The Braves have signed first baseman Garrett Cooper to a minor league contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray. The deal includes an invitation for Cooper to attend Atlanta’s big league Spring Training camp.
After spending the majority of his eight MLB seasons with the Marlins, Cooper now heads back to the NL East in the hopes of achieving some stability in what has become a journeyman-esque couple of years. Miami dealt Cooper to the Padres at the 2023 trade deadline, and upon entering free agency last winter, Cooper landed with the Cubs on a minor league contract. He was then designated for assignment and subsequently traded to the Red Sox at the end of April, but was then DFA’ed again by Boston in June and then released.
Cooper signed another minors deal with the Orioles but didn’t make any appearances with Baltimore at the MLB level, as injuries hampered his time at Triple-A Norfolk. Cooper had a .914 OPS over 84 plate appearances with Norfolk, which might hint that he has something left in the tank as he enters his age-34 season, even if his MLB numbers with Chicago and Boston left a lot to be desired.
Cooper hit well in 41 PA with the Cubs before struggling badly over 75 PA with the Red Sox. It added up to an overall .206/.267/.299 slash line over 116 plate appearances, and the second straight season of declining numbers for Cooper after his Marlins heyday. Cooper hit .274/.350/.444 over 1273 PA for Miami from 2019-22, and was the team’s All-Star representative in 2022 even though injuries and the Marlins’ overall lower profile made him something of an underrated hitter.
While there has always been a good deal of swing-and-miss in Cooper’s game even in his prime years, his strikeout rates have increased over the last two seasons and his hard-contact numbers have dropped. Defensively, Cooper played a good deal of right field earlier in his career but has been almost exclusively a first baseman since the start of the 2021 season, apart from two appearances in left field for the Cubs this year.
Since Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna have the first base and DH positions locked down in Atlanta, the outfield is likely Cooper’s best path to winning a job on the Braves’ Opening Day roster. Jarred Kelenic is penciled in for the bulk of work in left field, but since he’ll need a platoon partner, a right-handed bat like Cooper might be an ideal fit.
A return to right field also might not be out of the question, as Ronald Acuna Jr. is expected to miss some time at the start of the season as he returns from a torn ACL. The Braves have added Bryan De La Cruz (a former teammate of Cooper’s in Miami) and Conner Capel to an outfield depth chart that also includes Luke Williams and Eli White, as the team will try to make do in the corner outfield slots until Acuna is back in action.
Bargain Bin Braves strike again!
Yawn, another clueless bozo.
So far this off-season, he isn’t wrong.
@getrealgone2 It’s true there’s nothing wrong with these signings. The point you’re missing though is that it’s the ONLY signings happening for them.
No one would be so negative about this move if they went out and grabbed Anthony Santander for their obvious (now 3 years running) corner outfield need.
At least your Braves are making moves. Ca t be said for the Padres.
Yeah but SD didn’t really lose anybody yet. ATL lost 2 SP including their ace, their C, top set-up RP, etc. SD will be better than ATL.
In what world is re-signed Fried our ace above sale or strider?
One where Fried pitches while Strider sits in the IL
@lousassoll – Let’s just not mention how they should be getting back an arguable Cy candidate in Strider ~2 months in and should see more IP from Lopez and Schwellenbach, not to mention increase from Holmes and some room needed for top prospects: AJSS/Waldrep/Hackenberg.
Fried was not the ace. Their C got paid the higher contract, and was C most of the time (when healthy). Sheesh
Please do research and look at payroll. Braves in top 10 for a few years. They are hardly bargain bin.
Why are we signing all those older players. And yes I know it’s a MiLB contract but are any of these guys going to move the needle at towards a championship whether it be on Major League or heck even the Minor league teams for that matter?
You have to have depth. Have to.
There’s no such thing as too much competition in S.T.
I guess the upper levels of the Braves minors are so thin due to trades and promotions that they need to populate with these kinds of players. Cooper was a decent hitter just a couple of years ago. Maybe he can rekindle some of that. It doesn’t hurt to have a backup for Olson with some MLB experience.
No mention of the fact that he spent most of his time in the Baltimore org on the Tides’ injured list?
You mean like where it says “injuries hampered his time at Triple-A Norfolk”?
That was added when the article was updated, after my comment. You realize they make edits, right?
Then why so judgmental, knowing that they will likely update? Or do you feel you were the motivation for the update?
Former Pesky Marlin, Garrett Cooper.
With Anderson last season, they have now completed their “Decent Marlins hitters from 5 years ago” set.
Truth be told, if he can play a little left field and hit like he did with the marlins, it’s not a terrible signing. He always killed the Braves for whatever reason although he didn’t exactly crush it elsewhere … good overall depth move
Should have just signed Gary Cooper he played Lou Gehrig…..yes I know he’s dead but he probably would put up similar big league numbers.
He can try hard to look like Gary Cooper, but he just doesn’t have that same super-duper factor.
If you were Gary Cooper, you’d have to eat Babe Ruth’s hat. At least, it smelled like hot dogs and beer.
It’s hard to keep up with all of the ‘Garrett’ news stories these days.
Well I for one am quite worried if the Braves even make the playoffs in 2025 at this point. The plan must be to give AJSS a go at MLB. I don’t want to see them trade away top prospects for 1 year of a superstar. It does appear the Braves are going to send it. Window might have closed. Lost Freddie then Dansby now Fried..
I think they are worried about this upcoming season with star players starting on the injured list. They probably are resetting their luxury tax this year to regroup for next year. If things go right for them then they add at the trade deadline.
They had to counter the Mets signing of Soto somehow
Did they sign him at High Noon?
Wow if he’s guaranteed like 100k that brings total Braves spending to 500k this offseason totally a serious organization trying to win AA totally a great genius GM Braves fans should keep worshipping.
Keep defending your offseason, Braves fans, it’s actually hilarious. Those ex-Marlins De La Cruz and Cooper are totally going to put you over the top in the NL vs. the Dodgers, Mets and Phils. Job done, don’t need real FAs to replace the talent you’re bleeding. AA is so much smarter than everyone else and can just bargain bin shop and make it work.
@D2323: The Braves aren’t “bleeding talent.” They’re getting healthy again while AA’s created roster room for young players who’ll bring value at a good price. Keep believing that over paying players destined to under perform their bloated FA deals and cripple team payrolls is the only way to succeed. DLC and Cooper are the typical kinds of mil depth all teams add. “Actually hilarious” is your inability to understand the Braves patient team building approach. ZIPS predicts the Braves to have the second most wins in the NL in 2025. 94 1/2 is the total Vegas has on the Braves.
Seems like you’re a little envious of the Braves consistent success.
All these minor league deals aa is doing is for depth. Better hope that team stays more healthy than last yr. The depth isn’t that great. Farm system is weak. This move here does make sense because if Olson gets injured. Nobody in farm system so then bring up ️
Austin has been their primary backup at 1B, but he’s coming off injury as well, so they need a little more depth.
@stugots: The mil upper levels have little position player depth beyond Drake Baldwin, but their pitching depth is very strong.
Crucial as they need a 1b
Is this the guy they sang about in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN??
Super Duper!
For what its worth, at least Coops has a 3.4 career WAR.