Braves Offered All-Star RHP 5-Year Deal Before He Signed with Dodgers

As more reports surface, the more we learn about how active the Atlanta Braves have been this offseason

This lines up with the reported interest from the Braves | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The more that surfaces during the winter, the less anyone can say that the Atlanta Braves haven't been active. Before he signed with the Dodgers, the Braves offered Edwin Diaz a five-year deal, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo.

The terms of the deal, though clearly not enough to get him to choose Atlanta over Los Angeles, are unknown. During the Winter Meetings, it surfaced in reports that they had priced pointed Diaz ahead of his new contract. We now know that this was taken a step further with a full long-term offer.

Diaz ultimately signed for a guarateed three-years, $69 million deal. There is a conditional option for a fourth year as well. If he were to stay for a fourth year, he would be out in Los Angeles until the end of the decade.

While they didn't land Diaz, things worked out for the Braves. They still landed an All-Star, Robert Suarez, on a multi-year deal. He'll be the setup behind Raisel Iglesias, who was also re-signed this year.

For what it's worth, signing Diaz would have meant handing over a draft pick to the Mets. He had a qualifying offer attached to him. While Suarez didn't, meaning they still have this draft pick to burn as an option, it shows they're willing to use it, as general manager Alex Anthopoulos had indicated.

Either way, the Braves have shown in a few ways at this point how active they're trying to be. Diaz didn't happen, but they've made some significant moves this offseason. Along with the moves for the bullpen, they signed Mike Yastrzemski to bolster depth in the lineup. They secured Ha-Seong Kim for next season, signing him to a one-year, $20 million deal.

They also made the move to acquire Mauricio Dubon from the Astros to fortify their utility depth. With that move, they also improved on offense compared to when they had Nick Allen.

Starting pitching, maybe another bullpen arm, remains the goal for completing their tasks for the offseason. They've jumped at opportunities as they come, and plenty more are out there. Some of the top free-agent options have qualifying offers attached, so that first-round pick could come in handy.

All reports just show how active they are. At least compared to last season, it's not just missed opportunities. It's alternate timelines to who they could have signed compared to someone they actually did.