Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves front office have already been busy this offseason, making three deals with two American League Central teams in the hopes of improving the roster and finding some of the right pieces before what is expected to be a busy Winter Meetings in Nashville in early December.
But which of the three Braves deals so far has been the best for the future of the franchise? Here is my ranking, from the least effective to helping the Braves in 2024 to the most.
Least effective: Nick Anderson to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations
Cash considerations has never won a team a championship, but it certainly helps with spending flexibility, especially when you're talking about dealing off Anderson, who was rumored to be a non-tender candidate in Atlanta before the deal with Kansas City was completed.
Anderson last pitched for the Braves on July 7, with a shoulder strain cutting short a season that was effective for the 33-year-old right-hander (3.06 ERA/3.09 FIP/1.104 WHIP in 35.1 innings over 35 games). Anderson was unavailable for the postseason as well, putting an end to his first and only season with the Braves.
After making just six appearances combined during the 2021 and 2022 seasons because of various injuries, there are sure to be questions about Anderson's health and durability as he begins a new chapter with the Royals. That, however, will be Kansas City's concern as Atlanta opens up a spot on the roster with the move.
More effective: Braves trade Kyle Wright to Royals for Jackson Kowar
Much like Anderson, Wright being sent to the Royals had to do with questions about his future following an injury. While Wright pitched for the Braves through late September, his season ended suddenly when it was revealed he needed shoulder surgery. That decision will have him miss the 2024 campaign, so Kansas City is willing to bet on his recovery as he won't become a free agent until after the 2026 season.
Wright pitched in just nine games last season (starting seven) as he battled shoulder issues all season. Kansas City hopes surgery and recovery will alleviate those issues and the 28-year-old right-hander will become a fixture in their rotation in 2025 and beyond.
On the Atlanta side, Kowar has plenty of potential, something the Braves hope comes to fruition during their six years of team control with the 27-year-old right-hander. Last season, Kowar posted a 6.43 ERA/5.29 FIP/1.929 WHIP, numbers that aren't exactly a vote of confidence that he can come right in and make an impact in 2024. However, the Braves seem willing to take a chance on the former first-round pick in 2018 finding his stride.
Sure, it's a roll of the dice, but Atlanta seems to find the magic elixir sometimes when it comes to increasing a pitcher's effectiveness once he dons the A. If Kowar can indeed make an impact in 2024 (something Wright was going to be unable to do), it will be a very positive start to the swap.
Most effective: Braves trade Michael Soroka, 4 others to White Sox for Aaron Bummer
I graded this trade an A for Atlanta in this post because I believe the Braves landed a piece for their bullpen and paid very little in terms of their future to make it happen. The entire return for the White Sox was pitchers Soroka, Jared Shuster, Riley Gowens and infielders Braden Shewmake and Nicky Lopez. According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, "all were very expendable" for a number of reasons, meaning Atlanta took pieces that were not going to be a part of the team in 2024 and found a reliever who could well slide into a meaningful role in the Braves bullpen.
If you want to find out why Atlanta was interested in Bummer despite some numbers that, on the surface, aren't that appealing from last season (6.79 ERA), look at some of the deeper stats, including a 3.58 FIP, showing that perhaps the 30-year-old left-hander was unlucky at times on the mound. While his walks rose in 2023 to 5.6 per nine innings (up from 3.4 in 2022), so did his strikeouts (12.0 per nine innings in 2023, up from 10.1 in 2022), so there is a mix of good and bad from last season.
However, Bummer's career numbers may show that last season was a blip on the radar. Over the course of seven seasons, all with the White Sox, the southpaw has posted a 3.84 ERA/3.38 FIP/1.305 WHP in 272.0 innings over 289 games.
If Bummer can continue to keep balls on the ground the way he did in 2023 (58.2 percent, the 10th-highest rate among relievers who threw 50 innings or more), Atlanta will take that in a deal that could well be a big one for the Braves when we look back at this offseason.
