The Atlanta Braves may be forced to keep Eddie Rosario…..

The Atlanta Braves may want to make a splash in left field this offseason, but Eddie Rosario may be the best candidate available.

The Atlanta Braves may want to make a splash in left field this offseason, but Eddie Rosario may be the best candidate available.

After a dismal season, such as the Atlanta Braves’, it’s tempting to blow the whole thing up and make a series of moves in the summer. That is unlikely to happen with this Braves squad, which has a core of position players under contract for several years.

However, one area where the club appears to have room for improvement is left field. Eddie Rosario has a $9 million team option and the organization may just bring him back.

You couldn’t do much worse in left field than Rosario, who was an average hitter with a wRC+ of 100, hit 20 home runs, and was a Gold Glove nominee.

That’s not bad for $9 million, especially if the Braves can find another cheap right-handed bat to platoon against lefties, as they did with Kevin Pillar in 2023.

And, unless the Braves are willing to blow the bank, there aren’t many free agency possibilities that make a lot of sense.

Cody Bellinger is coming off a strong rebound season and will most likely earn $20 million per year. When looking at Bellinger’s batted ball data, it’s clear that 2023 was a bit of a fluke.

Teoscar Hernandez has a similar offensive profile with a bit more power and a little better defense, but he’ll almost certainly cost twice as much as Rosario.

With his strong walk rate, fan favorite Joc Pederson may provide a little better offensive profile, but he’s primarily a DH and will cost nearly double in 2023.

There isn’t anyone else in the free agent market who would be considered a significant upgrade above Rosario and his $9 million contract.

Unless the Braves are simply ready to move on,Rosario still makes a lot of sense for 2024 if you want to try something new or are ready to go with a top prospect or two in a trade.