Braves sign intriguing outfielder to minor-league contract

The Braves have one obvious opening when it comes to their 2024 Opening Day lineup in left field. Perhaps they look to upgrade elsewhere, as they did last offseason with the acquisition of Sean Murphy. But most likely, they’ll only be looking at candidates to fill their void in left field this free agency period.

There haven’t been any rumors suggesting who the Braves might target yet, so I wouldn’t expect anything soon, but they did make an intriguing addition, inking Luis Liberato to a minor-league pact.

I don’t expect Liberato to ever be the starting left fielder in Atlanta, but he's quality organizational depth and could potentially compete for a spot on the bench. In 69 AAA games with the Padres organization last year, he hit .261 with a .826 OPS, and his numbers were even better in 2023, hitting .261 with 20 homers and a .895 OPS in 99 games.

It’s not a sexy signing, and Liberato may never make an appearance for the Braves, but he can swing the bat and is quality organizational depth. The Braves really need to beef up their AAA squad in case of emergency, and I still expect them to acquire not just one but two major-league outfielders to round out their 26-man roster.