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Charlie Culberson Elects Free Agency

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The Braves assigned veteran infielder Charlie Culberson to the minors earlier today but Culberson rejected the assignment and elected free agency, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Culberson had been designated for assignment last week to make room for catcher Chadwick Tromp on the club’s roster.

Culberson’s stint with the Braves this season was an odd one. The 34-year-old veteran signed a minor league deal with the Braves this past offseason and saw his contract selected back in May, but did not make a single appearance for the Braves in nearly a month on the active roster. Considering Culberson found himself unable to make it into a game in the majors with Atlanta even as a member of the 26-man roster, it’s far from a surprise that Culberson has departed his hometown organization in hopes of securing a minor league deal in elsewhere.

Since being selected by San Francisco in the first round of the 2007 draft, Culberson has suited up for the Dodgers, Rangers, and Rockies during his career in addition to the aforementioned Giants and Braves. Overall, the veteran of ten major league seasons sports a career .248/.293/.386 slash line in 1,311 trips to the plate.

Primarily a third baseman, Culberson also offers experience at shortstop, second base, first base, and left field that could make him an interesting veteran utility option for an infield-needy club looking to add depth to their upper minors. That being said, Culberson struggled in 107 trips to the plate with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett this season. In 24 games with the club, the veteran infielder slashed just .204/.237/.255, a weak performance that could cause interested clubs to prefer internal depth options to Culberson’s services.

As for the Braves, the club currently sports no reserve infielders on the active roster as they carry a bench of Tromp, Travis d’Arnaud, Sam Hilliard, and Kevin Pillar. That leaves them likely to require an active roster move should any of Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, or Matt Olson require a day off. Should that come to pass, the club has Braden Shewmake, Vaughn Grissom, and Luke Williams in Triple-A as infield options who are already on the 40-man roster.

The Braves’ Shortstop Gamble Is Paying Off

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The Braves entered the 2023 season with a question mark at shortstop. Atlanta didn’t seem to strongly pursue a reunion with Dansby Swanson over the winter. Only the front office knows how much that was due to payroll constraints versus a genuine belief in their other options. In any case, the Braves have picked up right where Swanson left off.

Atlanta shortstops have combined for a .310/.365/.422 batting line. Only the Rangers (where Corey Seager is playing at an MVP level) have gotten a stronger on-base percentage out of the position. Atlanta shortstops are eighth in slugging and fourth in overall offense as measured by wRC+.

If one were told three months ago that Braves’ shortstops were performing at this level, they’d probably have assumed Vaughn Grissom hit the ground running. The 22-year-old broke into the majors with a .291/.353/.440 showing as a rookie last season, filling in for Ozzie Albies at second base while the latter was injured. Midway through Spring Training, Grissom appeared to be the favorite for the job, with rookie Braden Shewmake also garnering some attention amidst a strong Spring Training.

The Braves went elsewhere. Atlanta made the surprising decision to option Grissom and Shewmake at the same time a week before Opening Day. That signaled a commitment to veteran Orlando Arcia, who had played a utility role since being acquired from the Brewers in a lopsided 2021 trade. It marked the first time he’d be in an Opening Day starting lineup since a four-year run as Milwaukee’s shortstop from 2017-20.

Arcia has seized the opportunity in a way few would’ve seen coming. He’s hitting .341/.400/.489 in exactly 200 trips to the plate. He lost a couple weeks with an early-season microfracture in his left wrist, but he’s started 52 of 73 games. Arcia was off to a .333/.400/.511 start before the injury. He has been no worse for wear since returning in early May, putting up a .343/.400/.482 line over the last six weeks.

The 28-year-old isn’t going to continue hitting at quite this level. He’s not going to maintain a .406 average on balls in play all year. He’s hitting .363 on ground-balls, a top ten figure in MLB that’s probably going to regress. It’d be too simplistic to wave away his strong first few months as a complete product of ball in play fortune, though.

Arcia’s plate discipline profile is the best of his career thus far. During his time with Milwaukee, he had a very aggressive approach that kept his walk rates near the bottom of the league. Not consistently swinging at good pitches was a big reason he never developed into the quality everyday shortstop the Brewers anticipated when he was coming through their system as a top prospect.

