The Braves announced Monday morning that theyve signed right-hander to a three-year contract that will guarantee him $30MM. The CAA client will be paid $4MM in 2024 and $11MM in both 2025 and 2026. Theres an $8MM club option for the 2027 season with a $4MM buyout. Lopez becomes the fifth name added to the Braves bullpen mix since their season ended, joining re-signed righties ( ) and ( ) and trade acquisitions and . Interestingly, however, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Braves will have Lopez prepare as a starting pitcher this winter. While the club isnt nece sarily penciling Lopez into the 2024 rotation, the Braves believe he can have succe s in either role and ramping him down from starting to relieving is of course easier than the inverse. Lopezs specific role may not be determined until the spring, but its certainly notable that theres at least a chance hell get another look as a starter with his new club. Lopez, 30 in January, has plenty of experience in both roles but hasnt had much succe s as a starting pitcher. Once one of the sports top pitching prospects, he went from the Nationals to the White Sox alongside and in the 2016 trade sending back to Washington. While he gave the White Sox 32 starts and 188 innings of 3.91 ERA ball in 2018, he did so with shaky peripherals. On the whole, Lopez carries a lifetime 3.01 ERA out Geraldo Perdomo Jersey of the bullpen but a much rockier 4.73 mark as a starter. Lopezs career took off, in earnest, with a full-time move to the bullpen a role in which hes excelled for the past two seasons, albeit in different ways. The flamethrowing righty had a rough start in 22 but was one of the sports most dominant bullpen arms over that seasons final four months, logging a 1.54 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate and 3.1% walk rate from early June through seasons end. Overall, his 2022 campaign ended with a sterling 2.76 ERA, a slightly above-average strikeout rate (24.8%) and an elite walk rate (4.3%). In 2023, Lopezs run prevention was again strong (3.27 ERA), but he took a different route to get there. Brandishing a fastball that was now averaging a blistering 98.4 mph a 1.3 mph increase over the prior seasons already-strong 97.1 mph Lopez punched out a huge 29.9% of his opponents. However, his 12.2% walk rate was nearly triple that of the prior season. He all but abandoned his curveball, throwing it at just a 1.2% clip (after 7.2% in 2022). The 2023 version of Lopez was effectively a two-pitch pitcher: blazing fastball and hard slider (with a seldom-used changeup and curveball). He has, however, had seasons where hes thrown both his change and his hook at a 20% clip or higher, so theres certainly a diverse enough collection of pitches in his arsenal to succeed as a starter if the Braves can coax better and more consistent results from his secondary offerings. If Lopez were to work as a starter, its only natural to think his fastball velocity would drop a tick, but hes still have well above-average heat regardle s. To an extent, its po sible that Lopezs ultimate usage in 2024 depends on the remainder of Atlantas offseason. As things stand, the Braves rotation includes , , and . Therell be competition for that fifth spot, likely including Lopez but also featuring top prospect , veteran (wholl be returning from Tommy John surgery), southpaw and righty . The Braves have been linked to some free agents of note thus far, and if they succeed in signing or acquiring another veteran starter, thatd likely push Lopez more firmly into the bullpen. If Lopez ends up in his more familiar bullpen role, hell join a comically deep group. In addition to the aforementioned Jimenez, Johnson and Bummer, the Braves will deploy , and in whats shaping up to be one of the most experienced and most talented collection of relief arms in the Majors. Lopezs $4MM salary for the 2024 season pushes the Braves payroll up to around $207MM, . However, while its backloaded nature spares Atlanta some bottom-line payroll in the upcoming season, the contract still comes with a much heftier $10MM luxury-tax hit, as all luxury calculations are based on a deals average annual value. The $10MM AAV on Lopezs contract pushes the Braves squarely into luxury-tax territory, as theyre now at about $241.6MM of luxury considerations comfortably north of this years $237MM luxury barrier. They also paid the luxury tax last season, meaning their penalty levels will rise. Rather than a 20% dollar-for-dollar tax, theyll now pay a 30% tax (with increasing penalties if they surpa s the threshold by more than $20MM total). Theyre also in line for even harsher penalties come 2025, as third-time payors face even steeper rates of taxation. Seth Martinez Jersey
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