ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Eddie Rosario, the 2021 NLCS MVP, to a two-year contract with $18 million guaranteed on Wednesday.
The defending World Series champion Braves added more outfield depth by signing Alex Dickerson to a $1 million, one-year deal that is not guaranteed.
The deals to boost Atlanta’s outfield came one day after the team signed newly acquired first baseman Matt Olson to a $168 million, eight-year contract. The Braves on Tuesday added former Tampa Bay right-hander Collin McHugh to a $10 million, two-year deal.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday he hoped to have his roster finalized by Friday and said he expected more moves.
Rosario is an important addition to an outfield that may be without Ronald Acuña Jr., who continues to recover from knee surgery, for the first month of the season. The Braves have said they won’t rush the return of Acuña, who is in camp for the start of spring training.
Rosario, 30, will make $9 million each of the next two seasons. He will donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation. The deal includes a club option for 2024 with no buyout.
Rosario, acquired from Cleveland on July 30, hit .271 with seven homers in 33 regular season games with Atlanta. His highlight with the Braves came in the postseason. He was named MVP of the Braves National League Championship Series win over Los Angeles by hitting .560 with three homers while driving in nine runs and scoring six runs.
Rosario had an 11-game hitting streak in the postseason, hitting .383.
Dickerson, 31, hit .233 with 13 homers in 111 games with San Francisco last season.
Atlanta dealt four of its top 20 prospects, including outfielder Cristian Pache and catcher Shea Langeliers, to Oakland for Olson on Monday after it became apparent the team could not re-sign free agent Freddie Freeman. The Braves also surrendered pitchers Ryan Cusick, a 2021 first-round pick, and Joey Estes.
The Braves on Wednesday also agreed to a $900,000, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Thornburg that is not guaranteed.
Thornburg, 33, missed the 2021 season following Tommy John surgery. He pitched in only seven games for Cincinnati in 2020 before suffering a right elbow sprain. He has played for Milwaukee, Boston and the Reds in his eight-year career.
Two pitchers, Tyler Yates and Mike Soroka, were moved to the 60-day injured list to clear spots on the 40-man roster.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
