Two Braves Stars Among Top Twenty-Five Free Agents for Next Offseason

The Atlanta Braves could have some notable personnel losses after this season

The Atlanta Braves could see some significant roster changes after 2024. 

The team has several pending free agents, although more turnover is expected on the pitching front than from the position player group, with several arms not having club options that could extend the team’s control for an additional season. 

Of course, there’s also the demand aspect. Bleacher Report, ranking the top 25 upcoming free agents, named two Braves, both arms, among their top 25 most in-demand free agents next offseason. 

Starting pitcher Charlie Morton, who will turn 41 soon after the season ends, made the list at #20. Here’s what writer Joel Reuter said about Morton’s upcoming free agency campaign: 

Morton has made at least 30 starts three years in a row for the Braves, serving as a veteran workhorse while posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 604 strikeouts in 521 innings during that stretch. He's the third-oldest player to appear in an MLB game this season, behind Justin Verlander and Jesse Chavez.

Any talk of Morton’s pending free agency, in my opinion, needs to also address his stated preferences to play close to his family, who live in Florida. Logically, there’s not as many teams that have a realistic chance of signing Morton, with the Braves and the two Florida franchises (including his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays) being the only logical teams that Morton would join if he chooses to delay retirement by one more season. 

But Morton’s not expected to be the top free agent from this roster. That’s starting pitcher Max Fried, the 2nd-rated pitcher and 6th-overall free agent on Bleacher Report’s list. Here’s what Reuter thought about Fried’s pending free agency: 

Fried finished runner-up in 2022 NL Cy Young voting when he went 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 185.1 innings, and while he missed time to injury last year, he was similarly effective when healthy with a 2.55 ERA in 77.2 innings. The left-hander is off to a rocky start this year, but he has been an ace-caliber starter when everything is clicking, and he could pitch his way to a nine-figure payday with a strong 2024 campaign.

Games like last night against Miami, where Fried threw a complete game shutout in less than 100 pitches with only three hits and no walks, will do nothing but bring the price up on the young lefty. He’s positioned behind Corbin Burnes in the pecking order by virtue of Burnes’ dominance in the past - Burnes won the 2021 National League Cy Young award and has four top-eight Cy Young finishes, as well as top-15 MVP finish under his belt. 

There’s an option that was interestingly left off the list, even when counting the additional twenty-two “honorable mentions” outside of the top 25 - designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. MLB’s current leader in both homers (nine) and RBIs (twenty-seven), Ozuna’s batting .326/.402/.674 and has been one of the best hitters over the last calendar year. 

The 33-year-old Ozuna does have a club option for 2025 which, if exercised, would pay him $16M for one more season with Atlanta. But that’s not a stopping point for the Bleacher Report list, as several honorable mentions are also under club options for the 2025 season. 

And yet, Ozuna isn’t in the top designated hitter options according to Bleacher Report, with the trio of J.D. Martinez, Joc Pederson, and Justin Turner all making the honorable mention list over Ozuna.

But for both the last calendar year and so far in 2024, Ozuna’s been the best hitter of the bunch.