Braves Spring Training Preview: Bullpen

We’re less than a month away from the start of another exciting Braves baseball season with pitchers and catchers set to report to Spring Training on February 15th. With that in mind, now is as good a time as any to take stock of where the team is at before heading into their opener of the Grapefruit League season on February 24th. Let’s begin this series by discussing the bullpen for the Braves, which seems like one of the team’s greatest strengths (on paper anyway) heading into the 2024 season.

The Locks

Raisel Iglesias, Joe Jiménez, Pierce Johnson, AJ Minter, and Jackson Stephens are holdovers from last year’s unit who will certainly have a role during the 2024 season. Lefties Tyler Matzek and Dylan Lee will join them if they are healthy enough to play. The team further bolstered the unit this offseason via their trade for Aaron Bummer and crucial signings of RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Penn Murfee, and LHP Ray Kerr. That’s nine guys who should have big roles for the bullpen in 2024 already in hand.

Other candidates

Let’s not forget about Huascar Ynoa, who is expected to be ready for Spring Training this season after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Speaking of pitchers who recently had Tommy John surgery, the Braves signed one in the form of LHP Angel Perdomo to a one-year contract back in early December. Daysbel Hernández is another name that could get a look out of the bullpen in 2024. Hernández’ stock was on the rise before right forearm inflammation derailed his season by causing him to be placed on the team’s 60-Day Injured List in September. A return to health from any or all of these guys would certainly boost the bullpen.

Long shot options

It’s possible that we see Ian Anderson, Dylan Dodd, or AJ Smith-Shawver out of the bullpen at some point during the 2024 season, but likely only in the event of injury. This leaves fan-favorite Charlie Culberson as a lone longshot option out of the ‘pen. Culberson is trying to rejuvenate his career in MLB as a right-handed relief pitcher. He will go into Spring Training camp as a non-roster invitee with an opportunity to earn himself a role within the team’s bullpen at some point during the 2024 season.

The Verdict

The Braves bullpen, on paper, looks like the best in Major League Baseball this year. I’m not worried about this unit at all unless injuries strike, and even then the team should have enough depth in key spots to survive bad stretches during the season. Individual reliever performances can vary wildly year by year, but the Braves have positioned themselves well to roll out an elite bullpen unit during the 2024 season.