The Atlanta Braves hoped to put the bitter taste of the 2023 season behind them by 2024.
Atlanta was unquestionably the greatest team during the regular season last year. The Braves were unable to take their momentum into the playoffs, however. Atlanta was disappointed, as they did not advance to the World Series.
It appeared that 2017 could be their year, but injuries utterly depleted their roster. Atlanta will have difficult decisions this offseason, with the potential that ace Max Fried will leave.
If that’s the case, Texas Rangers standout Nathan Eovaldi could be the best option for Atlanta. He has starred in Texas for the last two years, helping the Rangers win the World Series last season. Eovaldi is a fascinating guy to monitor since he will decide whether or not to enter free agency, but MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco believes he will.
“That’s a really variable group. “(Jacob deGrom), (Tyler Mahle), and (Kumar Rocker) have recently returned from Tommy John surgeries,” Franco stated. “Leiter, Rocker, and Bradford (to a lesser extent) have limited big-league experience. Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney, and José Ureña are set to enter free agency. Eovaldi is still expected to join them. Texas could try to re-sign Eovaldi on another multi-year contract and should look for at least one outside addition even if they keep him.
Eovaldi has a 3.96 ERA in 27 starts this season and would go a long way in helping the Braves in 2025.