The Braves have signed two relievers to one-year deals.
The Braves have signed relievers Penn Murfee and Jackson Stephens to one-year split contracts. A split contract means that the player is paid at different rates for time spent in the majors vs time spent in Triple-A. Both pitchers have been added to Atlanta’s 40-man roster. Following an active non-tender deadline, the organization still has seven openings on the 40-man roster.
Murfee and Stephens were both released from the roster in recent weeks. Murfee was released by Atlanta at the non-tender deadline. Stephens was released shortly before that after going unclaimed on outright waivers.
The Braves had just snagged Murfee off waivers a few days before cutting him loose. The 29-year-old righty has 80 games of major league experience, all of which have come with the Mariners over the past two seasons. Leaning heavily on a sweeping slider, Murfee has posted strong results. He owns a 2.70 ERA in 83 1/3 innings, striking out nearly 28% of batters faced. He has found success against hitters of either handedness.
Murfee’s season was unfortunately cut short in June. The 29-year-old underwent surgery to repair a UCL tear in his elbow. He’ll miss a good portion of next season as a result. There’s no injured list during the offseason, explaining Seattle’s decision to move on despite his strong body of work. The Braves have enough roster space to give Murfee a spot, at least for the time being. If he sticks on the roster for the rest of the offseason, they could place him on the 60-day injured list whenever they need a 40-man spot from the start of Spring Training onward.
Stephens, 29, has spent the past two seasons in the Atlanta organization. The righty logged more big league action in 2022, when he turned in a 3.69 ERA through 53 2/3 frames. He didn’t see as much time this past season, tallying only 12 MLB innings over five appearances in September. Stephens worked to a 3.28 ERA with a strong 26% strikeout rate across 24 2/3 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Since he is out of minor league options, he’d have to open next season on the active roster or again be exposed to waivers. Stephens would have the right to elect free agency if the Braves successfully passed him through waivers unclaimed. Since he has less than five years of service time, he’d have to forfeit his guaranteed salary to become a free agent. By signing him to a split deal that locks in an undisclosed amount of money for whatever time he spends in Triple-A, the Braves increase their chance of retaining Stephens as non-roster depth in the event they try to run him through waivers at some point.
READ MORE:
Key questions for Braves at Winter Meetings
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19370530/usa_today_11260582.jpg)
If you like rumors, you’ll probably appreciate the steady flow of information generated during the Winter Meetings, which will take place in Nashville from Sunday to Wednesday.
The Braves strengthened their bullpen with the signings of Pierce Johnson, Joe Jiménez, and Reynaldo López in the winter. However, they still have several clear needs and seven open spaces on their 40-man roster.
As a result, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos could garner a lot of attention from agents and other team officials attending the convention next week.
Will the Braves try to sign a free-agent starting pitcher, even if Aaron Nola (Phillies) and Sonny Gray (Cardinals) are no longer available? Or will they try to bolster their rotation by acquiring Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes, or any of the other three top starters mentioned in this story?
As things stand, the Braves’ rotation would include Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. The fifth spot could be filled by López (who will be given a chance to start), AJ Smith-Shawver, Allan Winans or Hurston Waldrep. Smith-Shawver and Waldrep have bright futures, and there’s a chance Ian Anderson figures into the mix after he makes his full recovery from Tommy John surgery at some point next season.
The Braves also have to plan for the possibility that their 2025 rotation might not include Fried and Morton. Adding a controllable starter would create immediate stability and also help future plans. But next winter’s crop of free-agent starters has more attractive options for the long haul.
With Eddie Rosario out of the picture, the Braves have said they are toying with the idea of having Vaughn Grissom play left field. This is at least a little more believable than last year’s plan to have him play shortstop. But it seems more likely the Braves could attempt to trade for a left fielder or sign a free agent. Jorge Soler’s questionable durability as an everyday outfielder lessens the likelihood of him returning to fill the left-field role.
Getting back to Soler, if the Braves were to trade Marcell Ozuna as he enters the final guaranteed season of his contract, the 2021 World Series MVP could be brought back to Atlanta as a DH.
To get value, you have to give up value. The Braves’ most attractive prospects are Smith-Shawver, Waldrep, Owen Murphy and JR Ritchie, a group of high-upside pitchers. Maybe there is enough depth there to use one of these arms to make a deal. But the possibility that Fried and Morton could be prepping for their final seasons in Atlanta enhances the need to plan for the future.
That’s why the Braves may have to think about including Ozuna or Raisel Iglesias, who is owed $32 million over the next two years. It’s hard to trade a guy coming off a 40-homer season or a closer coming off a 30-save season. But moving one of those two veterans would be far easier than dealing Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II or any of the other superstars locked up for most of this decade.
Leave a Reply