Fresh off getting swept by San Diego in their National League wild-card series, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and manager Brian Snitker spoke with reporters Friday on a Zoom call.
Here are some of the key topics discussed:
- The Braves intend to return their entire coaching staff for 2025, Snitker and Anthopoulos said. That includes hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who’d been criticized by fans during the team’s disappointing offensive season.
“Yes, as of right now, yes (they’re all returning),” Snitker said. Anthopoulos added: “It’s Snit’s staff, so I’m on board with him. … Barring some retiring or resigning, the expectation is that they’re all back.”
Snitker and the Braves’ staff helped the team reach 89 wins despite myriad injuries that could’ve cost the franchise its seventh consecutive postseason appearance. Snitker, who turns 69 his month, has one year remaining on his deal.
- Business is good: The Braves will continue increasing their payroll from opening-day 2024 to opening-day 2025, Anthopoulos confirmed. They’ve paid the luxury tax during the past two years for the first time in franchise history.
“It’s gone up each year that I’ve been here,” Anthopoulos said. “I know it’s not going to go down, I expect it to rise, but to what level, we’ll spend the offseason going through that. I view it opening day to opening day, because in-season things come up. Like I’ve said, I’ve never been told no (based on money). I’ve never gone to (Chairman) Terry (McGuirk) and said, ‘We have the chance to add so and so’ (and been told no). I’ve always been given the money in-season, even though our payroll number is a certain amount going into the year. Is it a bottomless pit? Is it unlimited? Of course not. But every year we’ve set a new Braves high from a payroll standpoint.
“So from my chair – I think I can speak for the fans, too – that’s all you can ask for. We have a chairman who’s totally committed to giving us what we need to win. We’ve done that each year. We’ve been over the tax two years in a row; I never dreamt in a million years we’d be a tax team when I got here. So to be where we’re at now, I don’t need to convince anybody. Terry is so committed to winning and putting the best team on the field. We will be going up, I just can’t give you the amount.”
- Chris Sale, who didn’t pitch after Sept. 19 and missed the end of the season with back spasms, was throwing on the field behind Anthopoulos during the call. Sale, who might soon receive his first Cy Young award, felt good after the session and would’ve been available to pitch if the Braves had advanced.
- Anthopoulos wouldn’t rule out ace Spencer Strider (elbow surgery) and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn ACL) being ready for opening day, but there’s still a long way to go as they recover from season-ending injuries. He acknowledged the possibility of being cautious with both, which could mean May debuts (he added that June might be on the longer end). The team will have a better idea when it arrives in Florida for spring training.
- The Braves have an excellent foursome atop their rotation when healthy in Sale, Strider, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach. Max Fried and Charlie Morton are free agents; the former likely will sign elsewhere on a large contract while the latter likely will retire. The Braves still could use another starter.
The team anticipates stretching out Grant Holmes, who was among the pleasant surprises of 2024, in spring training. It also has Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder as depth in Triple-A. Anthopoulos stated the obvious: Depth is necessary, especially given how often pitchers get injured.
“We like those four names, we like the internal depth that we have,” Anthopoulos said. “And if something presents itself, we’ll certainly do it. Max’s name came up (earlier) and so on. I’d love to have five great starters and the other guys as depth. That’d be great for our club. I just can’t guarantee we’ll end up getting it done.”
- Shortstop Orlando Arcia had an underwhelming season, hitting .218 with a .625 OPS. He also struggled in the second half of the 2023 campaign, hitting .235 with a .713 OPS after earning an All-Star nod for his superb first half.
While the Braves have long-term answers at most positions, shortstop is the obvious area for potential improvement. But that still would be difficult considering there’s far more demand than supply. The top free agent, Willy Adames, will command a huge contract, likely in the tier of Arcia’s predecessor, Dansby Swanson (seven years, $177 million). The trade market is taking shape still.
