The Atlanta Braves have been heavily involved in the starting pitching market so far this offseason. Alex Anthopoulos reportedly missed on Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray so far, and it's tough to blame the Braves for trying, as both players would have been excellent additions to their rotation.
Along with starting pitching, the Braves need a new right fielder. Eddie Rosario is not coming back, as Atlanta declined his club option, making him a free agent. They do have some internal options, including asking Vaughn Grissom to switch positions, or playing Marcell Ozuna in the outfield more often.
If Atlanta wanted to replace Rosario externally, an affordable alternative may have been former Brave Jason Heyward, who had a solid bounce-back season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, it appears Heyward is headed back to Los Angeles.
Should the Braves have signed Jason Heyward instead of Dodgers?
Signing Heyward, an experience outfielder coming off an impressive season, to a one-year deal would have made all the sense in the world for the Braves given his familiarity with Atlanta. Yet, it wasn't meant to be.
In fact, it was an Atlanta connection which aided a Dodgers-Heyward marriage in the first place. Freddie Freeman convinced the Los Angeles front office to bring Heyward in last offseason, and it paid dividends.
"When I talked to Jason in the last couple months of the season, I went straight to Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes, and was like, 'Hey guys, it's a perfect fit. He's a wonderful human, there's a lot left in there,'" Freeman recalled. "I stayed on them for a little bit. As the offseason went on, I talked to Jason pretty much every day, and things just kind of fell into place."
While plenty of time remains for the Braves to find a replacement for Rosario, one can only hope Anthopoulos isn't left kicking himself for missing on an affordable option like Heyward.
