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Most of the top free agents are off of the board but the Atlanta Braves can still make their team a bit better with three final free agent signings.
The Atlanta Braves have had a bit of a mixed bag this offseason. They decided to let Dansby Swanson go to the Chicago Cubs in free agency and let prospect Vaughn Grissom replace him at shortstop. Grissom should be an upgrade over Swanson offensively but defensively, he is a significant downgrade.
On the other hand, they traded for catcher Sean Murphy in a trade with the Oakland A’s and they made a few other minor moves as well (Jordan Luplow, Sam Hilliard, Joe Jiménez, etc.) as well.
Since they were a 101-win team in 2022, the Braves didn’t need to address a ton of areas. However, there are some free-agent signings that they need to make before the start of the season to address the few issues that they do have.
Atlanta Braves: 3 final free agents to sign
1) Outfielder/DH Trey Mancini
The biggest issue remaining for the Atlanta Braves is their left field/designated hitter situation. Trey Mancini is probably one of the best offensive players remaining on the free agent market and he could help fill either their left field spot or as a designated hitter.
In 2022, he split the season between the Baltimore Orioles and the World Series champion Houston Astros. In 143 games, Mancini hit .239/.319/.391 with 18 home runs, 63 RBI, and a 101 OPS+. However, when he was getting more consistent playing time with the Orioles, he was hitting much better. He hit .268/.347/.404 with 10 home runs, 41 RBI, and an OPS+ of 113 in 92 games.
Last year, he played 39 games at first base, 20 games in left field, 11 games in right field, and 71 games as a DH so he could easily play the outfield or DH for them and also be a backup option for them at first base.