Braves' Aaron Bummer: Club option will be exercised
Rotowire
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the team plans to pick up Bummer's $7.25 million club option for 2025, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.
The 31-year-old lefty held a 3.58 ERA and 69:18 K:BB over 55.1 innings in 2024 in his first season with Atlanta. Bummer could have an even more important role in 2025 with A.J. Minter heading into free agency and recovering from hip surgery.
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Braves' Travis d'Arnaud: Option will be picked up
Rotowire
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the team plans to exercise d'Arnaud's $8 million club option for 2025, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.
Between that and Sean Murphy's $15 million salary, Atlanta will be paying a healthy $23 million to its catching duo in 2025. D'Arnaud usurped Murphy as the club's preferred starter down the stretch this season and finished with a .238/.302/.436 batting line and 15 home runs in 2024. He and Murphy could share the catching duties pretty evenly in 2025, but the latter might also reclaim the starting job if he rebounds from a career-worst .636 OPS.
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Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Option will be exercised
Rotowire
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the team plans to exercise Ozuna's $16 million club option for 2025, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.
The decision was a gimme after Ozuna slashed .302/.378/.546 with 39 home runs and 104 RBI in 2024. The veteran slugger didn't play a single inning in the outfield this season, so Jorge Soler will have to play the outfield in 2025 if Atlanta intends on him being a regular next season. It's not ideal from a defensive standpoint, but Atlanta wasn't going to let Ozuna walk after he was the team's best offensive player in 2024.
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Braves' Chris Sale: Throws bullpen session
Rotowire
Sale (back) threw a bullpen session Friday and would have been on the NLDS roster had Atlanta advanced, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Sale had to be scratched from the last game of the regular season and was left off the wild-card series roster because of back spasms. However, it would appear the injury isn't major, and the left-hander should have a normal offseason. Sale is the National League Cy Young favorite after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225:39 K:BB over 177.2 innings.
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Braves' Spencer Strider: Team not setting timeline yet
Rotowire
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the club will proceed deliberately with Strider's (elbow) rehab and are not setting a timeline for the pitcher's return yet, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Strider underwent an internal brace procedure in mid-April to address UCL damage in his pitching elbow. While the internal brace operation is less invasive than Tommy John surgery (which Strider had previously), the team will still be very cautious and will avoid rushing the right-hander back too quickly. Anthopoulos indicated Friday that it's possible Strider is back by Opening Day of next season, but his return to the rotation could be pushed back as far as early June.
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Braves' Ronald Acuna: Opening Day still uncertain
Rotowire
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos indicated Friday that Acuna (knee) isn't a given to be ready for Opening Day next season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Anthopoulos noted that the club will be deliberate with Acuna's rehab from left ACL surgery, and while it's possible the outfielder is ready to play by Opening Day, his return could be pushed back as far as early June. Acuna's surgery took place in early June of this year, so he will be a little under 10 months removed from it once the regular season begins in 2025. While a timeline for the 26-year-old is fuzzy now, the picture should be clearer by spring training.
