Non-Tender Braves Outfielder Makes Top Newest Free Agent List

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked a new free agent from the Atlanta Braves one of the best players to hit the market Friday.

Atlanta Braves left fielder Ramon Laureano / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The deadline for the Atlanta Braves and other MLB teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players was 8 pm ET on Friday. The Braves allowed the deadline to pass without tendering contracts to five players, including veteran outfielder Ramón Laureano.

All players not tendered with a contract before Friday's deadline will immediately become free agents.

On Saturday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked the top 8 players to not be tendered a contract before Friday's deadline. Laureano came in at No. 5 on Reuter's list.

"Laureano had 11.9 WAR in six seasons in Oakland, and he was one of the best hitters in a banged up Atlanta lineup for much of the year," Reuter wrote. "Even in a fourth outfielder role, his $6.1 million salary felt reasonable, and he could even secure a modest multi-year pact if a team fully buys into his resurgence in Atlanta."

The Braves signed Laureano as a free agent on May 29. He played 67 games in Atlanta while filling in for Ronald Acuña, Michael Harris II and Jorge Soler, all of whom dealt with injuries in the second half of the season (Acuña missed the entire second half).

In 226 plate appearances, Laureano slashed .296/.327/.505 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 28 runs and 5 stolen bases with the Braves.

SI.com's Harrison Smajovits argued Friday that if not for Jarred Kelenic and Eli White, then the Braves probably would have agreed to keep Laureano on his $6.1 million contract. But the Braves seem to believe that money can be better spent elsewhere with Kelenic playing left field.

Or the Braves may have other plans to make Kelenic their fourth outfielder.

In summary, although he's one of the better players to become a free agent Friday, the Braves didn't really need Laureano. He arrived as an injury replacement, and with the Braves expected to return to full health in the outfield by the end of April, Laureano might not have had much of a role in Atlanta during 2025.