Which player that Atlanta will miss the most who was traded away this offseason?

The Braves have sent fifteen players to new destinations this offseason – who will be missed the most

The Atlanta Braves have been busy this offseason.

President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has made eight trades this offseason, shipping out fifteen players to new destinations.

Those trades have been productive, however, with Atlanta’s net coming back including five years of left fielder Jarred Kelenic, two years of Chris Sale (after the extension), one year (or three years, with club options) of Aaron Bummer, and six years of reliever Ray Kerr.

But of the players that Atlanta lost, who could they conceivably miss the most? Let’s break it down, from least to most:

Catcher Max Stassi

Pitchers Jackson Kowar and Marco Gonzales

Michael Soroka

Listen, I wanted this to work, I really did.

But Soroka, the 2019 Rookie of the Year that missed three years of competition due to multiple Achilles tears, just hasn’t looked the same since getting back into the major leagues.

“Maple Maddux” was entering his final year of control (meaning he couldn’t be optioned to the minors without electing free agency) and also had a 6.40 ERA last season, a combination that a contending team just couldn’t keep on their roster all season.

He’ll have an opportunity to start all season for the Chicago White Sox and, if healthy and effective, could get moved at the trade deadline before hitting free agency next offseason.

Another “that’d have been nice”, Wright led all of baseball in wins back in 2022, going 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA in his 30 starts. But after offseason shoulder soreness that necessitated a cortisone injection in January, he just never got right. Wright missed most of the year on the injured list before briefly coming back in a relief role, but put up a 6.97 ERA in 31 innings and had shoulder surgery after the season.

Out for all of 2024, Wright can now rehab on Kansas City’s dime and prepare for 2025, where he’ll have two years to restore his value before reaching free agency in 2027 at the age of 31.

Lopez, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Kansas City, quickly became a fan favorite in Atlanta due to his defensive versatility and willingness to do anything – even pitch – asked of him during his short tenure in Atlanta.

But projected to make roughly $4M in arbitration, Lopez would have cost more as a backup than Orlando Arcia ($2M) will make as the starter at shortstop in 2024. With Atlanta coming up on the third of four luxury tax tiers (and the draft pick penalties that come with it), Nicky Lopez was a luxury that the 2024 Atlanta Braves couldn’t really afford, but they might be able to weather the loss as long as no one gets hurt (or if Luis Guillorme continues to be serviceable defensively behind the infield starters).

Lopez, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Kansas City, quickly became a fan favorite in Atlanta due to his defensive versatility and willingness to do anything – even pitch – asked of him during his short tenure in Atlanta.

But projected to make roughly $4M in arbitration, Lopez would have cost more as a backup than Orlando Arcia ($2M) will make as the starter at shortstop in 2024. With Atlanta coming up on the third of four luxury tax tiers (and the draft pick penalties that come with it), Nicky Lopez was a luxury that the 2024 Atlanta Braves couldn’t really afford, but they might be able to weather the loss as long as no one gets hurt (or if Luis Guillorme continues to be serviceable defensively behind the infield starters).