The Braves have brought Dana Brown back into the fold, but this time in a different chair. Brown is joining Atlanta as a senior advisor of amateur scouting after most recently working as the Astros’ general manager, a job he left when the two sides mutually parted ways in August.
It’s a move that fits the way the Braves have been building. Their farm system sits in the middle of the pack in the latest rankings from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, while the big-league payroll picture already has plenty of money spoken for.
MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker pegs Atlanta’s 2027 projected cash payroll at $215.8MM, the seventh-highest in the league, with several long-term contracts already on the books. Brown and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos now figure to lean even harder into scouting in search of affordable talent for the next wave of Braves contenders.
Elsewhere, the Giants are staring at a roster crunch that still hasn’t been solved. They opened the offseason with a pile of players on the 60-day injured list, and that group won’t all fit once the IL opens back up tomorrow.
San Francisco has already made some room by outrighting four players, including catcher Andrew Knizner, and losing two more on waivers. Even so, FanGraphs’ RosterResource still has them at 50 players on the 40-man roster, which means they need to clear 10 more spots.
That won’t be easy, because the remaining injured players are mostly names the club can’t simply wave away. Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman are roster staples, while Randy Rodríguez is expected to be a key contributor. Teams have until 4:00pm CT tomorrow to get their 40-man rosters down to compliance.
That same deadline also sets the stage for qualifying offers. This year’s QO comes in at $23.15MM, and clubs have until 4:00pm CT tomorrow to decide whether to extend one to eligible free agents. Some calls look straightforward: Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, and Trevor Rogers are among the players expected to receive and reject the offer.
Others are less clean. Jazz Chisholm Jr. sits closer to the line, while relievers Adrian Morejon and David Bednar present a different kind of decision.
Both are coming off strong seasons, but accepting the QO would make either one the highest paid reliever by average annual value. Players who get the offer then have until November 17th to decide whether to accept it.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Can Finally Relive One Of The Franchises Best Nights
For Giants fans who still measure October memories by sound as much as sight, KNBR has made the full radio broadcast of Game 7 of the 2014 World Series available on YouTube to mark the twelfth anniversary of San Franciscos championship-clinching night. The broadcast brings back the familiar voices of Duane Kuiper, Mike Krukow, Jon Miller and Dave Flemming, a lineup that instantly transports listeners to one of the most dramatic finishes in franchise history.
The full replay is the main attraction, but KNBR also posted a condensed version that zeroes in on the biggest moments, including Madison Bumgarners work on the mound and the final outs that sealed the title. For anyone who wants to relive the tension without sitting through the entire broadcast, it offers a quicker path back to a night Giants fans have never really stopped revisiting. [Read more 🡒]
Giants May Have Found A Cheap Infield Fix Worth Watching
The Giants are still sorting out the edges of their roster, and the utility spot remains one of the more obvious holes to monitor as the club looks ahead. With no clear answer locked in, the search naturally turns toward players who can move around the infield without forcing the lineup to carry a specialist, and Edmundo Sosa has emerged as a name worth keeping on the radar for that kind of role.
Sosas appeal is straightforward: he brings defensive versatility, enough offensive history to keep him in the conversation, and a projected contract that would make him a relatively affordable fit if San Francisco decides to shop in that lane. Nothing is imminent, and any talk of a signing is still speculative, but the profile makes sense for a Giants team that could use a dependable, low-cost option to stabilize the bench by 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Face A Bigger Offseason Choice Than Just One Reliever
The Giants bullpen picture is already crowded with questions, and Adrian Morejon has emerged as one name worth watching as the club weighs how aggressively to reinforce the relief corps. San Francisco has been tied to the left-hander as part of a broader effort to improve the pitching staff, but any move would have to make sense not just on the mound, but on the ledger as well, with payroll constraints and medical evaluations part of the equation.
Morejons appeal is easy to understand for a team looking for answers in relief, yet the bigger issue is how a commitment to him would fit into the rest of the offseason plan. The Giants have to decide whether this is the kind of targeted bullpen addition that helps them move forward, or whether the better path is to preserve flexibility for a wider pitching overhaul that addresses more than one hole at once. [Read more 🡒]