As he has gotten more experience, he’s become more patient. Arcia has swung around 45% of the time over the past two years after typically offering at over half the pitches he’d seen early in his career. He’s had a particularly discerning strike zone feel this season. He has chased less than 28% of pitches outside the zone, a career-low mark that’s four percentage points better than league average. He’s swinging at a typical rate at pitches within the zone, though. Laying off pitches off the plate without getting passive and letting too many hittable offerings pass by is a tough balance to strike.

Arcia has found it. Not coincidentally, he’s hitting the ball with more authority than usual. This season’s 45.8% hard contact percentage (batted balls with an exit velocity of 95+ MPH) is a personal best. A lot of that contact is coming on the ground, so he’s still not making a huge power impact. Combining average or better walk and strikeout numbers with a lot of hard, low-angle batted balls is a recipe for getting on base consistently. Arcia isn’t going to sustain a .400 OBP, but he looks capable of keeping his on-base a fair bit higher than the .312 league mark for shortstops.

Alongside the offense, Arcia has stepped back into regular shortstop duty without missing a beat defensively. Both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast have pegged his glove as four runs above average in a little less than 500 innings. He rated as a solid defender for most of his time with the Brewers but hadn’t played shortstop with regularity in three years because Swanson almost never missed a game. A couple seasons of multi-positional work don’t appear to have taken any toll on his glove at the infield’s most demanding spot.

The all-around production has Arcia among the top 30 position players in both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference WAR even with his three-week injury absence. Even if he falls off that pace as the BABIP declines, Arcia has provided the Braves more than they could’ve anticipated in the post-Swanson era. The top of Atlanta’s lineup is loaded with star talent. They only needed some stability at shortstop once they let Swanson go. Arcia has gone well beyond that.

In the process, he has quieted questions about promoting the younger players. Grissom and Shewmake each saw a little MLB action while he was hurt but have spent the majority of the season in Triple-A. Shewmake is having a dreadful offensive season there; Grissom is hitting well (.314/.380/.466 with an excellent 13.5% strikeout rate) while getting an extended run to try to improve his reputation as a middle infield defender. While shortstop once looked like a potential deadline concern for the front office, that’s no longer the case.

The final touch for the team: Arcia’s affordability. He and the club agreed to a restructured contract on Opening Day that could keep him in Atlanta through 2026. He’s making $2.3MM this season, followed by respective $2MM salaries for the next two years. There’s a matching ’26 club option that comes with a $100K buyout.

That’s fine value for the utility role he’d played between 2021-22. It’s a bargain for a quality everyday shortstop. Arcia is playing like one right now, one of the many reasons Atlanta is in pole position for a seventh consecutive division title.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

A’s Acquire Yacksel Rios

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6:56 PM: As noted by Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a clause in Rios’s pact with the Braves required the club to add him to the active roster by tomorrow or else trade him to a team willing to do the same. Given this, it seems all but certain that the A’s will select Rios to the roster ahead of their next game, which will occur Tuesday against the Guardians.

6:43 PM: The Athletics have acquired right-hander Yacksel Rios from the Braves in exchange for cash considerations, per an announcement by Oakland. Rios signed with the Braves on a minor league deal back in January.

A 12th round pick by the Phillies in the 2011 draft, Rios made his MLB debut with the club in 2017, pitching to a league average 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings of work. He’s suited up for the Pirates, Mariners, and Red Sox in addition to the Phillies since then, with his most recent big league work coming with Boston in 2021, where the right-hander threw to a solid 3.70 ERA (128 ERA+) in 24 1/3 innings of work, though his 4.90 FIP indicates that strong run prevention may not have been fully earned. Overall, Rios has a career 5.77 ERA in 96 2/3 big league innings of work. During his big league career, Rios’s biggest issue has been his control, as he sports a career walk rate of 11.5% that spiked has high as 14% during the 2021 season.

While Rios, who celebrates his 30th birthday later this month, has a fairly lengthy track record of mediocrity at the big league level, a dominant start to the 2023 season at the Triple-A level with the Braves has seemingly caught Oakland’s attention. Across 24 2/3 innings with the Braves’ affiliate in Gwinnett, Rios has dominated to a 1.46 ERA with a 31.9% strikeout rate and a far more manageable walk rate of 8.5%. If the journeyman reliever can keep anything approaching that pace with the A’s, it’s possible the club has an intriguing bullpen piece on their hands.

