On Aug. 29, 2023, veteran reliever Reynaldo López was placed on waivers by the middling Los Angeles Angels. This came just two short months after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a trade deadline deal that the Angels made primarily for his teammate, starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. An afterthought in two deals to play for three different teams who failed to make the playoffs, López signed a three-year, $30 million dollar deal with the Braves. They offered him a chance to pitch in meaningful games and a chance to be a starting pitcher again after being strictly a reliever for the previous three seasons.
Entering the 2023 offseason, Chris Sale, a 7-time all-star starting pitcher and World Series champion, was four years removed from pitching in over 20 Major League games. Injuries and disappointing performances left the Boston Red Sox eager to offload his hefty contract. On December 30, 2023, the Red Sox traded Sale and $17 million in cash considerations to the Braves for Minor League infielder Vaughn Grissom.
Marcell Ozuna’s life seemed to be in shambles following an arrest in August of 2022 for driving under the influence. His off-the-field issues and struggles at the plate made him an unpopular figure among Braves fans, who called for his release.
In a stunning twist, these three players represented the Braves in the 2024 MLB All-Star game in Arlington, Texas, alongside starting pitcher Max Fried, who was recently added as a replacement for injured Philadelphia Phillies starter Ranger Suárez. López leads the MLB in earned run average, allowing just 1.88 runs per nine-innings pitched over 17 starts. Sale has returned to form and has struck out 140 batters in just 110 innings, which is right on par with his career average of 11.08 strikeouts per nine innings, which is the highest career rate in history for any pitcher to have thrown over 100 innings. Ozuna has found the fountain of youth, finishing the unofficial first half of the season with an on-base percentage of .379 and leading the National League with 26 home runs.
As it stands at the All-Star break, the Braves sit at 53-42, 8.5 games behind the Phillies in the National League (NL) East division and firmly in control of the top wild card spot in the NL. Given the standard Atlanta set for itself after its 2021 World Series title, the team’s performance has fallen short of expectations, and anything less than the division crown at the end of the year would be extremely disappointing to fans.
However, understanding their season requires context. Considering the adversity the Braves have faced through the first 95 games of action, 2024 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history.
This time last year, the Braves sent a franchise-record of eight players to the All-Star Game, en route to winning 104 games and fielding arguably the greatest statistical offense of all time. That lineup set a new MLB record for slugging percentage and tied the record for home runs. Remarkably, not a single player from that 2023 All-Star game will return this year after season-ending injuries to two of the most electrifying young players in the game: reigning MVP outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and flamethrowing pitcher Spencer Strider. On top of injury trouble, Atlanta has endured disappointing performances from the remaining six players, including career worst offensive years by OPS (On base % + Slugging %) from Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albiesand Sean Murphy.
The fact that the Braves stand where they are in spite of down seasons from six of their nine lineup mainstays is a testament to the unbelievable depth that general manager Alex Anthopoulos has assembled since he took the job in 2017. Anthopoulos first gained his reputation as one of the game’s great front office executives in 2021 when he addressed Acuña’s season-ending torn ACL by acquiring the eventual 2021 National League Championship Series MVP and World Series MVP in outfielders Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler, players who were all but given away to the Braves. He has showcased his proclivity for finding value where others do not yet again in 2024. Outside of acquiring All-Star talents in Lopez and Sale, he also traded for outfielder Jarred Kelenic, who is having a resurgent year of his own after his 2023 season was shortened by a fractured foot suffered after kicking a dugout cooler in frustration.
At the onset of the midsummer classic, the Braves are a good team. When the standard is great, however, good simply is not good enough. The Braves bats are too talented to underperform the way they have for the remainder of the season. Even after losing Strider, the starting rotation and the bullpen are rounding into form; both are perhaps the strongest those units have been during this extended run of NL East dominance.
The Braves face an uphill battle if they are to catch the Phillies, who have been MLB’s strongest team thus far. If past successes have taught us anything, the Braves are far from out, and Brian Snitker’s team is not going to give up any time soon. In 2021, the Braves lost Acuña Jr. to a torn ACL. Despite this, they made a few savvy moves and rode a magical hot streak all the way to a World Series title. History is not likely to repeat itself again in 2024. Then again, nothing about this season or this team has been likely.
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