Atlanta Braves free agents: Pass or pursue on all five player options
By Josh Wilson
Kirby Yates, RP: Club option $5.8 million
Heck. Yes. Kirby Yates returned in 2023 after only pitching 11 and a third innings between 2020 and 2022 due to injury and was a great add when he debuted, putting up a 3.28 ERA, going 7-2 in his relief appearances, and keeping his WHIP below 1.2.
Yates has three pitches, two of which are extremely good when you boil them down to Statcast's run value. He mainly uses his fastball and splitter which both produced averages below .175 in 2023. He produced a 94th percentile K% in 2023.
Yates finally made his first MLB postseason appearance this season with a one-inning showing in the NLDS where he secured three outs in the fifth inning, a game the Braves would win. Surely, he's hungry for more postseason action after waiting seven years to finally get some playoff run.
Looking at his MLB journey in totality, that becomes even more true. Yates was drafted in 2005 and didn't make his MLB debut until 2014. At 36, there might be safer, younger options out in the open market, but probably not for the price range you're looking at securing Yates here.
Yates would be an adequate reliver to keep around at the $5.8 million price point.
Plus how can you not just root for this guy?
Verdict: Pursue