The Braves have agreed to a minor league deal with free agent righty Jordan Weems, per MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes. He’ll be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee in spring training. Weems is represented by O’Connell Sports Management.
Weems, who just turned 32, has spent the past three seasons with the Nationals, for whom he’s totaled 136 innings with a 5.03 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate out of the bullpen. He’s averaged 96.4 mph on his heater during that time, primarily coupling the pitch with a slider that’s averaged 87.7 mph in that same span. Washington passed Weems through waivers back in August, and he became a free agent following the season, as was his right as an outrighted player with three-plus years of big league service time.
Weems’ most effective season came with the Nats in 2023, when he pitched a career-high 54 2/3 big league innings with a 3.62 ERA and 25.9% strikeout rate. That solid showing was bookended by a pair of rough years with ERAs north of 5.00, however. During his three years with the Nationals organization, he’s also pitched to a 3.27 earned run average in 77 Triple-A frames.
The Braves have clearly been operating on a tight budget this winter, looking to stockpile depth in the outfield and bullpen on low-cost deals. Weems joins Enoli Paredes and Ray Kerr as non-roster invitees who’ve signed in the wake of Joe Jimenez’s knee surgery, which will cost the righty most and possibly all of the 2025 season. (Kerr is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will be out until the summer as well.) Atlanta has also inked outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and righty Connor Gillispie to split (non-guaranteed) major league contracts with low salaries.
At present, RosterResource projects the Braves for a $201MM payroll with just over $217MM of luxury obligations. That places Atlanta about $30MM shy of where it ended the 2024 season in terms of payroll — and nearly $60MM shy of last year’s luxury tax ledger. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said earlier this month that his club is willing to pay the luxury tax for what would be a third consecutive season, but to this point anyhow, most of Atlanta’s transactions have centered around scaling back spending and compiling affordable depth. That doesn’t preclude an eventual free agent strike of note and/or an impactful trade, but there’s been little to no inkling of such talks for Atlanta so far in the offseason.
Be great if Anthopolous would sign or trade for some bona fide big leaguers. Is that asking too much?
Yes, obviously.
Ray Kerr had Tommy John surgery and will not be pitching in spring training
Thanks for pointing that out. For some reason I was thinking his TJ was performed last spring and he’d at least be building up but I obviously erred there. Appreciate the catch.
Kerr’s surgery was not until late June, so there is a very good chance that he misses all of 2025
Dumpster Diving King back at it like a crack addict!
The Braves as well as all MLB teams must fill out minimum 25 man rosters for all minor league teams. Gwinnett does need to have a full roster.
The 2022–2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for Minor League Baseball (MiLB) includes several roster-related changes, including:
Active player limits
Teams are limited to 26 active players during the regular season, with a minimum of 25. Teams can drop below 25 for unforeseen circumstances, but must bring the roster back to 25 or more within 48 hours.
AA just making sure he has enough players to fill minor league rosters as well as the right depth by position to help out the MLB team as needed – every team does this.
Tim with the scoop!
Anthopoulos can’t get out of Walmart…. Christmas traffic I guess.
that was fast!!!
Shopping on any clearance aisle.
None of these small deals and minor league deals preclude the Braves from any “bigger” free agent signings or trades. Spring training is still two months away, and the regular season is over 3 months away. Once the season begins no one will care when a player was acquired.
Last year the Braves traded for Chris Sale on December 30. Would it have made any difference if Sale had been acquired earlier? No. Did anyone foresee Sale winning the Cy Young???
Grant Holmes was signed in February. How many people saw him as a solid contributor and possible member of the rotation?
Deals come together when all parties agree – trades and free agent signings – not when fans want them to happen.
Also, the Braves farm system is lacking in depth. So, there is always the possibility that anyone of these small deals may look significant later on. I believe that 56 players played for Atlanta last year. The 26 man roster is just the beginning of who is important.
AA is still trying to get over losing out on the Soto deal to Mets by one measly dollar. Amazing that all of the negotiations were kept secret!
Finally the Braves make a move to compete with the moneybags Dodgers!
Until AA makes a substantial addition I’m thinking he’s resetting under the luxury tax for ’25. Probably the best move anyway considering Acuña and Strider’s health. Acuna’s next year after his last knee injury was meh….no idea what Strider will do in ’25.
Find the hidden gem, trade, or make a splash signing. Given AA’s current actions and stealth outlook, I would heavily weigh percentages in that order.