Atlanta Braves Sign Chris Martin for two years, $14 million

The Atlanta Braves have fired off a second warning shot to the National League by welcoming Chris Martin back to the bullpen.

The Atlanta Braves have kicked off the Hot Stove season off with a bang. On the same day they held a press conference to welcome home Will Smith, they announced they are bringing back Chris Martin for $14 million over two years.

Martin was the closer for the Texas Rangers when the Braves made a move to add the 6’8” righty to help solidify the bullpen, prior to last year’s trade deadline.

He finished 2019 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.

General Manager, Alex Anthopoulos, appears to be a big fan of Marvel’s Avengers, as he is attempting to turn the Braves bullpen into baseball’s version of the supergroup.

Martin joins Will Smith, Mark Melancon, Darren O’Day, and Shane Greene, all have found themselves among the game’s elite ranks among relievers at one point or another.

More to come?

The Atlanta Braves now have $36.25 million committed to Melancon, Smith, O’Day, and Martin. That number doesn’t even include the projected $6.5 million Shane Greene is projected to receive in arbitration.

It appears the Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves are all in this year. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

The past two seasons the Braves have opened with a payroll of a little less than $120 million.

They look to be the most aggressive buyers to this point. These commitments could be a sign that they are planning on starting the season closer to where they ended it last season ($141 million).

With the addition, the Braves have solidified one of the best bullpens in the National League. But just how much is  left to fix other holes in the roster?

We’ll see what else AA has up his sleeve, but one thing is for sure at this point, nobody knows what he might do next.

Let us know what you think about the Chris Martin signing in the comments below and if you think this is the start of a big offseason for the Braves.