Before entering their final season of control, both lefties receive a small salary boost, and the Braves fully avoid having to go through arbitration.
According to numerous sources, the Atlanta Braves have settled for a $15 million salary for 2024 for left-handed starter Max Fried and a $6.22 million salary for left-handed reliever AJ Minter, thereby avoiding arbitration.
The team has not verified the information.
UPDATE: Atlanta has subsequently verified the numbers and the signings.
The only players eligible for arbitration still in Atlanta were Fried and fellow lefty AJ Minter; the other players, including Huascar Ynoa, had either settled already or been traded.
It’s the first time Braves MLBPA union representative Fried has ever reached a settlement with the team before arbitration. Throughout his career, Fried has attended arbitration hearings on all but one occasion, winning $2022 ($6.85 million) and losing $2023 ($13.5 million).
Fried’s small raise after a strong season despite a limited number of starts due to injuries. He finished the year with an 8-1 record and a 2.55 ERA despite missing three consecutive periods due to blister, forearm, and hamstring problems.
Minter earned $4.28 million last season and will also be entering free agency following this one. He has avoided the hearing process by reaching a settlement with Atlanta during each arbitration season. During Raisel Iglesias’ season-opening spell on the IL, Minter served as Atlanta’s primary set-up man and backup closer. Minter finished the year 3-6 with a 3.76 ERA and 10 saves.
Fried projected $14.4 million and Minter $6.50 million for arbitration.
Atlanta will have financial stability going into 2024 as a result of these actions; no arbitration-eligible players are left on the roster, and the Braves now know precisely how much money they can spend before they hit the current $277 million third CBT level.
Atlanta will have little under $6 million in tax payroll room for in-season additions or last-minute acquisitions before going over the third rung of the tax in 2024, according to Fangraphs. In addition to greatly raising the fines imposed, any action that caused the Braves to end the season with a payroll over $277 million would force Atlanta to reclaim its first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, moving it back ten spots.