Atlanta Braves’ general manager Alex Anthopoulos has made himself notorious for building a stacked roster on a very impressive budget. More recently, Braves fans have grown aggravated with Anthopoulos as spending has become much more conservative.
Ever since the 2021 World Series title, the Braves have seen franchise players such as Freddie Freeman, Max Fried and Dansby Swanson walk in free agency, with Fried being the most recent. Looking ahead, the Braves could be in danger of losing another superstar pitcher the same way.
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Spencer Strider set for big pay day at the end of his contract
When Spencer Strider is at his best, he is one of the best starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. Back in 2023, the flame-throwing right-hander went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and led all of baseball with 281 strikeouts. Ever since that season, Strider has battled injuries that have kept him sidelined, but he is sure to recover and his price tag will still remain high.
Strider is signed through the 2028 season and has a club option, which Atlanta is expected to exercise in 2029. If the Braves do in fact exercise that option, Strider’s contract will expire when he is 31 years of age, the same age Fried was when he joined the New York Yankees this past offseason on a massive eight-year, $218 million deal.
MLB Insider Jeff Passan suggests that if Strider is able to stay healthy over the next few seasons, when he hits the free agent market, he could be priced outside of Atlanta’s budget.
“When he’s healthy, Strider is even better than Fried and if he can sustain his stuff, he might be a better bet for the $300 million club,” Passan stated.
Unless the Braves start spending money a little more freely, which does not seem likely given the organization’s history, we could see Strider move on from Atlanta when his current contract comes to an end. We will see if the Braves learn from their previous mistakes or continue with their penny-pinching philosophy.