Braves fans are fuming at Alex Anthopoulos as Walker Buehler contract details emerge
The offseason has been a frustratingly quiet one so far for the Atlanta Braves. A second straight early postseason exit cranked up the urgency on Alex Anthopoulos and Co., but for the most part the team has been content to fiddle around the margins — a bullpen flyer here, a potential platoon partner for Jarred Kelenic there — and wait for the market to come to them as big names fly off the board.
There had been reasonable explanations in just about every one of those cases. Despite the NL Wild Card loss to the San Diego Padres, this remains a rock-solid roster without a ton of obvious needs, and the team made it clear before the season even ended that it didn't want to push its payroll well above the luxury tax threshold. The New York Yankees blew everyone else out of the water for lefty Max Fried, and the San Francisco Giants did the same for ideal shortstop target Willy Adames; Atlanta was never going to be in on those players at those prices, and fans could hardly have been surprised that they wound up elsewhere.
As we reach the second tier of free agency, though, Braves Nation is starting to get a little bit impatient. It's one thing to not pay through the nose to retain Fried, but the one-year deal the Boston Red Sox signed Walker Buehler to on Monday morning was absolutely within Atlanta's budget.
Buehler’s deal, which is pending physical, includes an additional $2.5 million in performance bonuses, sources said. At 30, he will spend his first full season after his second Tommy John surgery pitching at Fenway Park following a decade of success in the Dodgers organization.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2024
Buehler seemingly should have been on Anthopoulos' radar, the sort of power righty the team does so well with who looked like his old self during the Dodgers' World Series run but whose injury history made him more affordable than he likely should have been. The Braves, however, never seemed to be in the running, leaving fans to wonder exactly what the plan is.
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Braves fans aren't happy Atlanta passed on reasonable price for Walker Buehler
Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo Lopez are a very nice trio to have atop your starting rotation. But with Spencer Strider still making his way back from injury, the Braves need to add at least one arm this winter, and the options are beginning to dry up.
Okay. The Braves should have done this. It was reported he wanted opt outs but if he was willing to take a 1 year deal the Braves should have been all over it. https://t.co/0ygnbu1MJn
— Beaneater Buzz (@BeaneaterB) December 23, 2024
I get the injury history is what it is, but this would’ve made all kinds of sense for the Braves https://t.co/CM1B5QDOsU
— Max (@_M_Able) December 23, 2024
I’m shocked that Buehler signed for what we’ve basically given Morton the last 2 seasons. Braves didn’t wanna do a 1 year Morton deal for Buehler when they’re freeing up Fried and Morton salaries?
— Carey Stubbs (@CareyStubbs7) December 23, 2024
No one expected Anthopoulos to spend like a drunken sailor this winter. He does need to do something, though, especially considering the Dodgers, Mets and Phillies loading up around him in the National League. There's still time, and a reunion with Charlie Morton is always in the team's back pocket. Short of signing Jack Flaherty, though, there aren't very many reliable arms left, and you can hardly blame Braves fans for getting antsy.
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