The Braves introduced that outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been signed to a non-guaranteed deal for the 2025 season. De La Cruz’s deal is particularly a cut up contract, not a minor league deal. The contract is an early birthday current for De La Cruz, who turns 28 years outdated tomorrow.
No stranger to the NL East, De La Cruz broke into the majors with the Marlins in 2021 and spent elements of the subsequent 4 seasons within the Miami outfield. An element-time function was primarily on a regular basis obligation by the top of the 2022 marketing campaign, and De La Cruz hit .263/.311/.420 with 37 homers over 1200 plate appearances for the Fish through the 2021-23 seasons.
Sadly, the manufacturing trended downward, from a 111 wRC+ in 219 PA in De La Cruz’s rookie season to a 99 in 2022, then a 90 in 2023, and right down to a 77 wRC+ in 2024. De La Cruz hit 21 homers this previous season however solely with a .233/.271/.384 slash line in 622 mixed PA with the Marlins and Pirates. The majority of the struggles got here after Pittsburgh acquired De La Cruz on the commerce deadline, as De La Cruz hit solely .200/.220/.294 in 168 PA together with his new group.
The dropoff was so drastic that the Pirates opted to non-tender De La Cruz slightly than pay him a projected $4MM wage within the first of three arbitration-eligible seasons. Given these three years of management and the truth that the Bucs gave up two prospects for De La Cruz on the deadline, it will’ve been comprehensible if the Pirates had stored De La Cruz round for one more look, but the $4MM price ticket and his sub-replacement stage play made the non-tender a justifiable name.
De La Cruz has primarily been a power-only participant so far in his profession, and he has had constantly stable hard-contact numbers. Nevertheless, making contact has been a battle since De La Cruz has a 25% profession strikeout charge, and he doesn’t typically take walks. De La Cruz has expertise in any respect three outfield positions and he has an excellent throwing arm however is taken into account a middling defender at greatest.
The non-guaranteed nature of the contract signifies that the Braves lose nothing by seeing what De La Cruz can do in Spring Coaching. If he can get himself on monitor on the plate and extra constantly translate his energy into regular manufacturing, the Braves instantly have a controllable outfielder within the fold by means of the 2027 season. De La Cruz has two minor league possibility years remaining, including extra flexibility to Atlanta’s decision-making about whether or not or to not deploy him on the lively roster.
The Braves’ want for outfield assist is not any secret. Ronald Acuna Jr.’s restoration from a torn ACL might stretch effectively into Might, Jarred Kelenic wasn’t significantly productive in his first season in Atlanta, and Jorge Soler (although principally a DH) was traded to the Giants in a wage dump proper on the outset of the offseason. De La Cruz might ideally pair with Kelenic in a platoon in left discipline as soon as Acuna is again, and maybe could be seen as a starter able to holding the fort in proper discipline in Acuna’s absence. That stated, De La Cruz’s contract actually gained’t preclude the Braves from persevering with to hunt out a extra clear-cut beginning outfield possibility within the coming months.
