The Atlanta Braves had the best Winter Meetings experience that they could have conceivably had.
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If you were there to cover the Atlanta Braves, it certainly didn’t feel like one of the “quietest” Winter Meetings in recent memory.
Atlanta was busy in Nashville, starting with the bombshell trade of the night before with the Seattle Mariners, in which the Braves sent a pitching prospect (Cole Phillips) and recently acquired reliever Jackson Kowar to acquire two salary dumps (Evan White and Marco Gonzales) and new leftfielder Jarred Kelenic. Later, Gonzales (along with the majority of his salary obligation) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is why the Braves “won” the Winter Meetings, let’s examine:
At every position on the diamond, Atlanta is firmly in control for the long run.
On September 22, 2023, in Arlington, Texas, USA, Seattle Mariners left fielder Jarred Kelenic (10) hits a double in the fifth inning at Globe Life Field against the Texas Rangers.
For USA TODAY Sports, Jerome Miron
On Tuesday afternoon, Alex Anthopoulos was certain that the Braves deliberately pursued Jarred Kelenic this offseason rather than a leftfielder.
And they succeeded in getting their man.
Atlanta is in an extremely unique situation in Major League Baseball with the arrival of Kelenic and the formal move of Vaughn Grissom to left field: they know who their starters are for every position on the diamond, not just for 2024 but for YEARS to come.
And Atlanta even knows exactly how much they’ll be paying most of those players, except the inevitable arbitration wages of Jarred Kelenic (2025) and Vaughn Grissom (2027).
This is first in the era of free agency. It facilitates determining the amount of money that can be allocated to pitching and/or small roster depth improvements.
At least some of the money owed to Marco Gonzales has been shifted by Atlanta.
On May 28, 2023, in Seattle, Washington, USA, starting pitcher Marco Gonzales (7) of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates at T-Mobile Park in the first inning. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/Joe Nicholson
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Nicholson
Atlanta took on Marco Gonzales’ contract as part of the Kelenic trade; however, the Mariners contributed $4.5 million toward the $12.25 million remaining on the veteran lefty’s 2024 contract. However, two days later, Atlanta traded Gonzales to the Pittsburgh Pirates, paying an undisclosed sum of money to settle the $7.75 million that was still owed on the contract.
Getting some of that excess salary off the books is important for a Braves team that projected to be around the second Competitive Balance Tax threshold, as the team still has time to sign a starting pitcher or another reliever before spring training begins.
(Alex Anthopoulos stressed that the team’s main priority when it comes to spending is the cash payroll; they monitor the CBT payroll to know how much extra money they’ll need to pay the luxury tax penalty, but when trying to enhance the squad, their main worry is the actual cash outlays.)
During the offseason, Anthopoulos has shown restraint and made calculated decisions.
On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, during the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos answers questions.
Atlanta’s president of baseball operations didn’t let the Philadelphia Phillies’ two straight NLDS eliminations ruin his preparations for the winter.
At the Winter Meetings, Anthopoulos declared, “We’re not going to significantly change the core of our team”. “This was the one out of ten – I’d expect our club to have more than four extra base hits (in a playoff series).”
Still, he admitted to himself that he was considering it. “You’re not going to totally disregard it, but you also don’t want to base choices just on a four-game series, do you? That’s just the blend and balance, in my opinion.”
Anthopoulos displayed restraint by refusing to part with valuable assets in favor of a “splash” addition, such as Juan Soto (who the Yankees had to trade four pitchers to acquire) or Sonny Gray (who, in addition to receiving $75 million over three years from the St. Louis Cardinals, would have cost Atlanta two draft picks in 2024 due to his qualifying offer).
Rather, the Atlanta Braves persisted in their strategy of focusing on particular players who they could get for a low cost, given their poor play in the previous season: Reynaldo López and Aaron Bummer of the Chicago White Sox (61-101); Kelenic of the Mariners (who loved Seattle so much he forgot to thank them in his farewell Instagram post); and previous purchases Pierce Johnson (Colorado Rockies), Sean Murphy, and Matt Olson (Oakland Athletics).
It’s also a more sustainable roster-building method since, having been released by underwhelming previous teams, the players are likely to sign long-term contracts with the team and/or accept lower salaries than they could obtain elsewhere.
