DONE DEAL: The Braves announces yet again an unbelievable star have been added to the club

The Braves got off to an early start this offseason, making their first major signing of the winter.

In true Alex Anthopoulos fashion, the Braves unexpectedly announced Wednesday that they have signed reliever Pierce Johnson to a two-year contract extension that includes a club option through 2026.
The deal gives Johnson $7 million guaranteed in 2024 and 2025 and a $7 million club option for 2026, including a $250,000 buyout.
In total, Johnson is guaranteed $14.25 million over the course of the deal.
Johnson becomes a free agent this offseason, but strictly speaking, he’s not a free agent, he’s an extension. But free agency officially begins five days after the World Series ends, with about two weeks to go, which makes it even more impressive that the Braves were able to pull off this deal.
Once free agency begins, Johnson will be able to sign with all 30 teams, earning him the maximum possible contract. The fact that he passed on that opportunity and has now signed shows how much he enjoyed his time in Atlanta and how interested he is in returning.
It is not difficult to understand the motivation of the heroes for this business.
Arriving from Colorado in the middle of the season, Johnson immediately established himself as one of the best relievers of the Atlanta Bulls. In all, Johnson appeared in 24 games for the Braves, posting a 0.76 ERA and 2.83 FIP. He averaged 12.17 strikeouts per nine innings with the Braves and just 1.14 strikeouts per nine innings, all of which combined with a 56% ground ball rate make him one of the best relievers in baseball in the second half of 2023.
This type of reliever has enough value for a team that, at $7 million per year plus a relatively short contract period, it would be an easy decision for the front office to make.
Considering how close Johnson was to an open market, I’m surprised I’m not a hero.
No wonder the Braves want to get the job done as quickly as possible.
A lot is happening this winter, especially in the carpentru.
Chris took a look at the site’s 40-man situation earlier this week, and as you can see, there’s some uncertainty with the secondary core right now.
Technically, as we sit here today, Raizel Iglesias and Tyler Marchek are the only two relievers with guaranteed contracts through 2024, at least until Johnson signs. And Matzek is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Johnson, Joe Jimenez and Jesse Chavez were set to become free agents at the start of the winter, Kirby Yates and Colin McHugh both have team options that do not exit the freeway, and Brad Hand has a reciprocal option that does not .
It must be raised.
, AJ Minter, Nick Anderson, Michael Tonkin and Ben Heller are all arbitration eligible.
Add to that the uncertainty surrounding Dylan Lee and his shoulder injury and you can see that there is still a lot of work to do this season.

Minter is at least on the verge of an offer, if not in the form of a contract extension, but he’ll be back next year anyway.
I think Nick Anderson will also be offered a contract after his rookie season in Atlanta.
The addition of Iglesias and now Johnson gives them four solid players to build around for at least the rest of the winter.
I think the Braves will be aggressive in their efforts to sign Jimenez to a contract similar to the one they gave Johnson.
However, like Johnson, Jimenez had a strong season, posting a 3.04 ERA and 3.59 FIP in 56 innings in his only season with the Braves.
Jimenez’s advantage over Johnson is that he will be 29 next year compared to Johnson’s age 33 season.
Another team could offer Jimenez a longer contract, making it difficult for the Braves to re-sign him.
But I think they will continue this at least until the price goes up.

Yates and McHugh will opt out and I think both will hit the free agent market. Although Yates’ case is more interesting than McHugh’s. Yates’ 2024 option is worth $5.75 million and his buyout is $1.25 million, so you could argue that giving him up would only save $4.5 million, making it worth taking.
What’s better than Yates for $4.5 million on the open market?
Yates is a relatively low leverage option that won’t kill you, and the price is hard to beat.
However, Yates has been very inconsistent, especially with his command last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t make a move at all.
If the Braves were to enter the free agent market, there are a number of interesting names they should target.
Josh Hader, Reynaldo Lopez, Jordan Hicks, Keenan Middleton, David Robertson and others, and the list will likely grow as team options and player options are decided around the league.
Free agent signings are one of the riskiest projects a front office can undertake.
Because free agency is the most volatile division in baseball.
But a good bullpen is essential in the modern game, especially before October, so it’s worth the risk.
The list of brand names is much longer and it is practically impossible to collect too many potential offers. No one replaced the Braves with Joe Jimenez or Nick Anderson last season, and both played key roles at times.
I’m sure those unexpected names will be targets this offseason as the Braves look to fill out the rest of their offseason.
There are still players like Tonkin and Heller that teams can always offer contracts to and maintain depth in desperate situations.
Bullpen drafting is an art form and has become an annual activity in today’s game, with teams replacing most of their bullpens every year. The Braves were no different, and this offseason will be no different as they look to rebuild their World Series-winning utility core.
Johnson’s resignation was the first step.
Additional measures are taken.