Shocking! Braves may have missed out on two free agents

Every offseason, Alex Anthopoulos devises a strategy and promptly executes it.

This winter was no exception, as he attempted to enhance a Braves pitching staff that required significant improvement.

It started in the bullpen, when he signed Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez to multi-year contracts. Soon after, Reynaldo Lopez was signed to a three-year agreement. The hard-throwing righty appeared to be another addition to the bullpen, but the Braves had other plans, giving him another chance as a starter, a role he’s excelled in thus far. Aaron Bummer was also added to the bullpen by trade, and the biggest story of the offseason was a blockbuster deal with the Red Sox that sent seven-time All-Star Chris Sale to Atlanta.

Braves supporters don’t have much room to complain right now. Aaron Bummer has had some setbacks, but it is still early days. Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez have been lights out, Reynaldo Lopez may be the offseason’s best acquisition after six weeks, and Chris Sale appears to be the same guy who competed for AL Cy Young awards year in and year out five years ago.

Given the cost of acquiring Lopez and Sale, Alex Anthopoulos delivered a masterclass. Starting pitching is extremely expensive to acquire at any time of year, but Anthopoulos’ ability to uncover a handful of buy-low candidates ahead of the 2024 campaign deserves high respect.

However, you can never have enough pitching, and there were a number of additional buy-low candidates on the free agency market that could have helped the Braves go over the hump for pennies.

Luis Severino

Last season, I mentioned Luis Severino as a potential free agent target for the Braves. It just made too much sense considering Alex Anthopoulos’ track record. He rarely shops for top-tier free agents due to their high cost. Rather, he takes chances on players with high potential who are coming off a bad season.

This is exactly what happened to Severino. Injuries cost him nearly three seasons as the New York Yankees’ ace, and when he returned, he was a shell of the pitcher he had been in 2017-18. However, the evidence was still there, and I always assumed he’d figure it out eventually.

Well, Severino has this season, and to make matters worse, he is doing so for the Mets. He agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract with the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, and after seven starts, he’s 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA. That would be a wonderful addition to the rotation with Spencer Strider out for the season.

Jack Flaherty

Unlike Severino, I had Jack Flaherty on my “do not target” list entering the summer. I’m delighted the Braves didn’t, but I’m mature enough to recognize when I was wrong. Flaherty ended up signing a one-year, $14 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. Through seven starts, he has a 3.86 ERA and a 2.98 FIP, leading MLB with a 12.0 K/9. We’ll see how durable that is, but it’s astounding given all of the ailments he battled with between 2020 and 2022.