Today, we look at the Braves 2025 Top Prospects, 2016. If you’re not caught up, here’s your chance:
Braves Top Prospects, #20: Elison Joseph, RHP, 24, AA, 2025
The first of many under 6 foot tall pitchers in the system. This might just be a new organizational
fad as they were mostly acquired during the last 18 months after Dana Brown left for Houston.
This one has a scintillating fastball/slider combo that results in 14+k/9 but walks upwards of 6. I
like his slider the best of these guys so he gets to go first!
Braves Top Prospects, #19: Jeremy Reyes, RHP, 19, A-, 2027
Very young, but a decent showing in the complex as an 18 year old leaves one with hope. He
hits 98 when on and already has a big league ready slider but lacks control and has yet to
display anything offspeed. He has time.
Braves Top Prospects, # 18: John Gil, SS, 19, Complex, 2029
A stringbean with surprising pop, Gil also has all the tools to be a plus shortstop defensively. His
hitting was terrific at the Complex where he displayed a good eye while rarely striking out. In
Low A he was a bit exposed as physically he was often overmatched. This is a problem as the
scouts do not project more growth so he just needs to make what tools he already has better.
Braves Top Prospects, # 17: Nick Montgomery, C??, 19, None, 2027
Is he a catcher? Should he stick behind the plate, he deserves to be way up this list as there are
no questions about his bat (most teams had him in right or at first in the draft). 2025 will give us
a good indication. The limited ceiling keeps him in this part of the list.
Braves Top Prospects, #16: Luke Sinnard, RHP, 22, None, 2027
Another 6’8” behemoth, Sinnard missed all of last year’s college season to TJ. Before that he
had 3 plus pitches to go with plus command. We will need to see what remains after the surgery
which could take a while as taller guys usually take longer to recover their control and command
after elbow surgery.
Ryan’s Pick of the Litter
Elison Joseph continues to improve his stat-line, but the walks need to come down. Joseph feels like a Daysbel Hernandez type that just needs that one adjustment to become a productive major leaguer. I expect him to be in AAA at least by midseason with potential to get a cup of coffee should he impress.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, left-handed reliever AJ Minter has agreed to a two-year deal worth $22 million with the rival New York Mets.
https://nypost.com/2025/01/17/sports/mets-sign-reliever-a-j-minter-for-22-million-with-pete-alonso-exit/
what a shock, the Dodgers signed Sasaki
Minter was never getting a $22M guarantee from the Braves, so it’s a moot point, but I do think this organization has been a bit mealy mouthed about payroll and we’re unlikely to see any significant additions before camp. There’s no good reason Tanner Scott has not been signed yet.
What a disappointing offseason. Love that all we have is the hope that guys return to previous levels of production. Kinda makes me say F the Battery and the money they make there. Like what’s the point if we aren’t going to upgrade obvious areas of weakness? We have held onto some of the prospects so long their value isn’t high anymore so our trade chips aren’t strong either.
Even on January 18th, I still have to say that the offseason is not over yet. I feel like we were here last year, albeit a little earlier in the offseason, and all of a sudden a tweet pops up saying that AA has traded for somebody or signed someone. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen this offseason, but AA’s stuff just comes out of the blue. There are plenty of SP’s available via trade that would work in the right deal: Stroman (6th man in NYY’s rotation), Cease (we certainly have the prospects to trade for him), Luis Castillo, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Paddack, Stephen Matz. There are more than enough guys to grab to add depth to the rotation.
(I started with Stroman, Cease, and Montgomery on my mind, but ended up stealing that list from MLBTR: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/top-20-trade-candidates-mlb-offseason.html)
If my phone popped up that we landed any of those guys, I would say, “Duh, no wonder AA did that, and I don’t know why we were worried.”
Did Max Scherzer flunk a physical too?
He flunked the matching iris test.
https://x.com/jjcoop36/status/1880670923155742930
The next CBA is going to be very, very contentious.
Re: Minter
When teams sign players that match up with Braves, we typically don’t know if the player just preferred the other team. In Minter’s case, I think it’s clear he would have taken the same deal with us over the Mets.
We know his medicals better than anyone else, but 2 @ $11 million is a pretty decent deal at a position of need.
I feel the same way about Minter as I do about Morton – I’m thrilled he got paid, I hope he has a wonderful career and excels against the other 28 teams, but I’m sad both to see him go and to see us not doing much.
I love your optimism, Rob, and I’d love to see it fulfilled.
https://x.com/jeffpassan/status/1881007419557593289?s=46&t=WSNPrB2JyUoeKSn2PZsXZg
FML
The day the optimism died.
I said it a few weeks ago, so I will reiterate. I see us more or less punting on 2025. Sure, we have enough talent to make the playoffs, but we have so many question marks that pertain to recovery. How many of our dreadful 2024 players will regress to career norms? How many of the injured players will be any good in 2025?
Our farm system is still weak and we likely need the few assets we have (Baldwin, AJSS, Waldrup, Caminiti) over the next 5 years. Why trade those guys for a 2025 season that has so many question marks?
