Braves' Marco Gonzales: Will be flipped to another team
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Atlanta is expected to flip Gonzales (forearm) to a new team in another trade, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Gonzales was acquired from the Mariners on Sunday as part of the Jarred Kelenic trade, but it appears his stay in Atlanta will be a brief one. It is not yet known which club will be acquiring the left-hander, but it sounds like Atlanta already has something in the works. Gonzales posted a 5.22 ERA over just 10 starts in 2023 before requiring season-ending surgery in mid-August to address a nerve issue in his left forearm. He is expected to be healthy for spring training.
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Braves' Vaughn Grissom: Could platoon with Kelenic
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Grissom could platoon in left field with Jarred Kelenic while also serving as Atlanta's top reserve infielder, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Atlanta wants to get Grissom's bat in the lineup, but it just needs to find a spot for him. He is playing left field in the Puerto Rican Winter League beginning this month, and it seems like he and the lefty-hitting Kelenic will be legitimately competing for at-bats this season. General manager Alex Anthopoulos told reporters Sunday that Kelenic's arrival from Seattle signals an end to their left-field pursuits this winter. If any of Atlanta's infielders get injured, the righty-hitting Grissom could step into more playing time.
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Braves' Evan White: Traded to Atlanta
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White (hip) was traded from Seattle to Atlanta on Sunday along with Jarred Kelenic and Marco Gonzales in exchange for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips.
White is entering his age-28 campaign and is owed $8 million over the next two seasons, but Seattle didn't use him in the majors in 2022 or 2023. Last season was a lost campaign for White, who ended up having hip surgery in May. He hasn't been a league-average hitter since his stint at Triple-A in 2021, and this was primarily a salary dump move by Seattle. White has a career .165/.235/.308 MLB slash line in 306 plate appearances.
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Braves' Marco Gonzales: Shipped to Atlanta
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Gonzales (forearm) was traded from Seattle to Atlanta on Sunday along with Jarred Kelenic and Evan White in exchange for Jackson Kowar and Cole Phillips.
Gonzales had been pretty durable early in his career, but he was limited to 10 starts last season and ended up needing season-ending surgery in mid-August to address a nerve issue in his left forearm. He is expected to have a normal offseason, but his 5.22 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 2023 were easily his worst marks since 2017. Gonzales is owed $7.5 million for the 2024 season, and he could be part of a competition for the final couple spots in Atlanta's rotation.
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Braves' Jarred Kelenic: Dealt to Atlanta
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Kelenic, Marco Gonzales and Evan White were traded from Seattle to Atlanta on Sunday in exchange for Cole Phillips (elbow) and Jackson Kowar, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Kelenic was once regarded as the top prospect in baseball, but he struggled to consistently perform at the major-league level with the Mariners. Over portions of three seasons in Seattle, he slashed .204/.283/.373 with 32 home runs, 109 RBI, 105 runs and 24 steals over 252 games. However, he'll now get a chance for a fresh start in Atlanta as part of a move that was largely made by Seattle for financial purposes. Atlanta has a hole in left field, and the expectation is that Kelenic will start there against right-handed pitchers while Vaughn Grissom starts against southpaws, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.
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Braves' Luis Liberato: Gets minors deal from Atlanta
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Liberato signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Nov. 19.
Liberato got a cup of coffee with the Padres in 2022 but spent all of 2023 at Triple-A El Paso, putting up an .826 OPS with nine homers in 69 contests. The 27-year-old is likely headed to Triple-A Gwinnett to begin the 2024 campaign.
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Braves' Tommy Doyle: Lands in Atlanta
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Doyle signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Nov. 25.
Doyle had been non-tendered by the Rockies and has now landed in a new organization. He holds an 8.31 ERA over 18 relief appearances at the major-league level and has struggled to regain his stuff since shoulder surgery in September of 2021.
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Braves' Luke Williams: Back with Atlanta
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Atlanta re-signed Williams to a minor-league contract Nov. 18.
Williams was non-tendered by Atlanta and elected free agency last month but then immediately re-signed. The 27-year-old utility player has batted just .225/.281/.295 during parts of three seasons in the majors.
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Braves' Jackson Stephens: Back in Atlanta
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Stephens (elbow) signed a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract with Atlanta on Wednesday.
Stephens joined Atlanta's big-league bullpen in mid-September and made five appearances before landing on the injured list shortly ahead of the postseason with right elbow inflammation. The 29-year-old righty holds a 3.56 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 65.2 innings since initially joining Atlanta in 2022, though it remains unclear if he will be ready to go for the start of spring training.
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Braves' Penn Murfee: Returns to Atlanta
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Murfee (elbow) signed a one-year, non-guaranteed split contract with Atlanta on Wednesday.
After being claimed off waivers by Atlanta on Nov. 14 and non-tendered by the team three days later, Murfee will officially remain with Atlanta for the 2024 campaign. Murfee holds a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his career across 83.1 big-league innings, though a surgery in June to repair a torn UCL puts him at risk of missing the vast majority of the season.
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Braves' Ben Bowden: Inks minor-league deal
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Bowden signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday.
Bowden spent the 2023 campaign with the Phillies on a minor-league deal and posted a 4.64 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 52.1 innings over 49 relief appearances at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He elected free agency in early November and was able to reach an agreement with Atlanta a few weeks later. The southpaw could serve as a non-roster invitee this spring but seems like a long shot to be a regular presence in the major-league bullpen.
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Braves' Andrew Velazquez: Back with Atlanta
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Velazquez signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday.
Velazquez was claimed by Atlanta in early September after beginning the 2023 campaign in the Angels organization. He hit .217 with four runs, four RBI and a steal over 14 games at Triple-A Gwinnett but elected free agency in early November. However, after testing free agency for a few weeks, he'll rejoin Atlanta and could compete for a reserve spot on the team's Opening Day roster this spring.
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Braves' Grant Holmes: Re-signs with Atlanta
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Atlanta re-signed Holmes to a minor-league contract Wednesday.
It's unclear whether Holmes was given an invite to spring training as part of the deal. The former top prospect pitched well in a full-time move to relief in 2023 with Triple-A Gwinnett, holding a 3.54 ERA and 74:26 K:BB over 61 frames. He's likely headed back to Gwinnett to start 2024.
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Braves' Chadwick Tromp: Back with Atlanta
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Atlanta re-signed Tromp to a minor-league contract Wednesday.
Tromp was non-tendered by Atlanta last week but will return to the organization. The 28-year-old catcher has put up a .640 OPS with five home runs over 102 plate appearances at the major-league level. He'll likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Braves' Reynaldo Lopez: Gets three years, $30M from Atlanta
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Lopez signed a three-year, $26 million contract with Atlanta on Monday.
The deal contains an $8 million club option or $4 million buyout for the 2027 season, so Lopez will net $30 million over the life of the deal. Atlanta had already re-signed Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez and traded for Aaron Bummer and they've now brought in Lopez to reinforce their bullpen. Lopez made a full-time move to relief in 2022 and has produced a 3.02 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 146:45 K:BB over 131.1 innings covering the last two seasons. Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Lopez will be stretched out during spring training to give Atlanta a rotation option, with the possibility that he could contribute both as a starter and reliever. In all likelihood, Lopez will wind up in the bullpen and step in as one of the top setup options in front of closer Raisel Iglesias.
Atlanta acquired Kowar from the Royals on Friday in exchange for Kyle Wright, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Kowar owns a brutal 9.12 ERA through his first 74 major-league innings, but he was a top-100 prospect just a few years ago and can maybe find himself with a change of scenery. The reigning NL East champs could try him as a long reliever in 2024, though he also has past experience as a starter.
