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3 Braves free agents Alex Anthopoulos should let go, 1 to re-sign

By Cody Williams

Jul 31, 2023; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2023; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Braves Rumors, Joe Jimenez, Braves free agents, Atlanta Braves
Jul 1, 2023; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Joe Jimenez (77) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Braves free agent to re-sign for 2024: Joe Jimenez, RP

Going back to the way that Alex Anthopoulos has built this roster, one of the things that stands out when looking at the Braves’ pending free agents for the 2023-24 offseason is the age of the players who are coming off of the books. Essentially, it is a host of older players or even little-used veterans who are also on the wrong side of 30.

One of the major exceptions to that, however, is reliever Joe Jimenez.

The Braves acquired Jimenez in a quiet offseason trade with the Tigers this past December and the 28-year-old right-hander has been one of the quiet forces for the club out of the bullpen this season. He’s posted a solid 2.72 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP on the season.

More importantly, the underlying numbers back that up. While his 2.94 xERA and 3.52 FIP do indicate that he’s been a little bit lucky on the season, that’s still a solid showing for a pitcher who is coming into his own in a better situation than he was in with Detroit.

Given that he’s the youngest free agent that could come off of the books for the Braves this offseason and the fact that Atlanta has lacked bullpen depth at times this season, it makes sense to bring Jimenez back and build off of the performance that he’s put forth this year.

Even better, re-signing Jimenez should come quite cheaply, which won’t hinder Anthopoulos from making any splash he plans to elsewhere in free agency.

Next. MLB Rumors: Cubs-Ohtani match, Mike Trout trade hurdles, Yankees copying Braves. dark

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