Braves Sign 8 to MiLB Deals

While many are waiting on the big splash from AA this offseason, there have been several note-worthy MLB deals, and AA, like usual, utilized the early offseason to wrap up contracts with both Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez. He also traded a plethora of castaways for LH relief pitcher Aaron Bummer. From there, he continued the focus on pitching and signed Reynaldo Lopez to a 3-year deal, role-pending. While these 4 moves are not the big splash, they make for quite a month for the Braves GM.

Where Cincinnati Reds rookie Alejo Lopez fits into the infield

Anthopoulos has also been busy in the minor league front. And while many of the signings are just AAA fillers, there are a few that could surprise and make the MLB roster at some point in 2024. Let’s take a look at who AA has inked.

BRAVES SIGN 8 TO MILB DEALS

Pierce Johnson has given the Atlanta Braves exactly what they needed - Battery Power

  • Alejo Lopez is a glove-first guy who can play almost all positions. Played sparingly for the Reds over a 3-year period. Decent hit tool in MiLB but hasn’t translated to the bigs.
  • Tommy Doyle, the 2nd-round pick in the 2017 draft and a lifelong reliever, has had more downs than ups but has a big fastball that he has a hard time controlling.
  • Checking in on Joe Jiménez - Battery Power
  • Andrew Velazquez An all-glove veteran who can play everywhere and hit nowhere. He’s a good 26th man for Brian Snitker.
  • Ben Bowden: Another CO guy, Bowden got a cup of coffee back in 2021 as a reliever, but had poor results and hasn’t made it back up since. He has great K-rates across his MiLB journey that unfortunately coincide with horrible walk rates.
  • Grant Holmes: Holmes was my pick to be placed on the 40-man roster this offseason, but he wasn’t “granted” that opportunity. He had a strong year at AAA and I feel as though it won’t be too long before he finally gets the call. 2024 will be his 10th year in pro ball without a callup.
  • Luis Liberato: This is likely the most exciting MiLB signing of the offseason. Liberato is a LHH OFer who can play all three positions. He’s also a big splits guy, carrying a .901 OPS against RHP at AAA and a .648 against LHP. If the Braves go the platoon route in LF, look for Liberato’s name to pop up a lot during spring training.
  • Luke Williams: Williams is the classic journeyman who has learned it all for the field but couldn’t break a wet sack with the bat. He’s in emergency depth and is likely getting an inflated MiLB salary in return for his up-and-down services.
  • Drew Parrish: Parrish showed promise after being drafted in 2019 as he carried a 4.21 K/BB rate in 98.2 innings between High-A and AA. Unfortunately, it’s been a downhill spiral for his ERA and his K-rate, but an uphill climb for his BB-rate. He’s finally made it out of the Royals organization, so that’s a start.

If I were looking at this list in terms of who could make it to the bigs, my top 3 would be Liberato, Williams, and Bowden.