As of now, there’s no word as to whether or not Oakland intends to promote Rios to the majors. That said, given the club’s bullpen sports an MLB-worst ERA of 5.61, it would be of little surprise to see the A’s try to use Rios to give a boost to their relief corps, which currently sports Trevor May, Lucas Erceg, and Sam Moll in the late innings.

Braves Designate Charlie Culberson For Assignment

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The Braves announced that Charlie Culberson has been designated for assignment.  The veteran utilityman will hit the DFA wire to make room for Chadwick Tromp, as Atlanta has called the catcher up from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Already a member of the Braves from 2018-20, Culberson spent the last two seasons with the Rangers before catching on with the Rays on a minor league deal this past offseason.  He opted out of that deal towards the end of Spring Training and then signed a new minors contract with Atlanta, and the Braves selected Culberson’s contract to the active roster almost a month ago.  Curiously, Culberson hasn’t played in even one game since being called up, so his latest stint with the Braves could end without an official appearance.

If Culberson clears waivers, he has enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A and elect free agency.  It’s possible the Georgia native might pass on the open market and instead remain in his hometown organization, or he could again seek a new job elsewhere given that the Braves don’t appear to have much of a role for him on their 26-man roster.

Culberson is a Major League game away from making it 11 seasons in the Show, as he has appeared in 585 games for five different teams at the big league level over parts of his previous 10 seasons.  The 34-year-old has a career .248/.293/.386 slash line over 1311 career plate appearances, but is known more for his defensive versatility than hit bat.  Culberson has played all over the infield and spent a lot of time as a left fielder, with a few appearances as a right fielder and even as a mop-up pitcher.

Sean Murphy is the other key player in today’s transaction, as the catcher left yesterday’s game with a right hamstring injury suffered while running the bases.  Murphy underwent an MRI that showed some inflammation (Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among those to report the news) but not any severe damage, so the Braves called up Tromp to provide catching depth while Murphy takes some time to recover.

Since Atlanta doesn’t play on Monday, we should know by Tuesday whether or not Murphy has healed well enough to return to action, or if a 10-day IL stint is ultimately required.  Assuming that Culberson isn’t claimed on waivers, it’s possible his DFA is something of a handshake move that would see him accept an outright assignment with the promise of being called back to the Braves’ roster in a few days if Murphy does go on the IL.

NL East Notes: Chavez, Ridings, Doolittle

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The Braves dodged a bullet yesterday when righty Jesse Chavez was hit in the leg by a comebacker and helped off the field, as initial x-rays did not reveal a fracture. The team originally believed Chavez would be able to avoid an IL stint entirely, that didn’t prove to be the case. Atlanta placed Chavez on the 15-day injured list, per a club announcement, and recalled right-hander Ben Heller from Triple-A Gwinnett in his place. Losing Chavez even just for two weeks or so will sting. The 39-year-old has been outstanding for Atlanta, pitching to a 1.55 ERA with a career-best 30.8% strikeout rate against a 7.7% walk rate. Chavez has already picked up a save and a dozen holds for the Braves, and he was on an 11-inning scoreless streak prior to his injury.

A few more notes from the NL East…

  • The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Stephen Ridings from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. The move fills a spot on the team’s 40-man roster, increasing their count from 37 to 38 players. Ridings, 27, has yet to throw a pitch for the Mets, spending the entire season to date on the injured list due to a lat strain. The Mets claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Yankees back in mid-November, just before teams set their rosters in advance of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Shoulder troubles derailed Ridings’ 2022 season, but he posted a 1.24 ERA and 42-to-4 K/BB ratio in 29 innings between High-A and Double-A in the Yankees system back in 2021.
  • Veteran lefty Sean Doolittle was transferred from the Nationals’ Double-A affiliate to their Triple-A club Thursday, signaling that he’s completed his rehab work and is now considered fully healthy. The 36-year-old Doolittle, who signed a minor league deal with the Nats over the winter, is being formally reinstated from the injured list and will try to pitch his way back into the Majors with a strong showing in Rochester. Doolittle allowed three runs and posted a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio in seven rehab frames between Class-A and Double-A. The lefty pitched just 5 1/3 frames for the Nats in 2022 before requiring an internal brace procedure in his elbow over the summer.

