3 bargain free agents the Braves can sign with Jorge Soler's money

The Atlanta Braves began their offseason with a bang, trading Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Griffin Canning. The Braves had re-acquired Soler, one of the many heroes from their 2021 World Series run, at the trade deadline in a deal with the San Francisco Giants, but parted ways immediately following their exit in the Wild Card Series.

Soler provided an offensive lift for a struggling Atlanta offense, posting an .849 OPS in 49 games for the Braves with nine home runs. His bat is a good one, but his defense proved to be a major issue in right field. With Marcell Ozuna expected to be brought back as the team's DH, and Ronald Acuña Jr. returning from his torn ACL at some point, the Braves had more than enough reasons to trade Soler, who still had two years and $32 million remaining on his deal.

From the looks of it, this appears to be a salary dump. Soler was pretty expensive, and with the Braves only getting Canning - a pitcher who could very well be non-tendered - in return, their primary goal with this was to get Soler's contract off the books.

While it's good that the Braves saved some money, that money should not be pocketed. The Braves should use the money Soler was owed to add a player or two to make the 2025 Braves that much better. With Ozuna set to DH and Acuña likely to patrol right field for most, if not the entire 2025 campaign, the Braves can use that money to fill other needs.

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3) The Braves should pursue an A.J. Minter reunion

A.J. Minter's injury woes were easy to push aside because he was just one of many Braves players who dealt with injuries, but his absence was unfortunate for the bullpen. Minter not only was a key piece in the bullpen this season, but he has been for most of his eight-year tenure in Atlanta.

The southpaw never lived up to the billing of being the team's closer of the future, but has been an integral set-up man for the majority of his Braves tenure, including in the 2021 campaign when the team won the World Series.

A couple of injuries suffered by Minter including his season-ender took away from what was another strong season for the 31-year-old, but in the 39 games he did appear in, he posted a 2.62 ERA in 34.1 innings of work. He allowed home runs at an alarming rate (4.5 percent HR rate) compared to his career norms (1.9 percent HR rate), but for the most part, he was who he has always been - a power pitcher with great strikeout stuff and solid command.

Minter won't take up all the $16 million Soler was set to be owed in 2025, but he will take up a chunk of it. His value might be down from where it should be, considering the fact that he dealt with injuries. Assuming Minter wants to return to Atlanta, the Braves should absolutely want him back. When he's on, he's one of the best left-handed relievers in the National League.

2) Swiping Sean Manaea away from their NL East rivals would kill two birds with one stone

Sean Manaea's track record entering this season was far from stellar, but he proved to be a legitimate force for a New York Mets team that made a surprising run to the NLCS. Manaea's season (and career) turned around after he watched Chris Sale dominate New York at Citi Field in late July. He made a bold change to replicate Sale's arm delivery, and the results followed.

Manaea posted a 3.09 ERA in his final 12 starts of the season, allowing three runs or fewer in all but two of those outings. Perhaps more impressively, Manaea led the majors with 75.2 innings of work in that same span. His success continued into the postseason when he looked great in his first three starts before running out of gas in Game 6 of the NLCS.

If the Braves believe that Manaea is the pitcher that he was down the stretch - and there's little reason to believe that he isn't - he'd be a great rotation option for a team that might lose Charlie Morton and Max Fried while also having Spencer Strider's availability up in the air. Additionally, they'd be signing him away from their NL East rivals, which is always a plus.

1) Yusei Kikuchi would offer the Braves a cheaper Max Fried alternative

The chances of the Braves re-signing Max Fried feel pretty slim. This isn't because Fried doesn't want to return or the Braves wouldn't want him back, but Alex Anthopoulos just doesn't pay market rate for high-end free agents. He let Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson walk, so there's little reason to believe that he won't do the same with Fried.

Assuming that the Braves pass on the high-end free agents like Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, and Fried, they should dip into the next tier and sign a player like Yusei Kikuchi. No, he isn't Fried, but with how he finished the 2024 campaign, he might be even better.

After he was traded away from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Houston Astros, Kikuchi locked in, posting a 2.70 ERA in 60 innings of work across ten starts. The Astros went 9-1 in those starts. Is that what Kikuchi is? No, but he also isn't the struggling pitcher that he was for much of the season with Toronto. Kikuchi is a solid mid-rotation arm who would help offset the losses they're set to endure, and if he costs more than the $16 million AAV Soler is owed, it won't be by much.