The Atlanta Braves can steal their “next Reynaldo Lopez” from a division rival

As we’ve seen in recent years, Alex Anthopoulos is full of surprises. Last offseason, the savvy Atlanta Braves GM made a shocking move when he signed Reynaldo Lopez to make him a starter. It seemed like a lost idea.

Lopez was a five-year starter for the Chicago White Sox. After posting ERAs well above 5.00 and 6.00 in back-to-back seasons and giving up an MLB-worst 110 earned runs in 2019, it appeared his days as a starter were over. Lopez had only had one season with an ERA under 4.00 to this point, posting 3.91 in 2018.

After converting to a reliever, Lopez only posted ERAs under 3.50 and hit just 2.76 in 2022. However, Lopez had not yet reached his peak. After signing with the Braves and becoming a full-time starter for the first time in four years, Lopez threw 135.2 innings in 25 starts (26 appearances) and finished his career with a career-best 1.99 ERA.

Now, just a year after Anthopoulos’ covert diamond heist, he has the opportunity to do it again.

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If Anthopoulos is scouring the free agent market in search of an undeniable bargain, he need look no further than Jeff Hoffman.

After spending five years in Colorado, Hoffman’s career ERA was an abysmal 6.40. His ERA steadily declined in his two seasons in Cincinnati, but he didn’t reach his full potential until he landed with the Phillies. After changing his approach, Hoffman posted a 2.41 ERA in 2023 and a 2.17 ERA in 2024 as a full-time reliever. Now he’s a free agent and one of the most sought-after bullpen armies. But relief work may not be his future. Hoffman had this to say:

“I think I would be a great starter if I had that opportunity again. It was cool to see what (Reynaldo Lopez and Jordan Hicks) did last year, and given my health and what I’ve done with my arsenal over the last few years, it’s an interesting thought. … It makes sense that guys with more complete arsenals than most backup players have had success.”

With his newfound success, it’s very possible Hoffman will become a great starter. The two most likely outcomes of a Braves-Hoffman deal could be best described by Alex Lord of SportsTalkATL.

“Worst case scenario: The Braves sign Jeff Hoffman to a fair market deal as a high-end reliever. Best-case scenario: The Braves sign Jeff Hoffman to a below-market deal as a starter.”

Hoffman offers a unique opportunity to snag a great starter at a great price. However, if that doesn’t work out, Hoffman could easily fit in their bullpen.