Braves, Jesus Aguilar Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves signed free-agent first baseman Jesus Aguilar to a minor league contract, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He was released by the A’s earlier this month.

Aguilar, who’ll turn 33 later this month, hit just .221/.281/.385 with five homers in 115 plate appearances for Oakland after signing a one-year, $3MM deal in the offseason. Oakland’s hope had been that Aguilar could recapture his 2017-21 form — .262/.338/.476, 93 homers in 1972 trips to the plate — and emerge as a summer trade candidate. That didn’t happen in the season’s first two months, however, and Oakland has turned first base over to impressive Rule 5 pick Ryan Noda on a full-time basis now.

During that 2017-21 peak, Aguilar was an All-Star (2017) and consistent power threat, topping out with a career-high 35 dingers back in 2018. At his best, Aguilar walked between 10-11% of his plate appearances and kept his strikeouts at or south of the league’s average rate. In 2023, he walked at a sub-par 7% clip and fanned in 27.5% of his plate appearances while delivering career-worst marks in average exit velocity (86.7 mph) and hard-hit rate (29.3%).

For the Braves, there’s little harm in bringing aboard a slugger with some track record on a no-risk deal. Atlanta is set at first base with Matt Olson and has gotten better play from designated hitter Marcell Ozuna of late, so there’s no pressing need on the big league roster. Aguilar can play some first base in Triple-A Gwinnett for the time being, and should the Braves incur an injury or simply want some additional right-handed thump off the bench, he could be an option in the event that he’s playing well.

Braves Acquire Ben Heller, Designate Nick Solak

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The Braves have acquired right-hander Ben Heller from the Rays in exchange for international bonus pool space and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, per a team announcement. Outfielder Nick Solak was designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move.

Heller, 31, was just designated for assignment by the Rays last week. Signed to a minor league deal in the winter, he had his contract selected in late May but was optioned back to the minors before getting into a game. In 18 games at the Triple-A level for the year, he’s logged 27 1/3 innings with a 3.95 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 49.4% ground ball rate.

He has a bit of major league experience, getting into 31 games with the Yankees from 2016 to 2020 with a 2.59 ERA in that time. Unfortunately, he then spent much of 2021 and 2022 injured before landing with the Rays this year. Tampa frequently cycles pitchers on and off their roster throughout the season but it seems that Heller drew enough interest from clubs around the league that Tampa will get a little bit of extra money to spend on international amateurs.

For Atlanta, they’ve dealt with some challenges to their pitching staff, especially with starters Max Fried and Kyle Wright on the injured list and facing significant absences. They also have relievers Dylan Lee and Michael Tonkin on the IL, alongside Tyler Matzek who underwent Tommy John surgery last year. They will add Heller to their Triple-A club and have a bit of extra depth on hand for when they need a fresh arm. Heller is in his final option year and will be out of options next year. He has over three years of service time and will be eligible for arbitration this winter.

In addition to giving up a bit of bonus pool money, the club is also risking losing Solak. The 28-year-old once seemed like a potential building block for the Rangers when he debuted in 2019 and hit .293/.393/.491 in his first 33 games. He had always hit well in the minors and there was little reason to doubt he would continue to do so. Unfortunately, he slashed just .246/.317/.354 from 2020 to 2022. He was also pushed off second base both due to his subpar work there and the club signing Marcus Semien. He’s since spent more time in left field, which put more pressure on his bat to provide value.

In November, the club finally decided to cut bait and flipped Solak to the Reds for cash. He lasted on the Reds’ roster through the winter but was designated for assignment at the end of Spring Training. He then went to the Mariners in another cash deal but got the DFA treatment again just 10 days later. A couple of waiver claims then took him to the White Sox and Braves in the middle of April. Solak hit .272/.364/.444 for a 106 wRC+ in 173 plate appearances for Gwinnett. He struck out in just 15.6% of his plate appearances while walking at a 9.8% rate.

Now Solak has been given the DFA treatment yet again and might soon find himself in a sixth organization in less than a year. Despite the struggles at the major league level, he continues to hit in the minors. He’s in his final option year so some club could put in a claim and stash him in the minors. He’s been limited to left field this year but perhaps some club would give him another chance at the keystone. If he were to clear waivers, he would stick with the Braves since he has less than three years of service time and does not have a previous outright.

Braves Outright Lucas Luetge

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10:45am: As expected, Luetge has indeed opted to remain with the Braves and accept his outright assignment, writes Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:35am: The Braves announced Tuesday that left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta also announced this morning that right-hander Roddery Munoz will be recalled from Triple-A, setting the stage for the 23-year-old reliever’s big league debut. They had an open 40-man spot after optioning righty Michael Soroka yesterday.

The 36-year-old Luetge, who’d been designated for assignment over the weekend, has the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of both Major League service time (four-plus years) and a prior outright assignment in his career. However, because he doesn’t yet have five years of MLB service, electing free agency would mean forfeiting the remainder of this year’s $1.55MM salary. As such, it seems quite likely he’ll accept and remain in the Braves organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Luetge joined the Braves over the winter in a trade that sent minor league infielder Caleb Durbin and minor league reliever Indigo Diaz back to the Yankees. Luetge had been somewhat of a surprise DFA by the Yankees, but the decision to move on from the lefty in exchange for a pair of mid-level minor leaguers — both of whom have played well thus far in 2023 — looks defensible given Luetge’s struggles in 2023.

Thus far, Luetge has appeared in nine games with the Braves but been tagged for 11 runs on 15 hits and six walks through just 9 2/3 frames. After striking out a quarter of his opponents against a 5.8% walk rate in two years with the Yankees, the southpaw has fanned a diminished 22.2% of his opponents and issued walks to 13.3% of them. It’s a small sample, but Luetge has also seen his swinging-strike rate plummet from 12.7% to just 8.1%, while the velocity on his cutter has dipped to a career-low 87.1 mph.

Luetge also spent more than a month on the injured list with inflammation in his left biceps, so it’s possible there’s a physical reason for this year’s struggles. Whatever the root of the issue, he’ll now quite likely look to get back on track with the Braves’ Gwinnett affiliate and earn another look in the big leagues.

As for Munoz, he’s moved to the bullpen in 2023 after spending the majority of his prior professional career as a starter. The Braves signed the 6’2″ righty out of the Dominican Republic back in 2018, and he’s pitched his way into becoming one of the more promising arms in a relatively thin Braves system. Baseball America and MLB.com ranked him 22nd and 21st among Atlanta farmhands, respectively, both touting a potentially plus slider and mid-90s heater. Munoz’s changeup is regarded as a below-average pitch, however, and his command has clear room for refinement.

So far in 2023, Munoz has split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 4.94 ERA in 27 1/3 frames. He’s walked nearly as many of his 126 opponents (20) as he’s struck out (24). He’s avoided home runs and kept the ball on the ground at a strong 46% clip, but it’s been a tough season on the whole. That said, he’s allowed just one run and fanned 14 over his past 11 innings, albeit with seven walks and a pair of hit batters in that time continuing to shine a light on his sub-par command.

Braves Claim Luke Williams From Dodgers

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The Braves announced that they have claimed infielder Luke Williams off waivers from the Dodgers and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett. There had been no public indication that Williams lost his roster spot with the Dodgers but they evidently tried and failed to pass him through waivers in recent days. Atlanta transferred left-hander Max Fried to the 60-day injured list in order to open a 40-man roster spot for Williams. Additionally, righty Michael Soroka was also optioned to Gwinnett.

Williams, 26, was signed by the Dodgers to a minor league deal in the offseason. He was selected to their roster in mid-April but then optioned to Triple-A 10 days later. He got just 10 big league plate appearances in four games and hit .100/.100/.100 in those. He’s spent most of the season in Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting .268/.364/.452 there for a wRC+ of 93. That indicates he’s been 7% below league average at the plate but he’s stolen 11 bases while playing shortstop, third base and left field this year. Previous seasons have seen him line up at every position except catcher, giving him plenty of defensive versatility.

