Braves Briefing: Eddie Rosario can come back even if Atlanta declines his club
The biggest news of the weekend was a rumor indicating Atlanta is considering rejecting Eddie’s 2024 club option.
Fans of the Atlanta Braves are worried that when free agency opens, left field might be empty.
Eddie Rosario is an outfielder, and the Braves were “expected to decline” his $9 million club option for 2024, according to reports that surfaced on Sunday. This would make Rosario a free agent and leave the team without a clear outfield cornerstone.
Rosario’s return is still conceivable, though, as every season there are instances where a team rejects a player’s option just to sign the player in free agency to a new contract that often has more years and less money than the option.
That’s not a certainty, though. As the strong-side of a platoon, Rosario grades out merely ordinary at the bat (100 wRC+), but he has demonstrated that he can get hot and take over a series; the 2021 NLCS is a clear example of this, but there has been signs of that happening even this season. As such, there is sure to be interest in him.
Rosario carried Atlanta to a series victory on its way to a three-game set against the Diamondbacks in Arizona at the beginning of June. After adding a triple, a run scored, an RBI, and a run on Saturday, and a grand slam on Sunday as Atlanta won the final two games of the series, he hit two home runs on Friday, accounting for all of Atlanta’s runs in a narrow 3-2 loss.
The future of Atlanta’s left field position will be interesting to watch, but Rosario can still play a significant role if the financial situation cooperates.
What choices for a contract has Atlanta already chosen?
Reliever Brad Hand’s mutual option has been officially declined by the Braves, who will instead pay a $500k buyout to avoid having to pay Hand’s $7 million contract in 2024. There are still two relief options available to them: a $6 million club option with a $1 million buyout for Collin McHugh, and a $5.75 million club option with a $1.25 million buyout for Kirby Yates.
When are pitchers and catchers expected to report?
A total of 98 days. Pitchers and catchers are anticipated to report on Monday, February 12th, ahead of Atlanta’s first spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays on February 24th. The reporting date will be formally announced in January.
