Braves Rumors: Vaughn Grissom future, rotation fix, Josh Hader buzz

Braves Rumors: Josh Hader named an early Braves free agency target

For each of the past two offseasons, we’ve seen Alex Anthopoulos make a huge splash for the Braves while letting a big-name pending free agent depart. In the 2022 offseason, it was bringing in Matt Olson via trade while Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers. This past offseason, it was letting Dansby Swanson walk but then trading for Sean Murphy.

So what does he have up his sleeve for the upcoming offseason?

It should be a bit of a different scene for the Braves simply because they isn’t a pending free agent of the caliber that has been coming off of the books in recent years. However, I would expect that Anthopoulos will still make a splash. But it might be more likely that it comes in free agency than on the trade market this time around (though another savvy trade remains in play too with the likes of Grissom that Atlanta can dangle).

If there’s a big move to be made in free agency, the first place everyone’s mind goes is obviously to Shohei Ohtani. But it might be Josh Hader that makes the most sense for the Braves. That’s why Chase Irle of SportsTalkATL listed the closer as an obvious target for Atlanta.

Hader, who has been the best closer in baseball once again this season, will be hitting the market with a sub-1.00 ERA and WHIP this year for the Padres. But in the modern landscape of MLB, relievers simply draw less money on contracts than starters or big-name bats. That works in the favor of the Braves with how Anthopoulos has operated supremely without truly breaking the bank.

While Raisel Iglesias and A.J. Minter have been good at the back end of the bullpen, though, the two things that stand out with the Braves bullpen this season has been inconsistency and a lack of reliable lefties outside of Minter. Adding Hader to the fold would give the Braves the best bullpen in baseball and an elite mix of arms they can utilize to close games while also not worrying about fatigue because of the high-end depth.

That could be crucial to sustaining the success this club has enjoyed and was one of the reasons I even had Hader circled as a potential trade target at this year’s deadline for Atlanta had the Padres actually sold. Now, the Braves can get him while not having to cough up assets to do so.