<img alt="2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3kJW2tt-KcSs9-bBsUMbo_GkWTw=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73776540/2006241596.0.jpg">
Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images
The GM of the Braves had a lot on his mind ahead of this week’s Winter Meetings. Alex Anthopoulos spoke with the media on Sunday evening ahead of the Winter Meetings officially getting underway in Dallas on Monday. The biggest news to come out of that presser was the President and GM of Baseball Operations for the Atlanta Braves saying that the luxury tax wouldn’t hinder the Braves from spending money this offseason.
From what Alex Anthopoulos said as the Winter Meetings are set to begin, the #Braves do not view being over the luxury tax again as an obstacle to their winter shopping. They have already had talks with FA's (OF, SP, RP) and trade discussions as they evaluate their options.— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) December 8, 2024
As for which free agents the Braves had in mind, Anthopoulos stayed pretty mum on the topic (for obvious reasons). “I can’t get into specifics with free agents. I can tell you I think it’s safe to say generally speaking that most most free agents (especially our own), we’re going to be aware in terms of guys that have been productive,” said Anthopoulos when he was asked about free agency. “Guys like A.J. Minter, Charlie Morton, Max, Ramon Laureano who was non-tendered. You always have some conversations but once the offseason starts and these guys get their free agency, just with the way the rules are with free agency, you can’t really talk about it. We’re in the free agent period right now and we’re going to look bad but I can’t get into any specifics about whether we have or haven’t.”
When asked about the approach that they would be taking when it comes to free agency, Anthopoulos was once again sticking to the usual strategy of “GM speak” in order to keep his cards very close to the vest. “We don’t look at is “If we were one player away.” That would be a really great roster to have and not that many clubs can say that. You look at these as just windows of opportunity to get better,” stated AA when addressing which position he would address heading into the offseason.
“Yeah of course, when you have certain holes or guys potentially leaving as free agents, those are obvious areas that you’d like to address. We have internal options with some of those. We just don’t look at it as “one specific need.” You think you want a starter or need a starter but what if a great opportunity on the position player front shows up? You can still get better, right? It’s all about scoring more runs than the other team. It could be about allowing fewer runs or scoring more. We don’t really go into it saying “we need this one thing.” That last part seems to coincide with the aforementioned targeting of an outfielder, a starter and a reliever, so there’s that.
Anthopoulos later on confirmed that those are the three areas that they’ve been targeting so far in the offseason. “I hope there comes a day where our roster is complete and we’ve got 25 spots locked up and there’s one last spot we need to fill and a free agent is that one last piece. But there’s just so many places where we can get better — especially when you look at all the injuries we had.”
Injuries certainly played a major role in helping to nearly destroy what seemed like such a promising season back when things began in late-March. It really wouldn’t be surprising if the Braves chose to shore up their depth in case of another crazy season with injuries and Alex Anthopoulos discussed that as well. “Depth is always important as well. We’re open to everything — offense, rotation, relievers, we’ve had conversations about all three areas. We’ve engaged in all three areas. I don’t know what we’ll come up with by the time the winter’s over with but we’re open to adding all three.”
Even before the big domino of Juan Soto’s signing dropped, Anthopoulos didn’t seem surprised by how the offseason had unfolded. “Everything’s gone as expected — whether that’s trades or signings. The guys that have signed are really good. I think every offseason there’s a trade or a signing that’s a surprise but that hasn’t happened yet,” said AA. “Maybe part of it is that there’s so much media coverage of sports now, so much discussion and analysis before things happen, like “who should trade for who,” “who should sign for what,” that maybe you’re not surprised by things. I think it’s gone as expected. I think all 30 clubs have their own needs and their own fits but there hasn’t been any surprises as far as I’m concerned.”
Either way, it seems like this offseason will unfold in a similar manner to how previous offseasons have gone with Alex Anthopoulos calling the shots. We’re probably not going to get anything concrete outside of the fact that the luxury tax won’t be a hinderance and that they’ll be generally looking for pitching and some outfield help. The Braves have done a pretty good job of making sure they don’t end up completely flatfooted heading into any given season and it wouldn’t be a shock if they accomplished their offseason goals or got close to it once the season rolled around.
