Gold may have struck again for the Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos. This time, it might be in the form of a free-agent pitcher signing. Going into this past off-season, there were some big-name starting pitchers hitting free agency, including Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Atlanta even entered the Aaron Nola sweepstakes, which Braves fans would have loved to see. Nola’s taken care of business in the postseason against the Braves the past two seasons. This signing, however, was intriguing, as Reynaldo López was the one chosen to come into spring training with a shot at being the Braves’ fifth starter. Many fans thought to themselves that López hadn’t been a starter in five years, so would this truly work out? After making his 11th start, it looks like López has successfully made the jump from reliever to starter.
Reynaldo López now sports a 1.85 ERA through his first 11 starts in a Braves uniform. His FIP is 3.00. This guy is good.
— Beaneater Buzz (@BeaneaterB) June 7, 2024
A Bargain Signing for the Atlanta Braves
Reynaldo López signed early in the offseason, inking a three-year, $30 million deal in November. He is on the books for $4 million in 2024, $11 million in 2025 and 2026, and also has an $8 million club option in 2027. Generally, starting pitching gets more expensive every offseason, as we saw many starting pitchers sign for $20 million plus this offseason. Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed for $27 million a year without even throwing a pitch in the MLB, which shows the demand for front-line starters. With Atlanta already having a top-10 payroll, López’s contract helps Atlanta avoid the next luxury tax bracket, all while filling an important need and checking a big box for Alex Anthopoulos.
Reynaldo Lopez By the Numbers
López’s contract is really starting to shape up into a real steal after 11 starts this season. López is leading the Braves’ staff with a 1.85 ERA, which also ranks second in the National League and third in all of MLB. He’s second only to Ranger Suarez of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL. He’s behind both Suarez and Luis Gil of the New York Yankees in all of MLB. He is holding opponents to a .212 batting average with 62 strikeouts, maintaining a 24.8% strikeout percentage. López has also done a good job keeping hitters off the basepaths with a 1.09 WHIP. His walk percentage of 8.4% is 20th in the league among qualified starters. He has also collected a total of 2.2 WAR, which ranks 10th among all pitchers so far this season. Reynaldo Lopez has done well keeping the ball in the ballpark as well. He gave up only one home run in May. Keeping the bases clean and limiting home runs is a recipe for success.
What remains to be seen with Lopez
One big question remains for Reynaldo Lopez: how will the Braves manage his innings? He hasn’t been a starter since the 2019 season, when he threw 184 innings and 188 innings in 2018. In 2020, he transitioned to the bullpen for the Chicago White Sox during the shortened season. In 2021, he threw 57.2 innings, 65.1 innings in 2022, and 66 innings in 2023. Already at 63.1 innings in 2024, he’s about to surpass those numbers in his soon-to-be 12th start on June 12th against the Baltimore Orioles. Atlanta has already begun trying to go six days between every start instead of the traditional five days. However, Alex Anthopoulos said in spring training that the Braves don’t believe in innings limits. The question remains if he’ll be able to continue what he’s doing with the full workload of a season. He’s done it before, but it has been a few years.
It will definitely be something the Braves will have to monitor as the season continues. However, Lopez is really stepping up in a big way as the Braves navigate their season without Spencer Strider. At the rate Lopez is pitching, he will more than likely be an All-Star for the first time in the 30-year-old’s career. If he can make it through the season without wearing out, he’ll be one of the best signings of the offseason.
