 million a season. There are many reasons to keep d’Arnaud around. An extremely team-friendly deal is a glaring one. He’s a good hitting catcher who can work with all members of the rotation. The Braves would be hard-pressed to find a replacement.
Jackson is set to make $7 million next year. With a 7.04 ERA since coming to Atlanta, no thank you. He has a $2 million buyout with the rest of the money going to better use elsewhere. The same can be said about Bummer. He’s been a solid reliever with a 3.86 ERA with a 116 ERA+. But with how deep the Braves bullpen is with options that keep going to Triple-A simply because of roster space, they can afford to hand him his $1 million buyout.
When Will They Need a Successor to Brian Snitker?
There have been discussions about manager Brian Snitker’s future with the Braves organization. He’s not going to be fired. He will go out on his own terms at this point.
The question is when.
Snitker has one more year on his contract, so next year could be his final year. Perhaps he forgoes it after this season and calls it a career. He turns 69 in October.
Perhaps, this is only a question at all because the Braves have struggled for much of this year. But that’s the unfortunate business of sports.
For those unaware, Snitker has been with the Braves long before he was the manager. His time with the team goes back to when he was a minor-league player in 1977. He then became a coach in the 1980s and has been with the organization in some fashion ever since. Regardless of when the time comes, it will be the end of a very long era.
Will the Braves Even Make the Playoffs?
The fact that this question even has to be asked.
The Braves are playing better the last-few games, but there are times when playoff hopes seem to be hanging on by a thread. Currently, they have a two and half game cushion over the Mets for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. But this is after they watched their cushion for the first Wild Card evaporate.
This is a team that is very familiar with how easily playoff hopes can be resurrected and killed.
In 2021, they were eight games back of a playoff spot at the trade deadline and ended up winning the division and the World Series. Meanwhile, a decade earlier, they held an eight-and-a-half game lead over what was then the only Wild Card spot at the start of September and missed the playoffs on the final night of the season.
How’s it going to pan out this year? Maybe they do somehow overcome their six-game deficit for first place and beat out the Phillies for another division crown. Maybe they’re focused on the offseason earlier than they would like.
A lot of baseball left to be played, but we’ll know soon enough.
