Braves: This could be one of Alex Anthopoulos’ best moves

Alex Anthopoulos has made a plethora of excellent decisions as the Braves’ general manager, which is why they have six straight NL East titles to their name, as well as a World Series victory over the Astros in 2021. From small acquisitions, team-friendly expansions, and blockbusters He’s done everything he can to get the Braves in the position they are in now, poised for long-term success. But perhaps some of Anthopoulos’ best moves as general manager in Atlanta are the ones he didn’t make.

One of the most notable occurred during the 2020 offseason, when the Braves ultimately passed on Josh Donaldson in free agency. After a pair of injury-riddled campaigns, The Bringer of Rain signed a one-year deal with the Braves ahead of the 2019 campaign.

The deal worked out great for both parties, as Donaldson played 155 games – by far the most he had played since 2016 – and hit 37 home runs with a .900 OPS. He then tried to parlay that All-Star-caliber season into a multi-year deal, and the Braves were very interested until the end. But in the end, the Twins won, giving Donaldson a four-year contract worth $92 million.

It initially felt like a missed opportunity for Atlanta, but it turned out to be one of the better moves of the Alex Anthopoulos era. Donaldson was never the same player he was for the Braves and was eventually dealt to the Yankees a few years later, where his career quickly fell off a cliff.

A more recent example of this is Dansby Swanson. No one wanted to see the hometown kid leave in free agency after a contract year in 2022, a season in which Swanson made his first All-Star game and won his first Gold Glove.

Unlike the Donaldson negotiations, the Braves never actually made a competitive offer to Swanson, who went on to sign a massive seven-year, $177 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Swanson’s first year in his new thread was a great success. He made his second All-Star game and won his second Gold Glove. However, 2024 is a reminder of the streaky player he always was with the Braves. Swanson is hitting just .205 with four home runs and a .596 OPS this season, which equates to just 0.3 fWAR.

But what makes Alex Anthopoulos’ move so brilliant is his ability to replace Swanson’s production with a player making just a little more than the league minimum. Orlando Arcia has been the Braves’ starting shortstop since Swanson’s departure. He’s only making $2 million per year through the 2026 season, and their numbers over the past fourteen months are eerily similar.

The Braves save almost $25 million per year with Orlando Arcia. That’s not to say Chicago won’t look back fondly on Swanson’s tenure when it’s all said and done, but Anthopoulos should certainly be happy with his ability to replace an All-Star for a fraction of the price.

Looking ahead to the upcoming offseason, the Braves are preparing for an even bigger star to hit free agency in the form of Max Fried. There’s no doubt they’d love to have him back, and if it were up to the fans, there would already be a blank check waiting on his doorstep.

Losing Fried would be a huge blow to a rotation that has been littered with question marks this past season. He has been the anchor of the Braves rotation for half a decade as well as a leader in the clubhouse. That is why he is in line for a mega contract worth more than 200 million dollars. Maybe he’s worth it in the end, but in a world where value is everything, few have proven better prepared to make that decision than Alex Anthopoulos.