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    Potential new Atlanta Braves free agent targets from Friday's non-tenders

    There were 63 players non-tendered on Friday; are any of them intriguing fits for the Atlanta Braves?

    We should start calling this "Black Friday". 

    The non-tender deadline for MLB teams was Friday evening, and sixty-three players under team control were non-tendered contracts, meaning their teams could choose to keep them in the organization and just...decided not to.

    From this new class of free agents, is there any players that are now potential fits for the Atlanta Braves? 

    OF/INF Nick Senzel, formerly of the Cincinnati Reds

    Sep 17, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Nick Senzel (15) poses for a photo in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field.

    Senzel, the #2 overall pick of the Reds in the 2016 draft, is a former top prospect that never quite lived up to his draft pedigree across five seasons in Cincinnati. 

    He's shown impressive defensive versatility, playing second base, third base, and all three outfield positions during his time with the Reds (albeit to varying levels of success.) 

    His power stroke hasn't quite been as consistent as Cincinnati wanted, with only 33 homers in 377 career major-league games (and that might be something Atlanta's specifically looking for), but with the departures of utilityman Nicky Lopez and minor league utilityman Braden Shewmake (both traded to White Sox) and the non-tender of Luke Williams on Friday night, the defensive versatility could be useful for Atlanta. 

    SP Spencer Turnbull, formerly of the Detroit Tigers

    May 6, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull (56) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium.

    Turnbull's hitting free agency at a bad time for him - having missed the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery, he struggled to a 7.26 ERA in the seven starts he made in 2023. 

    But in the 20 games before getting injured, covering parts of 2020 and 2021, he put up a 3.46 ERA in 106.2 innings with 95 strikeouts and 41 walks, allowing only four homers. 

    No non-tendered player is perfect, and Turnbull's part of that group - he missed multiple months in 2023 with a neck injury. But if he's healthy - and a robust medical check will need to be part of any pre-signing physical - he's shown he can be an effective back-end starter with his fastball/slider/changeup trio. 

    Turnbull memorably threw a no-hitter in 2021 against the Mariners, striking out nine and walking two in a 117-pitch outing in mid-May.

    (And as an aside: he grew up in Madison, Mississippi and went to the University of Alabama. That demographic of Southern-born player seems to do well in Atlanta.)

    RP Adam Cimber, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays

    Jun 10, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Adam Cimber (90) throws against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre.

    Cimber, 33, has been a workhorse until this season, where back and shoulder injuries limited him to only 20.2 innings (and a 7.40 ERA). 

    But in the two seasons before, divided between Miami and Toronto, Cimber took the ball 149 times and put up a 2.53 ERA, walking only 29 batters while picking up 13 wins and 5 saves. 

    One concern here might be Cimber's relatively low velocity: his four-seam fastball and slider combo, thrown from a super funky submarine delivery, averages a well-below average 85 mph. They're buttressed by a 75 mph slider, but the funky angle and movement means he allows only a 6.9% barrel rate and keeps runs off the board. 

    OF Austin Meadows, formerly of the Detroit Tigers

    Apr 5, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Austin Meadows (17) hits an RBI single during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

    Meadows, a former 1st rounder out of Loganville GA by the Pirates in the 2013 MLB Draft, was non-tendered after playing only 42 games in the last two seasons due to mental health issues that kept him away from baseball. 

    But he was an electric member of the Tampa Bay Rays before heading to Detroit who has twice gotten down-ballot MVP votes, coming in 20th in 2021 and 14th (and being an All-Star) in 2019. 

    Capable of playing all three outfield spots but mostly running in the corners, Meadows showed questionable left field defense in his last full season (2021), but plenty of pull-side power that would profile well with Truist Park's Chop House past the right field wall. 

    SP Brandon Woodruff, formerly of the Brewers

    Sep 23, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (53) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park.

    Remember how we talked about most non-tendered players are flawed? Here's the biggest of all. 

    Woodruff's been one of the best #2 pitchers since debuting with Milwaukee in 2017, making 115 starts (and 130 total appearances) with a 46-26 record and 3.10 ERA. He's struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings in his career, walking just 2.3 BB/9, with a career 1.045 WHIP. 

    He was on track for one of the best seasons of his career in 2023 (5-1 & 2.28 ERA in 11 starts, including a complete game shutout) before a shoulder injury not only ended his 2023 season but required surgery that will make him miss 2024 as well. 

    Woodruff, at best, might make it back for a handful of rehab starts at the very end of the 2024 season, but there's a possibility of signing him to a multi-year deal with a much higher 2025 salary and probably a player opt-out at some point in there, after either 2025 or 2026. 

    If Atlanta were to do that, assuming he's healthy (which isn't a guarantee with shoulder injuries) he could provide some 2025 insurance to a rotation that's now facing the loss of Kyle Wright (traded to Kansas City) and potentially both Max Fried (free agency) and Charlie Morton (retirement).  

    There's no obvious slam dunk signings 

    None of these players are glaringly obvious adds for 2024, but it adds a little more depth to a free agent class that's rather stout at the top in arms, but lacking in depth and position player options as a whole.

    Here's the full list of non-tendered players, courtesy of MLB.com. 

    Is there any specific player you want Atlanta to sign from this group? Let us know! 

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