Anthopoulos on Arcia and if he expects him to be the opening-day shortstop in 2025:
“Orlando did not have as good a year as the year before; I’m stating the obvious. The way we were set up initially (before the injuries) was that he wasn’t counted on to be a key cog, (he was hitting at the) bottom of the order, Snit’s had him there the last few years. He plays good defense. But there were a lot of moments – this is a reflection of the job I did – we had him batting fifth at times. That’s not a criticism. We didn’t have anybody else. Guys were injured. So set up (healthy), even in an All-Star campaign a year ago, he was more at the bottom of the order. I don’t think any one player will make or break you; two, three, four combined, sure. I think Orlando overall didn’t have the offensive season, clearly, that he did a year ago. I still think he did some great things from a defensive standpoint.
“All that said, defensively, we could go through every player – some had great years, some had average years, maybe below average – that’s tied to the ERA in a lot of ways, and we led in ERA. It’s hard to knock that. It doesn’t mean we can’t get better. From an offensive standpoint, that’s nine guys. Not one. Can we be better? Absolutely. We were better after the trade deadline. Our (offensive) numbers were much better. But I do think that’s where getting some of these guys back can only help.
“And then we’ll see what else is available. Right now, everyone we have on this roster that’s in roles, you’re not going to hear me say we’re making a change. The first person who would ever hear that would be the player. Right now, barring any changes, the guys we have are the guys we have in place. That’s Orlando and all the other players. Once we get to the winter, you never know what happens.”
- The Braves have club options on designated hitter Marcell Ozuna ($16 million), catcher Travis d’Arnaud ($8 million) and reliever Aaron Bummer ($7.25 million) that must be decided upon in the five-day window following the World Series. Anthopoulos indicated the team will pick up the options, saying each player “put himself in a good spot.”
- Ozuna’s return means the Braves’ DH spot is covered. So what becomes of Jorge Soler? Would they continue playing him in the outfield? They tried it after reacquiring him in the second half, and he was a consistently poor defender. He has two years and $32 million left on his deal, so there’s been outside speculation perhaps the Braves could try flipping him to another team seeking power.
“You get to the winter, you don’t know what presents itself or what opportunities are there,” Anthopoulos said. “As a general rule of thumb, I’ll say: We’ve had injuries every year. Having too many good players is not a bad thing. I view these guys as assets across the board. As we get closer to spring training, seeing where we’re at, that’s where it’s, ‘OK, what’s the plan for playing time?’
“In terms of our outfield, we expect Ronald to be back. Right now, it’s far off. It could be opening day. It could be after. It could be May 1, middle of May. You just don’t know. We’re going to be smart about it, he said the same thing. You don’t know how he responds, does he need days off? Maybe he comes into camp and he’s cleared and he’s ready. But I think you could see anywhere from April to May, maybe beginning of June depending (on how he progresses). We’ll see how he responds and as we get closer four or five months from now, we’ll know a lot more.”
Anthopoulos stressed the need for outfield depth and noted how the team has dealt with injuries there in recent seasons. On that note, Anthopoulos praised newcomer Ramon Laureano, who took a starting job from Jarred Kelenic, one of the club’s biggest acquisitions from last winter.
Kelenic, 25, had one at-bat after Sept. 17 and didn’t have one in the postseason. Laureano, who Cleveland released before he signed with the Braves, is arbitration-eligible, so it could make sense for the Braves to retain him.
“Jarred showed some good things, inconsistent,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s a young player, a left-handed bat, we saw great defense out of him. He’ll come into camp and compete, and we’ll see where the winter goes. The one thing we’ve needed the last two years is a backup center fielder, so he fits the roster in so many ways because he can play all three (outfield spots), he can really throw, he’s been a good defender for us. He’s got some power and he’s committed to getting better. We’re glad to have him. You’re going to need someone like that, a left-handed bat. It’s more a credit to Ramon – he played so well that he took that job from Adam (Duvall) and from Jarred. That’s not a knock against them, that’s a credit to Ramon.”
