Braves predicted to land several intriguing free agents

With free agency underway, the Braves really don’t have much of a choice but to be incredibly active, especially after Thursday’s moves in which they declined the options on both Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley.

Alex Anthopoulos now has to completely overhaul the bullpen, bringing in at least three arms capable of handling high-leverage spots. Shortstop remains the biggest hole on the position side of things, the rotation could use some bolstering, and another bat to replace Marcell Ozuna feels necessary.

This is not going to be a cheap fix, which will put the words of Braves chairman Terry McGuirk to the test.

“I think aiming back to the top five is a place that I want to get to,” McGuirk said. “I think we’re capable of that.”

For the Braves to get back into contention, that’ll need to be the case.

The folks over at MLB Trade Rumors recently released their list of the top 50 free agents, along with predictions for where they’ll land. Here’s who some of their writers predicted will sign with the Braves:

Chris Bassitt

Alex Anthopoulos clearly has a type when it comes to signing free-agent starting pitchers. He’s never inked a deal with an arm at the top of the market; instead, he targets veteran arms willing to sign short-term deals like Charlie Morton and Cole Hamels.

Bassitt fits perfectly into that category. He’ll be 37 years old next season and boasts a 3.64 ERA over his 11-year career, including a 3.96 mark over 170.1 innings for the Blue Jays, who fell just one game shy of being champions. A one- or two-year deal will probably be his market this offseason, which is typically right in Anthopoulos’ wheelhouse.

Brad Keller

The Braves have a desperate need for not only a closer but also a couple of setup men, and Keller is among the best on the market. He’s coming off a season in which he posted a 2.07 ERA over 68 appearances with the Cubs, inducing ground balls on 56% of balls in play — which has always been one of his strengths. However, what was new this season was the velocity, leading to a lot more strikeouts. Keller’s fastball averaged 97.1 mph in 2025, up nearly four ticks from 2024, resulting in a 27.2% strikeout rate.

Ha-Seong Kim

Given it’s highly unlikely the Braves are involved in the Bo Bichette sweepstakes, it seems to be Ha-Seong Kim or bust, and that decision will heavily depend on his market. A two- or three-year deal is likely the furthest Anthopoulos would be willing to go for a player who appeared in just 48 games this season, graded out as a below-average defender, and recorded a .649 OPS.

Raisel Iglesias

Another one of the Braves’ own, Atlanta should have a lot of interest in bringing Raisel Iglesias back after his strong finish to the season, recording a 1.25 ERA over his final 45 appearances. He’s well respected in the clubhouse and likely won’t break the bank like many of the other closers in this year’s free-agent class.

Seranthony Domínguez

Domínguez should be a familiar name to Braves fans after his six-year stint with the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s a hard-thrower with nasty stuff that generates plenty of strikeouts, though he’s also had walk issues throughout his career. He’d be a solid replacement for Pierce Johnson in the middle of the Braves bullpen.

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