The Atlanta Braves re-signed outfielder Nick Markakis and catcher Tyler Flowers to one-year, $4-million contracts, the team announced Monday.
Both players had $6-million club options that were declined, triggering identical $2-million buyouts. While Markakis and Flowers will still receive $6 million apiece, only the money connected to their new contracts will count against the team's payroll, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Additionally, the Braves declined right-hander Julio Teheran's $12-million team option and outfielder Billy Hamilton's $7.5-million mutual option.
A 14-year veteran, Markakis is entering his sixth season with the Braves. In 2019, he hit .285 with a .776 OPS in 116 games - his fewest since playing 104 with the Baltimore Orioles in 2012. The 35-year-old earned his first All-Star nod in 2018 when he batted .297/.366/.440 while playing in a full 162-game slate.
Flowers, 33, hit .229 with 11 home runs in 85 games last season, but he's valued more for his defense and pitch framing than his bat. He had the third-highest pitch-framing score in the majors last season, according to FanGraphs.
Teheran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Braves and has gone 77-73 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 1,360 innings since his debut as a 20-year-old in 2011. He's served as the club's Opening Day starter in each of the last six seasons.
Hamilton played 26 games with the Braves after being selected off waivers from the Kansas City Royals in August. Both Teheran and Hamilton are now free agents.
