Braves sign All-Star starter, key contributor to new signings

Atlanta Braves announced the signing of a pair of pitchers – right-handed starting Reynaldo Lopez and left-handed pitcher Aaron Bummer – to new contracts on Saturday.

Braves released Details of new deals in the press release. The team posted a press release on their official X (formerly Twitter) account.

#Withstands Sign LHP Aaron Bummer and RHP Reynaldo Lopez: pic.twitter.com/ETkHDJgVLb

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 2, 2024

Lopez received a three-year contract worth $30 million. Although the contract lists an average annual salary of $10 million, Lopez will receive $8 million in 2025 and 2027. The Braves will pay him $14 million in 2026.

Bummer’s contract was structured similarly. He signed a two-year contract worth $13 million. The Braves will pay Bummer $3.5 million next season and then $9.5 million in 2026.

The new contracts will give the Braves more financial flexibility heading into the 2025 season. In all likelihood, this indicates that the Braves intend to sign several free agents during MLB this winter.

How possible this is, one can only guess. But the Braves are preparing for increased spending.

All about providing more salary flexibility for #Withstands In 2025 – I think there will be at least one significant FA signing – and more guaranteed money will be added for both Lopez (a little more) and Bummer (a lot more).

— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 2, 2024

The new contracts are also a win for Lopez and Bummer because both pitchers will receive more guaranteed money than what they were going to receive in their previous deals.

Lopez did his first All-Star team in 2024, going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA. He also had a 1.106 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 135.2 innings in 25 starts. He also appeared on the final day of the regular season.

In nine MLB seasons, Lopez owns a 3.93 ERA and a sub-.500 record. He may have trouble posting an ERA below 2.00 again in 2025, but he has posted an ERA below 3.50 in each of the last four seasons.

During his first season in Atlanta, Bummer also experienced one of the best seasons of his MLB career. He went 4-3 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.428 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 55.1 innings last season. His 3.58 ERA was nearly half what he had in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox.

Bummer recorded a 3.79 ERA, 1.326 WHIP and 378 strikeouts in 327.1 innings over his eight-year major league career. All 345 appearances of his career came from the bullpen.