<img alt="2024 Grapefruit League Spring Training Media Day" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3kJW2tt-KcSs9-bBsUMbo_GkWTw=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73776540/2006241596.0.jpg">
Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images
The GM of the Braves had a lot on his mind ahead of this week’s Winter Meetings. Alex Anthopoulos spoke with the media on Sunday evening ahead of the Winter Meetings officially getting underway in Dallas on Monday. The biggest news to come out of that presser was the President and GM of Baseball Operations for the Atlanta Braves saying that the luxury tax wouldn’t hinder the Braves from spending money this offseason.
From what Alex Anthopoulos said as the Winter Meetings are set to begin, the #Braves do not view being over the luxury tax again as an obstacle to their winter shopping. They have already had talks with FA's (OF, SP, RP) and trade discussions as they evaluate their options.— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) December 8, 2024
As for which free agents the Braves had in mind, Anthopoulos stayed pretty mum on the topic (for obvious reasons). “I can’t get into specifics with free agents. I can tell you I think it’s safe to say generally speaking that most most free agents (especially our own), we’re going to be aware in terms of guys that have been productive,” said Anthopoulos when he was asked about free agency. “Guys like A.J. Minter, Charlie Morton, Max, Ramon Laureano who was non-tendered. You always have some conversations but once the offseason starts and these guys get their free agency, just with the way the rules are with free agency, you can’t really talk about it. We’re in the free agent period right now and we’re going to look bad but I can’t get into any specifics about whether we have or haven’t.”
When asked about the approach that they would be taking when it comes to free agency, Anthopoulos was once again sticking to the usual strategy of “GM speak” in order to keep his cards very close to the vest. “We don’t look at is “If we were one player away.” That would be a really great roster to have and not that many clubs can say that. You look at these as just windows of opportunity to get better,” stated AA when addressing which position he would address heading into the offseason.
“Yeah of course, when you have certain holes or guys potentially leaving as free agents, those are obvious areas that you’d like to address. We have internal options with some of those. We just don’t look at it as “one specific need.” You think you want a starter or need a starter but what if a great opportunity on the position player front shows up? You can still get better, right? It’s all about scoring more runs than the other team. It could be about allowing fewer runs or scoring more. We don’t really go into it saying “we need this one thing.” That last part seems to coincide with the aforementioned targeting of an outfielder, a starter and a reliever, so there’s that.
Anthopoulos later on confirmed that those are the three areas that they’ve been targeting so far in the offseason. “I hope there comes a day where our roster is complete and we’ve got 25 spots locked up and there’s one last spot we need to fill and a free agent is that one last piece. But there’s just so many places where we can get better — especially when you look at all the injuries we had.”
Injuries certainly played a major role in helping to nearly destroy what seemed like such a promising season back when things began in late-March. It really wouldn’t be surprising if the Braves chose to shore up their depth in case of another crazy season with injuries and Alex Anthopoulos discussed that as well. “Depth is always important as well. We’re open to everything — offense, rotation, relievers, we’ve had conversations about all three areas. We’ve engaged in all three areas. I don’t know what we’ll come up with by the time the winter’s over with but we’re open to adding all three.”
Even before the big domino of Juan Soto’s signing dropped, Anthopoulos didn’t seem surprised by how the offseason had unfolded. “Everything’s gone as expected — whether that’s trades or signings. The guys that have signed are really good. I think every offseason there’s a trade or a signing that’s a surprise but that hasn’t happened yet,” said AA. “Maybe part of it is that there’s so much media coverage of sports now, so much discussion and analysis before things happen, like “who should trade for who,” “who should sign for what,” that maybe you’re not surprised by things. I think it’s gone as expected. I think all 30 clubs have their own needs and their own fits but there hasn’t been any surprises as far as I’m concerned.”
Either way, it seems like this offseason will unfold in a similar manner to how previous offseasons have gone with Alex Anthopoulos calling the shots. We’re probably not going to get anything concrete outside of the fact that the luxury tax won’t be a hinderance and that they’ll be generally looking for pitching and some outfield help. The Braves have done a pretty good job of making sure they don’t end up completely flatfooted heading into any given season and it wouldn’t be a shock if they accomplished their offseason goals or got close to it once the season rolled around.
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