With plans for more additions before spring training, Braves send a signal

The addition would be made to bolster a starting rotation that appears solid at the top with Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider but is less firm after that. The remaining possibilities include two pitchers returning from serious injury, Reynaldo López (shoulder) and Grant Holmes (partially torn UCL), the durable but inconsistent Bryce Elder and uncertainties Joey Wentz, Hurston Waldrep and Martin Pérez.

Out of that assemblage, the Braves could form a capable quintet if all were to go according to plan. The interest in Bassitt is recognition that not all goes according to plan in baseball, as the injury parade of the 2025 season made most clear for the Braves.

The right-handed Bassitt, who turns 37 later in February, has averaged 180.8 innings over the past four seasons, the past three with the Toronto Blue Jays, with a 3.96 ERA last year. By comparison, no Braves pitcher reached 180 innings in either of the past two seasons.

The fact that Bassitt is still on the market just before the start of spring training suggests he hasn’t gotten the type of contract offer that he was anticipating. Even still, he won’t sign for figurative pennies, much less literal ones. A deal for Bassitt might have an average annual value of $14 million-$15 million.

It would be a significant investment for the Braves, whose highest-paid players (third baseman Austin Riley and first baseman Matt Olson) draw $22 million annually.

It’s worth noting, too, that the Braves were believed to have keen interest in Houston’s Framber Valdez — probably not necessarily for the three-year, $115 million that he reportedly agreed to with Detroit on Wednesday, but at a price point that would’ve had to be heavy.

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

While the full proof would be a signing of Bassitt, the Braves’ willingness to add meaningfully to the budget at this point of the offseason reinforces the commitment that the front office has shown to spend more aggressively than in the past, particularly last offseason.

Then, you’ll remember, the only big-ticket free-agency signing was left fielder Jurickson Profar. President of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos stood fairly pat with the starting rotation and bullpen.

The decision came back to haunt the Braves, who were waylaid by injuries and underperformance and ultimately saw their streak of postseason berths end at seven.

Opening the piggy bank

The Braves’ payroll is nearly $255 million (according to Spotrac), which ranks seventh in MLB and is almost $20 million more than they laid out last year. If the rankings held steady, it would approach the goal of team chairman Terry McGuirk to have a top-five payroll.

But the interest in Bassitt (and Valdez previously) is indication that the Braves still have money in the piggy bank that they’re willing to part with, a development fans can get behind.

As is another expected transaction before spring training begins — the likely addition of a catcher to back up Drake Baldwin while Sean Murphy completes his recovery from season-ending hip surgery.

It won’t be nearly the investment as Bassitt would represent. But the Braves want to have a backup to Baldwin with more experience and recent production than Chadwick Tromp (67 career games) and Sandy León (559 career games, but a .153 batting average and .218 slugging percentage in 59 games since 2022).

One option might be former All-Star Elias Díaz, who caught 105 games last year for the San Diego Padres, though he hit .204 while slugging .337. Another could be Jonah Heim, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner who hit .213 last year with the Texas Rangers and slugged .332.

That catcher likely would stay on the roster until Murphy’s return, expected to be mid-May.

So long as Baldwin stayed healthy — perhaps an assumption Anthopoulos has no interest in making after last year’s torrent of injuries — a backup catcher might not play much in the team’s first 45 or so games. But Anthopoulos appears willing to part with some cash in order to get slightly more out of that position than it would with either Tromp or León behind the plate.

It’s the right response for a team that played well below expectations last year, partially because of injury, but also because key players just didn’t play to their standards.

From a budget perspective, the Braves may always have a gap between them and the top of the MLB spending hierarchy.

But their willingness to close the margin bodes well for the season to come.

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