Braves' goal the same despite Mets adding Soto: 'Win the division'

DALLAS -- Now that the Mets have agreed to a record-setting deal that could keep Juan Soto in their lineup through the 2039 season, there is greater anticipation about how the Braves might fill some significant voids.

Free-agent right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has been on the Braves’ wish list since the offseason began. But Eovaldi has patiently allowed his market to develop, and it could be argued adding a starting pitcher isn’t Atlanta’s priority.

With Michael Harris II and Jarred Kelenic the only current roster members projected to be in Atlanta’s Opening Day lineup, the Braves may want to determine how much it will cost to address their outfield before addressing their needs to strengthen their rotation and bullpen.

? Nothing holding back Braves from adding to roster

Eovaldi posted a 3.80 ERA while completing 170 2/3 innings over 29 starts this past season. His 23.9 percent strikeout rate was his highest mark since 2021, which was one of the five seasons he spent playing with current Braves ace Chris Sale in Boston.

Industry sources have said Eovaldi will get a three-year deal worth $20 million-plus per season. He has a 2.85 ERA in 12 career postseason starts. Is this a reasonable cost for the veteran pitcher, who will turn 35 on Feb. 13?

If the Braves aren’t comfortable making a multiyear commitment at that price to a pitcher of that age, would it make more sense to give a one-year, $10-15 million deal to 41-year-old Charlie Morton. Morton posted a 4.19 ERA over 30 starts this year and a 3.64 ERA over 30 starts in 2023.

• Braves have shopping list for Winter Meetings

Morton has made 30-plus starts each of the past six 162-game seasons. Eovaldi has made 30-plus starts just twice in his entire career, 2014 and 2021. So, the younger hurler might not necessarily be the more dependable, especially when the older option could be secured with the lower risk of a one-year deal.

Spencer Strider will likely miss most or all of April while recovering from elbow surgery. Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach are currently the only projected members of the Opening Day rotation. Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver are among the candidates to fill the final two spots. But the Braves may look for a more dependable starter who could continue to be a key piece after Strider returns.

"I still feel good about our rotation,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’re a long way from opening the season on March whatever. We’ll find somebody. Something will happen to where it’s going to be good. Somebody’s going to come along or [president of baseball operations] Alex [Anthopoulos] is going to make a move or somebody is going to jump the fence like [Spencer] Schwellenbach did last year and do big things for us."

With Soto off the board, Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández are the top available free-agent outfielders. More likely targets for the Braves might be switch hitter Jurickson Profar, who resurrected his career while hitting 24 homers and constructing an .839 OPS with the Padres this year, or left-handed hitter Max Kepler, who battled knee and hip issues during a disappointing 2024 season in Minnesota.

Kepler’s health could be an issue, and there’s reason to question whether he fits for the Braves, given the fact Kelenic also hits left-handed. The Braves need an outfielder to account for the absence of Ronald Acu?a Jr., who could miss most of the season’s first two months recovering from left knee surgery. But even after Acu?a returns, this outfielder could remain an everyday player, especially if there are still concerns about Kelenic filling a regular role.

The Mets won the Winter Meetings and most likely the entire offseason on Sunday night, when it was revealed they had struck a 15-year, $765 million deal with Soto. But an unfazed Snitker made it clear he remains confident in what his own star-studded roster could do if it remains healthy next year.

"Our goal is still going to be the same, which is to win the division,” Snitker said. “I don’t care who signs who and what teams put what together, because we’ve still got to play for six months. So, it doesn’t do anything for us."