Braves: The next Reynaldo Lopez could be lurking in free agency

Over the years, the Braves have been creative in their approach to improving the roster, and the best example of that was last offseason.

While the world had quit on Chris Sale, Alex Anthopoulos saw something. The wily veteran had just finished a season healthy for the first time in years, and all he did was reward Atlanta’s GM with a Cy Young campaign. That wasn’t even the most out-of-the-box acquisition. The Braves signed Reynaldo Lopez to a three-year, $30 million deal but shocked fans when they revealed their intentions of stretching him out as a starter. The gamble worked better than anyone could have imagined, as he turned in a 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.

Unfortunately, Alex Anthopoulos must work similar magic this offseason. Not only do the Braves once again have holes in the rotation, but they also need to address the bullpen. Well, how about taking a familiar path? Lopez has laid the blueprint, and Jeff Hoffman could follow in his footsteps.

After a dominant run with the Phillies, Hoffman is one of the most sought-after relievers in this year’s free agent class, but his career has taken a wild course. Before catching on with the Phillies, Hoffman had done practically nothing in the majors, accumulating 0.9 WAR in his career. Then, he went on a two-year tear in Philly, posting a 3.5 WAR over that span. He’s actually taken a similar career path as Reynaldo Lopez. After being drafted by the Blue Jays a decade ago, he was traded to the Rockies, where he made his big league debut in 2016. He posted a solid 1.1 WAR campaign in 2017, primarily as a starter in which he posted a 4.76 ERA across nearly 100 innings.

However, over the course of the next four seasons, Hoffman was either downright awful or hurt. Then, he joined the Phillies, which is where his approach changed. Across his two seasons with the Braves division rival, Hoffman posted a 2.28 ERA and 0.944 WHIP over 118.2 innings of work.

The Braves could use a high-leverage reliever, but wouldn’t it be better to kill two birds with one stone? Of course, Hoffman can’t be a starter and a reliever, but the Braves have had plenty of success stretching out successful relief arms to be starting pitchers, and Hoffman seems open to the idea.

“I think I would be a great starter if given that opportunity again,” Hoffman said. “It was cool seeing what [Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks] did last year and, for me with how healthy I am and what I’ve done the last few years with my arsenal, it’s an interesting thought. … It makes sense that guys with deeper arsenals than most relievers have found success.”

• Worst-case scenario: the Braves sign Jeff Hoffman to a fair market deal to be a high-end reliever.
• Best-case scenario: the Braves sign Jeff Hoffman to a below market deal to be a starter.

And good thing for the Braves, the only thing he cares about in his free agency is playing for a winner.

“The thing that’s most important to me is being on a contender, playing deep into October,” he said. “Playing meaningful baseball, it makes the clubhouse that much more enjoyable when everyone is playing for the same thing. That’s what I want out of my next situation.”

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