The Braves could use help in left field, but the market may already be moving out of their lane.
Two of the most appealing right-handed bats available, Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki, fit the kind of profile Alex Anthopoulos would normally like to add. Both bring the sort of pop Atlanta wants, with roughly 25-plus home runs a year and an .800 OPS. Arozarena adds postseason experience and a personality that only boosts the appeal.
The catch is that there are so few dependable options that plenty of teams trying to win will be in the mix. And with Scott Boras representing Arozarena, the asking price is already being pushed high. Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that Arozarena’s camp has been seeking a six-year, $150 million-plus deal.
That kind of length would be a major swing. Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors noted, “Arozarena’s camp at the Boras Corporation has also apparently opened the winter with a lofty asking price.
Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times report that they’ve been seeking something in the six-year, $150MM+ range. That’s an ambitious goal, particularly on length.
Freddie Freeman and DJ LeMahieu are the only free agents within the past decade to command six years starting at age 32 or older. LeMahieu’s contract was artificially stretched to reduce the average annual value for luxury tax purposes.
Freeman is a future Hall of Famer who was a year removed from winning NL MVP when he signed with the Dodgers for $162MM,”
Arozarena is coming off a career year and posted 5.7 WAR, but even so, a six-year, $150 million deal does not sound realistic as he heads into his age-32 season. A shorter deal in the four- or five-year range, with more than $100 million attached, feels much more plausible.
Suzuki figures to land in a similar neighborhood. Over the last five seasons, the two have produced numbers that are close enough that plenty of clubs would likely view Suzuki as the steadier option.
For Atlanta, though, that price range starts to look like a hard stop. Anthopoulos has never seemed eager to pay players deep into their 30s, and he already showed that caution when he hesitated to give Freddie Freeman a sixth year. Freeman, of course, was a much better player than Arozarena or Suzuki.
There’s also the cost beyond the contract itself. Both players received qualifying offers, which would force the Braves to give up multiple draft picks in the first five rounds, along with international bonus pool money. That’s another hurdle Anthopoulos has generally avoided in free agency since arriving in Atlanta.
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