The Atlanta Braves have been one of the most active teams in the early portion of free agency so far, making several key moves to bolster their bullpen.
To start off, they locked up two of their relievers from last season. Joe Jimenez returns on a 3 year deal ($26 million total), and Pierce Johnson will return on a 2 year pact ($14.25 million). Jimenez was acquired last offseason from the Tigers, while Johnson arrived via midseason trade with the Rockies. There must have been something in the water in Atlanta for Johnson, as he managed a microscopic 0.76 ERA in Atlanta after recording a 6.00 ERA in Colorado before the trade.
The team also made two trades this offseason to add to their bullpen. Their first move was to send a package of players to the White Sox for Aaron Bummer, a lefthanded pitcher with electric stuff. In a separate move, the team also acquired Jackson Kowar from the Royals, a pitcher who struggled the last couple of years but may have some potential going forward.
Finally, the Braves added one more reliever to the mix by way of a free agency signing of pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (3 years, $30 million). Lopez is a former starting pitcher who became a dominant reliever over the last few seasons. The Braves are apparently not ruling out the possibility that he could start for them; but smart money would have him as a multi-inning specialist out of the bullpen.
Newest member of the already stacked Atlanta Braves bullpen — Reynaldo Lopez.
3 yrs, $30M. #Braves
pic.twitter.com/Rp2BvYef8M— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) November 20, 2023
These players are joined by closer Raisiel Iglesius, elite set-up man A.J. Minter, as well as lefthander Tyler Matzek, who will be returning from injury.
General Manager Alex Anthopoulos is likely trying to repeat the success that his 2021 World Series team had. That Braves team rode a fantastic bullpen to a surprising championship, a blueprint that many teams have also followed over the years. Look no further than the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks this past season. Both were Wild Card teams that got hot at the right time, including some shutdown performances by their bullpens.
It sure seems like the Braves are done with spending on the bullpen for this offseason. They have also shown interest in some of the top starting pitchers on the market, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they add one to their rotation. With an offense that broke records last season, the fate of the 2024 Braves will likely come down to how well they pitch.
Is the Braves bullpen good enough to engineer another deep playoff run? Sure, on paper at least. It of course remains to be seen which teams are the hottest and healthiest by the time next October comes around.