Braves push for ‘obvious’ offseason move with Spencer Schwellenbach

The Atlanta Braves have signed sign seven players six years or more in recent seasons. But only one of them has been a starting pitcher.

That was Spencer Strider, that one signed a six-year contract worth $75 million in October 2022. But this offseason, it’s possible the Braves could sign another starting pitcher to a major contract extension.

Yes, left-hander Max Fried is playing for a new contract in Atlanta. But Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller argued Monday that newcomer Spencer Schwellenbach could be last in line for a new deal this season.

“Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach is an obvious candidate for an Alex Anthopoulos special after his strong rookie year,” wrote Molenaar.

The “Alex Anthopoulos special” Miller is referring to is extending a player to avoid multiple years of arbitration. The Braves did that with Strider, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Michael Harris II. They also signed Matt Olson and Sean Muphy to expensive deals lasting at least six years after acquiring them in trades.

The Braves agreed to long-term deals with those players when they were 28 or younger. Albies, Acuña and Harris were all 21 years old when they signed their extensions.

At 24 years old, Schwellenbach is slightly older. But he deserves a raise afterward he went 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.043 WHIP in 21 MLB starts in 2024. He also struck out 127 with a 3.29 FIP in 123.2 innings.

Spotrac reports this Schwellenbach will earn an estimated base salary of $800,000 in 2025. He will then be under team control for two more seasons through 2027.

The Braves could opt to avoid any potential messy arbitration situation with Schwellenbach, as they have done recently with their other young stars, and sign the right-hander to a long-term deal this offseason.

To do that, the Braves don’t have to sign Schwellenbach for six years or more. A four to five year contract probably makes the most sense.

If Schwellenbach continues to make progress like he did in 2024, a contract extension now could benefit the Braves immensely in the long run. In the most recent cases, the Braves signed their young players to team-friendly contracts.

An offseason extension could also be a win for Schwellenbach, as he would get a significant raise without having to resort to free agency.