Braves Exec Explains Reason for 'Weak' Bench on Major League Roster
The Atlanta Braves have had a roster that's seemingly set for a while now.
Trading for Jarred Kelenic and installing him as the everyday leftfielder, as well as acquiring Chris Sale to fortify the middle of the rotation, means that Atlanta knows all nine starters in the lineup and four of their five starting pitchers before we play a single game in spring training.
But those last few spots on the bench are still up in the air, and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos addressed the perceived "weakness" of the bench with the media.
Speaking from the team's facility in North Port, FL on Thursday, Anthopoulos admitted that playing time has been an issue with the team's pursuit of bench options, and it's going to factor in heavily in the final two bench spots behind catcher Travis d'Arnaud and utilityman Luis Guillorme.
"It’s not just necessarily going to be who are the best players, it’s who’s the best fit,” Anthopoulos said. “The same way that (infielders Vaughn) Grissom and (Braden) Shewmake weren’t going to be up here to sit on the bench last year, they needed to play. So those last two spots, knowing that we’re likely not going to have playing time, I think they’re going to be really specific, defined roles. That’s where I think speed will be certainly one of the two."
And that's an illuminative quote from Anthopoulos, because it explains a lot.
Charlie Culberson also shed some light on this when discussing his position change into a reliever, admitting he knew up front that he was "gonna basically ride the bench" when Atlanta called him up last season. That prediction was true - Culberson spent over a month on the roster and got a grand total of one at-bat (which was a hit, because of course it was.)
What this means for the outfield
And so, with speed being a significant factor in one of the two bench spots, that seemingly narrows the race down into a battle between Forrest Wall and Eli White for the backup outfield spot. Wall should be the favorite in this one, as the 28 year-old speedster has 266 career stolen bases across a nine season minor-league career. Called up to the active roster in July last season, Wall swiped five bags in six attempts for Atlanta, including two in two pitches against the Brewers as the Braves attempted to rally in the final inning. Wall's demonstrated speed and defensive ability seemingly puts him on the inside track for the backup outfield role.
But don't count out Eli White. Despite not being as accomplished of a basestealer as Wall - he's 73 of 97 in his minor league career, as compared to Wall's 261 of 337 - White's 30.0 ft/sec sprint speed is actually faster than Wall's 28.2, and he's also an accomplished defender at all three defensive positions.
What this does probably mean is that J.P. Martinez, who Atlanta acquired via trade from the Texas Rangers this offseason, and minor league free agent signing Jordan Luplow probably both get everyday play time in AAA Gwinnett until an injury necessitates one of them being elevated to the major league roster. Anthopoulos all but confirmed this plan, saying “And look, if there’s somebody going on the IL and we think there’s at-bats, then that that’ll certainly change things.”
What this means for the infield
And despite what everyone else is putting in their roster projections, I don't know if it's right to assume David Fletcher makes the MLB roster. As we discussed on the Braves Today podcast, Fletcher's owed a combined $14M between his 2024 & 2025 salaries and his 2026 buyout of the first of two club options.
With no playing time available at the major league level unless an injury happens, I think Fletcher's better served playing every day in AAA Gwinnett and showing teams that he's both crisp defensively and a threat offensively, in hopes of an injury-riddled team making a trade to take on his salary. We've discussed how Atlanta is perilously close to exceeding the 3rd luxury tax tier and the draft pick penalties that come with that - shedding Fletcher's $6.5M in 2024 and all future monies would provide much needed financial flexibility to the team. That's contingent on the Braves being happy with their shortstop depth options being Luis Guillorme in the short term (i.e., finish a game) and either Andrew Vazquez or Leury Garcia covering an extended absence by Orlando Arcia, but that's a determination to make during Grapefruit League action.
It all comes back to clubhouse fit
As things seemingly always do with the Braves, it comes back to the personality and how they fit with the current roster. Anthopoulos admitted that the team explored several utility options prior to the trade deadline, but not everyone can accept sitting almost every day.
"You need a certain type of person, a certain type of individual" admitted Anthopoulos, adding that Nicky Lopez, now traded to the Chicago White Sox, was that type of player for Atlanta.
"There were guys out there that were more accomplished (at the deadline), but they wouldn’t have fit in our minds with how we (use bench players),” Anthopoulos said. “I don’t know how happy they would have been in that role. Lopez, with the work we did on him, was a perfect fit for us.”
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