The Atlanta Braves are adding another right-handed bat to their stew.
Robert Murray of FanSided reported on Sunday that Atlanta has agreed to a minor-league contract with veteran first baseman Garrett Cooper. The deal for Cooper also comes with an invite to spring training.
The 34-year-old Cooper is an eight-year MLB veteran who was an All-Star elsewhere in the division with the Miami Marlins during the 2022 season. That year, Cooper hit .261 with nine homers and 50 RBIs over 119 games.
Last season, Cooper batted .206 in split time between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. He would eventually be designated for assignment by both those teams and spent the rest of 2024 in the minor leagues with the Baltimore Orioles organization.
Still, Cooper ended up hitting .310 in Triple-A and has strong overall pop with a career MLB OPS of .759. With experience at both first base and the outfield, Cooper should be able to make a positive contribution next season for a Braves side that missed on many of their other free-agent targets lately.
