How the Braves can take advantage of Eddie Rosario’s departure

The Jarred Kelenic trade essentially ended any chance of former fan favorite Eddie Rosario re-signing with the Atlanta Braves. It made sense for Atlanta to move on as Rosario was incredibly streaky offensively, and they wound up getting a younger player with a much higher ceiling in Kelenic who comes with five years of team control.

While Rosario was not expected to re-sign with the Braves, assuming he would've garnered a guaranteed starting job elsewhere would've made sense. After all, he did hit 21 home runs this past season and has a solid track record of being an offensive contributor. He can be streaky at times and doesn't take many pitches at all, but when Rosario gets hot he can be a force offensively as Braves fans saw in the 2021 NLCS.

Turns out, not only did Rosario not get a guaranteed starting job, he didn't even get a full MLB deal! He signed a split contract to join the division rival Washington Nationals on Tuesday. A split contract essentially means he'll get more money if he plays on the MLB roster than he would if he begins the year in the minors. If that's what Rosario's price turned out to be, can the Braves swoop in and sign an outfielder?

Eddie Rosario's price gives Braves a chance to swoop in and sign an outfielder

Why Rosario couldn't get a fully guaranteed MLB deal is anyone's best guess. What other general managers around the league are doing is unclear, but the fact that Rosario couldn't even get that at the bare minimum gives the Braves the chance to add another outfielder to the mix.

Their starting outfield is as good as it gets with Kelenic, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuña Jr. as their trio, but their depth is lacking. If the season began today, Forrest Wall would likely be their fourth outfielder with guys like J.P. Martinez, Jordan Luplow, and Eli White serving as minor league depth pieces. No offense to any of them, but the Braves can and probably should do better, especially after Acuña's injury scare.

Acuña should be good to go for Opening Day, but on the off-chance that he isn't or on the off-chance that any Braves outfielder has to miss time, they should probably look to upgrade from Forrest Wall, a player who has had a great Spring Training thus far but has just 15 MLB plate appearances under his belt.

Somehow, some way, players like Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham, and Michael A. Taylor are all sitting in free agency. They're all probably looking for starting roles, but after seeing a comparable outfielder in Rosario take a split contract, perhaps they need to loosen their expectations. The Braves might be able to sign one of these outfielders just by simply offering them an MLB deal, which they absolutely should do.

Duvall has already had multiple stints with the Braves and is coming off a great year. Pham and Taylor both have experience in the NL East and are both coming off solid seasons as well. The Braves likely weren't expecting to be involved in the outfield market, but with Opening Day getting closer and closer, eventually the prices have to drop, giving Alex Anthopoulos the ultimate chance to strike.