Braves Sign Bryan De La Cruz to One-Year Deal

The Atlanta Braves have strengthened their outfield by signing Bryan De La Cruz to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the 2025 season. De La Cruz, who will turn 28 on Monday, entered the free-agent market earlier than expected after being non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 22 following a challenging end to his 2024 season.

De La Cruz started the 2024 season strong with the Miami Marlins, posting a .707 OPS with 18 home runs. However, his performance declined sharply after being traded to the Pirates on July 30. In his final 44 games of the season, he managed only three home runs and a .514 OPS. This dip in production prompted the Pirates to part ways with him.

De La Cruz spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Marlins, establishing himself as one of the team's few consistent power hitters. His 55 home runs for Miami since 2021 rank third on the team during that period, behind Jazz Chisholm Jr. (64) and Jesús Sánchez (59).

While De La Cruz has shown flashes of potential, he still needs to work on achieving consistency at the Major League level. His 2022 season was particularly promising, as he ranked among the league leaders in expected batting average (96th percentile), expected slugging (94th percentile), hard-hit rate (86th percentile), and sweet-spot rate (100th percentile). However, his lack of plate discipline has hindered his overall production. In 2024, he recorded a career-high 30.1% whiff rate and a chase rate in the 22nd percentile (32.6%).

Defensively, De La Cruz has played all three outfield positions but is best suited for a corner outfield role. In 2024, he ranked in the 88th percentile for average arm strength (90.3 mph on competitive throws) but ended the season with a career-worst -8 Outs Above Average.

In 475 Major League games, De La Cruz has a career batting line of .253/.297/.407 with 58 home runs, 208 RBIs, and a 90 OPS+.