Jim Bowden names Braves “best fit” for four top free agents

Jim Bowden just ranked the top 40 free agents of the winter, including contract projections and best team fits for each player.

Here’s who the former general manager believes fits with the Braves.

Mauricio Dubon

Best Team Fits: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox

There are really only two directions the Braves can go to fill their shortstop void this offseason. If they choose the free agency route, it has to be Mauricio Dubon. He’s the only starting-caliber option testing the open market, and I imagine there’s a lot of interest on Atlanta’s side in re-signing him.

If the Braves are thinking bigger, though, there could be some marquee shortstops moved in trades this winter. The Marlins will reportedly listen on Otto Lopez, even if it’ll take a king’s ransom to get something done. Zach Neto will be floated in rumors often as the Angels enter a full rebuild. Corey Seager has been linked to the Braves in the past, and Jeremy Peña is another name to keep a close eye on.

If the Braves want to win a championship next season, acquiring one of those names via trade is their best option. But we just haven’t seen Alex Anthopoulos make many moves like that since he took over as general manager in Atlanta.

Randy Arozarena

Best Team Fits: Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds

Arozarena was Bowden’s fifth-ranked free agent in the class, and he’ll likely land a multi-year deal worth north of $100 million. The Braves desperately need to upgrade in left field, and Arozarena is coming off a career year in which he posted 5.7 WAR, mashing 26 homers with an .865 OPS. He’s also proven to be an elite performer come October, with 12 postseason home runs and a .946 OPS over 45 games.

That makes him an attractive target who would fit seamlessly into the Braves’ lineup, but the price tag probably makes a move like this unlikely. Arozarena will be 32 next season, and while he’s been elite over the last two years, the Braves are typically cautious about handing players in their 30s four- and five-year deals.

Raisel Iglesias

Best Team Fit: Atlanta Braves

Iglesias is another of the Braves’ own free agents, and a reunion is certainly plausible. He’s been among the top closers in the game for a long time, and Atlanta’s bullpen is already set to take a hit with Didier Fuentes expected to move back to the rotation. There will probably be mutual interest in a reunion, and if Iglesias can be had on a one-year deal worth around $10 million, I think it happens. If he’s looking for more than that, I could see the Braves pivoting to younger options.

Hiromi Itoh

Best Team Fits: Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves

The Braves haven’t dipped their toes into the Japanese market very often, but given the success so many of those players have had in recent years, Anthopoulos might want to rethink that strategy. Itoh has a small frame and isn’t going to overpower anyone with velocity. What he does have is a wide array of pitches and grips to keep hitters off balance, and he rarely issues a free pass.

Bowden projects just a two-year, $22 million contract for Itoh, and at that price, it’s hard to find a bad one.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire