Braves avoided potential disaster with recent free agent

Eddie Rosario will be remembered in Atlanta forever because of his heroics during the Braves 2021 World Series run. It was the kind of performance fit for Hollywood, which is ironic considering it was the Dodgers’ dreams he ultimately crushed on his way to NLCS MVP.

That playoff run earned Rosario a two-year, $18 million contract with a $9 million option for 2024. After missing most of 2022 with an eye injury, which required surgery, Rosario bounced back with a more than solid 2023, hitting .255 with 21 homers in 142 games, good for 1.2 fWAR. That left the Braves with what many believed to be a difficult offseason decision.

Ultimately, Alex Anthopoulos decided against picking up Rosario’s $9 million option, letting him test free agency. The Braves would go on to replace him by acquiring Jarred Kelenic in a trade and signing Adam Duvall to a paltry one-year, $3 million contract. The decision was validated when Rosario was forced to settle for a $4 million split-contract with the Washington Nationals. However, it looks even better today.

Through 23 games for the Nationals, Rosario is slashing .086/.133/.157 with a -19 wRC+ (100 is considered league average). He’s accrued -1.0 fWAR over that stretch, which is an impressively abysmal feat over just 23 games.

Rosario’s done so much for the Braves organization, that I don’t think there’s a member of Braves Country rooting against him, even if he’s now on a division rival. With that being said, this is just another example of Alex Anthopoulos knowing when to buy low and sell high. His knack for avoiding these kind of mistakes is uncanny, one of the many reasons he’s viewed by many as the best general manager in the sport.