That type of production generally aligns with his previous seasons. He now has 141 major league games on his ledger, spending time with the Phillies in 2021 and then the Giants and Marlins last year. Combined with his brief stint with the Dodgers this year, he has a career batting line of .234/.291/.306 and a wRC+ of 67. But he’s created value elsewhere by swiping 14 bags in 20 tries and bouncing all around the diamond to fill in as needed.

Atlanta was able to easily add Williams as a depth piece since they essentially had a roster spot to burn. Fried has been on the injured list since May 6 with a forearm strain and the plan was to shut him down completely until he healed before building him back up again. It’s now been about a month since that IL placement and he’s yet to get close to a return. As of two days ago, per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the lefty was throwing but still hadn’t progressed to mound work. He will still need to get to that stage before likely throwing a few bullpens, maybe some live batting practice as well, before embarking on a rehab assignment for a few weeks to build up properly.

Given the time he’s still set to miss, it was inevitable that he’d get moved to the 60-day IL once the club wanted to use that roster spot on someone else. He will be officially eligible to return after 60 days from his initial IL placement, which was in early May. That means he could technically be activated in early July but that doesn’t seem especially likely given his current progress.

As for Soroka, he just returned to the big leagues for the first time in almost three years. He twice ruptured his Achilles tendon in the interim and battled some other lesser injuries in that time as well. He was finally healthy enough to get into a decent groove this year, making eight Triple-A starts with a 4.33 ERA. That led to a couple of outings in the big leagues, though he allowed nine earned runs through 9 2/3 innings in those. He wasn’t likely to be a permanent solution in the rotation anyway, as he will likely need to have his innings managed after so much missed time. He’ll now head back to the farm to continue that progression.

Another factor potentially leading to Soroka’s optioning is the emergence of prospect AJ Smith-Shawver. He was recently called up to the majors despite being just 20 years old and having barely 100 innings pitched in the minors thus far. He entered yesterday’s game out of the bullpen and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out three, walked one and didn’t allow a hit while throwing 39 pitches. It’s possible that he’ll now get a chance to make a start or two, though the club hasn’t made any official announcements in that regard.

Upcoming Club Option Decisions: NL East

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We’re roughly a third of the way through the 2023 season. Players have had a couple months to build something of a performance track record that’ll play a role in their future contracts. With that in mind, MLBTR will take a look over the coming days at players whose contracts contain team or mutual options to gauge the early trajectory for those upcoming decisions.

Over the past few days, we’ve looked at the NL West and NL Central. Closing out the Senior Circuit:

Atlanta Braves

The Braves and Morton have had a productive relationship for the past few years. He’s signed a series of successive one-year contracts and served as an effective mid-rotation presence. A home run spike resulted in a 4.34 ERA last season but the Braves remained confident in Morton’s still-strong velocity and strikeout and walk numbers. They’ve gotten exactly what they’ve expected from the 39-year-old. He has a 3.59 ERA with a solid 24.5% strikeout rate and is still averaging north of 95 MPH on his fastball. If Morton maintains this form for a full season and wants to continue playing, it stands to reason Atlanta would have interest in bringing him back.

Rosario re-signed on a two-year contract after his 2021 postseason heroics helped Atlanta to a title. He’s always been a streaky performer, however, and the past two seasons haven’t been effective. Rosario hit just .212/.259/.328 in 80 games last year. There was some hope a corrective eye surgery could enable a bounceback but he’s only been slightly better in 2023. Rosario carries a .239/.269/.405 line in 171 trips to the plate. The Braves could pursue left field upgrades via trade this summer and are likely to cut Rosario loose at the end of the season.

d’Arnaud has been a quality catcher for Atlanta for the past few seasons. Last year’s .268/.319/.472 showing didn’t stop the Braves from a blockbuster acquisition of Sean Murphy, who is playing at a down-ballot MVP pace through two months. That pushed d’Arnaud into a backup/designated hitter role for which he’s arguably overqualified.

A concussion has limited d’Arnaud to 17 games thus far. He’s hitting .297/.318/.406 over 66 trips to the plate. An $8MM price point is solid value if the veteran continues to perform at his recent levels. Even with Murphy entrenched as Atlanta’s franchise backstop, the Braves were comfortable keeping d’Arnaud around as a highly-priced #2 option. They could do so again in 2024 or exercise the option and look to trade him this winter, as the Brewers did with second baseman Kolten Wong last offseason.

