Did a Pending Braves Free Agent Drop a Hint About His Future?

The Atlanta Braves do not have a lot of decisions to make this offseason.

Unlike most teams, the Braves have long-term control over a majority of their roster. There are only a few major decisions to be made with pending free agents; some can easily be retained via club option (designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, catcher Travis d'Arnaud) and some will have the opportunity to test the market (starters Max Fried and Charlie Morton).

And one reliever may have accidentally let on what he is doing this offseason.

A.J. Minter , who is currently on the 60-day injured list, posted a message on Instagram after having his hip surgery on Thursday. The lefty reliever, who is third in franchise history in relief appearances (384), left a note thanking Braves Country for their support (as well as his girlfriend for putting up with him, exclaiming that he's "high maintenance".)

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But there is an interesting note in there:

"my number one goal is to get healthy so that hopefully I can help this organization win another World Series next year."

Minter, a pending free agent, has not shied away from his love and respect for the organization. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , writing his "Braves Dispatch" notebook from the week's action, had an interesting note about Minter's adoration of the franchise:

"[...] he often mentioned the Braves’ high standards. Many times, he talked about how they had to honor the Hall of Famers who came before them. He’d mention carrying on their example. He always embraced the high expectations surrounding the team over the last couple years."

Toscano also relayed a quote from manager Brian Snitker, who addressed Minter's injury after he was officially announced as being done for the season:

“He’s a perfect example of what the Braves are all about and the Braves Way and a Braves-type player, and all that kind of stuff,” Snitker said . “He’s all about the team. He’s gotten sent back (to Triple-A) a couple times and worked his way back. It’s a hard loss because you can’t go out and find those guys.”

Does Atlanta bring Minter back?

This team has not been afraid to spend significant money on their bullpen under Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves have devoted over 15% of their salary space to relief pitching, with Spotrac having the team at 15.78% with $44.5M in 2024 salary to the bullpen. The team acquired both Raisel Iglesias ($16M in 2024), Aaron Bummer ($5.5M), and Luke Jackson ($6.5M) via trade, while signing Joe Jiménez ($8M) and Pierce Johnson ($7M) to multi-year deals last offseason.

Does Minter join that group?

This offseason is a loaded class for relief pitching, with veteran closers like Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox, Aroldis Chapman of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Craig Kimbrel of the Baltimore Orioles available.

With abundant supply and Minter coming off a statistically okay season - his ERA was just 2.62, but he also saw his strikeout rate drop from 31.5% to 26.1% - does President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos extend a multi-year contract offer, perhaps with a first-year discount, while Minter rehabs the hip surgery and works to regain his form?

Based on Minter's expressed love for the organization, you have to wonder how severely Minter would hold out for financial reasons. A reasonable but not back-breaking payday - perhaps in the range of the Joe Jiménez (3/$26M) and Pierce Johnson (2/$14.25M) deals - might be enough to retain the Texan's services for a few more seasons.