Breaking: Braves Strike Out on Free Agent Target: Highly Coveted Player Chooses Phillies Instead
The Braves need at least one starting outfielder, and one potential free agent target is no longer on the market as Jeff Passan reports that the Phillies have inked Max Kepler a one-year, $10 million free agent deal.
For the first time in his career, Kepler joins another club after 10 years with the Twins, accruing 20.7 WAR with a .746 OPS.
Kepler was limited to a career-low eight home runs while posting a middling .253/.302/.380 this past season, playing just 105 games due to injuries. However, prior to that, he mashed 24 homers over 130 games, finishing with an .816 OPS in 2023.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old is generally good for 15-20 home runs, can get on base at a respectable clip, and can be relied upon to start every day if need be, contributing anywhere from 2-3 WAR in any given season. That’s the exact kind of player the Braves should be interested in, especially at this price.
The Phillies are hoping that a healthy offseason will enable Max Kepler to bounce back, and I’d say there’s probably a pretty good chance of that. The Braves, meanwhile, are still in need of a starting-caliber outfielder.
Kepler was one of four under-the-radar free agents that could interest the Braves from a piece by Chase. The other three were Alex Verdugo, Kiké Hernandez, and Randal Grichuk, all of whom fit the billing of a tier below the premier free agents like Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander. The trade market could also prove capable of filling the Braves’ holes in the outfield.
