The 2026 season marked a nice surprise for Atlanta Braves right-hander Joe Jiménez. He didn’t get back to the majors, but he’s as hopeful as he’s ever been.
Ever since he underwent knee surgery almost two years ago, it’s been a long road back. At one point, it looked like his career might be over. The Braves made it clear at the winter meetings that he couldn’t be counted on for the 2026 season.
Slowly, but surely, fortunes began to improve.
Ultimately, he pitched in a couple of games for a rehab assignment. He’s thrown plenty of bullpen sessions. It wasn’t enough for the Braves to try him in a game, but he can take that progress into free agency and show teams that he could potentially be a factor next season.
What type of chance a team will take on him is up for debate. What’s the going rate for a pitcher who has appeared in two minor league games recently, but none before that for about two years?
It’s not a common situation. We’ll go with that.
Knowing all the investment in time and resources that the Braves put into Jiménez, it would be nice for them if he were back in their uniform next season.
Both parties have to agree on what terms make the most sense, where both can be happy with running it back.
Determining a Reasonable Prove-It Deal
I hate to refer to his next contract as a prove-it deal, but I’m not sure what else to refer to it as. He will be signing a contract in the hopes of making it back to the major leagues.
For the last seasons, while not seeing any action, he made $9 million per season. Jiménez isn’t going to garner that on the open market. Frankly, he may not even get himself a major league contract.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because minor league contracts can come with deals that include what a player earns if he moves up to the active roster.
While they’re not identical situations by any means, we can use Martín Pérez’s contract for example’s sake. He signed a minor league contract. He was coming off a season where he was dealt a shoulder injury. Once it was all said and done, he made $3.5 million.
If you’re the Braves, it wouldn’t be a bad move to offer him a minor league contract, but if he makes the majors, he has a solid salary. As a goodwill move, it’s somewhere along the lines of $4 million. It’s a pay cut of more than half, but he’s not stuck pitching on major league minimums.
In the end, he’s a veteran with a decade of being a major leaguer. There is going to be some level of reasonable pay that comes with that territory.
It’s worth investing a little more to see if he can come back. He can start the season in the minor leagues, seriously get ready and that big return can finally arrive.
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