McHugh inked a two-year free agent deal over the 2021-22 offseason. He was brilliant in year one, throwing 69 1/3 innings of 2.60 ERA ball with a 27.6% strikeout rate. He hasn’t come close to that form through this season’s first couple months. McHugh’s 3.54 ERA through 20 1/3 frames is respectable, but he’s punched out a meager 11.6% of opponents against a personal-worst 10.5% walk rate. The option price isn’t exorbitant and McHugh could yet pitch his way into it being exercised. He’ll need to miss more bats, though.

It’s a somewhat similar story with Yates. He signed a buy-low free agent deal in the middle of a Tommy John rehab during the 2021-22 offseason. Yates made a brief return late last season but hasn’t gotten an extended stretch of action until 2023. He’s missing bats on a solid 12.7% of his offerings and has an above-average 29.1% strikeout rate.

The righty’s control hasn’t come back yet, however. He’s walked 17.4% of opposing hitters and is relying on a .214 batting average on balls in play to keep his ERA at 3.26. Whether he can dial in the strike-throwing as he gets more reps probably determines if the Braves keep him around on a net $4.5MM decision.

Miami Marlins

Cueto signed an $8.5MM guarantee with Miami on the heels of a bounceback showing with the White Sox. It was an odd fit on a Marlins club with ample rotation depth and it hasn’t yet panned out. The 37-year-old got through just one inning in his season debut before suffering a biceps injury. He subsequently sprained his left ankle while on a minor league rehab stint and is on the 60-day injured list. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald relayed on Tuesday that he’s up to 40 pitches in a bullpen session. A return probably isn’t too far off, but Cueto hasn’t made an impact thus far.

Miami acquired Barnes from the Red Sox in a change-of-scenery swap for Richard Bleier at the end of January. He’s off to a fine but not overwhelming start in his new environs. Over 21 innings, the righty reliever has a 3.43 ERA with near-average strikeout and walk numbers. His average fastball velocity is at a career-low 93.3 MPH, though, and he’s only getting swinging strikes at an 8% clip. Barnes looks more like a competent middle reliever than an All-Star closer at this stage of his career. The $5.75MM gap between the option value and the buyout price will probably prove a little too much for the Marlins.

New York Mets

Canha had a productive first season in Queens after signing a two-year free agent deal. He hit .266/.367/.403 over 542 plate appearances last year. He’s been off to a slower start in 2023, posting a .242/.324/.386 line with four homers — a league average performance by measure of wRC+. Canha picked things up in May after a tough April and still holds an everyday corner outfield role, although he’s increasingly hitting at the bottom of the lineup.

The $9.5MM gap between the option value and the buyout isn’t a huge price to pay for a solid everyday outfielder. That’s especially true for the Mets. This one remains to be determined based on Canha’s summer performance.

Escobar was another two-year signee just prior to the lockout. He was coming off a 28-homer showing in 2021 and has some defensive flexibility. Escobar has hit at a roughly league average level as a Met, showing his typical blend of above-average power with low walk totals. That includes a .244/.289/.433 showing over 98 plate appearances this year.

Brett Baty has taken over the primary third base job, pushing Escobar into a depth role off the bench. He’s a solid utility option and by all accounts a beloved clubhouse presence but the net $8.5MM call is likely pricey for a player in that kind of role.

Acquired from the Rays over the offseason, Raley has been a solid situational bullpen arm in Queens. He owns a 2.95 ERA over 18 1/3 innings with better than average strikeout and walk numbers (25.6% and 7.7%, respectively). Raley doesn’t throw especially hard but he misses bats at a league average clip. He’s been hit around by left-handed hitters in a small sample this year but kept them to a .155/.200/.282 line in 76 plate appearances in 2022. The $4.25MM call is a reasonable price point for an effective middle innings arm. If Raley keeps up this pace, there’s a decent chance the Mets bring him back.

Note: Víctor Robles and Jon Berti each signed arbitration contracts that contained 2024 club options. They’d remain eligible for arbitration next season even if the options are declined and have accordingly been excluded from this list.

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