Similarly with free agency, why give large multi year contracts to guys who are likely to give us their best over the next 2 seasons?
We have a lot of flexibility for in-season acquisitions if a lot of players bounce back and then maybe you go get a position player.
More teams should aspire to be like the Dodgers. Winning attracts free-agents.
Doubt it. I think being one of the two media capitals (NY, LA) and having more money to spend is the primary determinant. Alex Rodriguez had a chance to sign the largest contract in MLB history to come to a dynasty in Atlanta. He chose instead to sign with a 70-win Texas Rangers team for more years and dollars than we were willing to give him.
Players want to be here but you still have to pay them.
Unlimited money also attracts free agents. I am beginning to despise the Dodgers as much as the Yankees. They are the Evil Empire of the West coast.
What fiasco MLB IS. Allow a team to circumvent the cap by deferring major portions of a salary and yet people are surprised when said team spends to bring in more free agents. For all of the winning the Dodgers have done we have the same number of titles over the last 4 years. MLB is on the brink of becoming the NBA in regard to super teams that alienate the rest of the league and their fan bases. But hey, we have Bryan De La Cruz and are hopeful that Kelenic puts it together so there is that.
I hate to be a contrarian, but it’s not like they’ve assembled the 1927 Yankees’ lineup and the 1998 Braves rotation. They’ve got some holes. They don’t have a single SP that is a lock to pitch 180+ elite innings, though I grant they have 7 wild card options to do that, which any team would love to have. The lineup is stacked, but you’ve got some small question marks at SS and CF, and either 2B or RF depending on what you call Mookie. Don’t get me wrong; it’s absurd that they’ve been able to defer all this money. But I think they’re still beatable and still gotta play the season.
What a dice roll of an off-season this has been for AA. There’s several legitimate scenarios where this goes sideways for the Braves in 2025 and really makes you start at least musing about the guy in the GM’s chair.
https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1881006300903231955
A lot of teams win the offseason and don’t win the World Series. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a team add so much talent to an already great roster.
I also think we’re getting a lockout in 2026. A lot of owners are going to throw a fit over how much money the Dodgers are deferring.
I genuinely don’t know what we’re doing. You don’t want to overpay for Scott? Fine, but we haven’t signed reasonable deals either (Chapman 1 year @ $11 million; Minter 2 years @ $22 million). We still have Kelenic in left when Winker is getting 1 year @ $8 million.
“IN AA I TRUST” is no longer a sufficient rebuttal to criticism of this terrible offseason.
Not to beat a dead horse but his actions make a lot more sense if you think he is as pessimistic about 2025 as I am. He is playing the long game IMO.
We’re not tanking but he is looking for guys he can sign without giving up any draft picks or obligating us to big dollars in 2027-8
Winker projects between 0.6 and 1.2 WAR depending on system. Kelenic projects 1.1 to 1.3
Can’t say I envy the Mets there
I’m not going to die on the hill for Jesse Winker but his projections are always going to be saddled with his really bad 2023.
Winker has one discernible offensive ability — getting on base — whereas Kelenic seems to have none. Our lineup desperately needs more guys that get on base.
Winker’s WAR gets hurt by his pretty bad defensive range, but so does Kelenic’s.
Long game to what, exactly? Resetting the luxury tax has pretty minimal benefit:
https://www.batterypower.com/2024/12/30/24331828/atlanta-braves-free-agency-trade-rumors-offseason-luxury-tax-spending
Matt Olson is 30. Austin Riley is 27. Sean Murphy is 30. Chris Sale is 35. Acuna has had two major knee surgeries and can leave in four years. Ozzie won’t be in baseball in three years.
Their window is pretty much now.
Or was…
The long game is being a competitive team for many seasons. The short game is “these guys aren’t spring chickens; we better go for it.”
AA should trade for Jordan Montgomery. It makes too much sense. Arizona doesn’t don’t have room for him or want him. We could trade a C prospect since he’s only a 1 year rental and even could eat most of his 2025 salary since we haven’t signed anyone. Montgomery has incentive to prove that last season was an aberration with him being an upcoming free agent. And since the Braves like using a 6 man rotation it still leaves room for Holmes and Anderson who are out of options in the 5 and 6 spots.
Sign Profar and trade for Montgomery and suddenly we are feeling a lot better.
Montgomery, Stroman, and Matz are allbasically free agents. We could have them for the C prospect you mentioned as long as we take their salaries. And I would take any of the 3 with Montgomery preferred.
I doubt Profar would sign with us because there’s not a clear spot for him in the lineup. I just don’t see a playoff caliber position player starter signing with us. It’s going to have to be another guy like Bryan De La Cruz.
I don’t hate that plan B14. Montgomery does have the prove it factor and Profar is an upgrade
What do you mean there isn’t a clear spot in the lineup for Profar, Rob? He’s clearly an upgrade on Kelenic and BLDC.
I’m not going to judge this offseason until it’s over.