Alex Anthopoulos walked into his media session and had plenty to unpack about what the Braves could look like in 2027, starting with the pitching staff.
One of the clearest points: Atlanta wants to give 21-year-old Didier Fuentes a shot in the rotation next season. That said, Anthopoulos made it clear Fuentes may be on an innings limit, which could shape how he’s used as the year goes on.
Fuentes logged 97.0 innings between Atlanta and Gwinnett in 2026, postseason included. And, as Anthopoulos noted, all of this is being discussed with the caveat that a full 2027 season would still depend on the pending owner lockout situation.
The bigger-picture rotation outlook also comes with some uncertainty around two major arms. Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are not expected to be penciled in for the entire season, since both are working through injury questions. Schwellenbach missed all of 2026, while Strider was limited to just eight games.
Anthopoulos didn’t stop there. He said there still hasn’t been a decision on whether the coaching staff will change. He also said the Braves have not yet determined Jurickson Profar’s future with the club, even though the final year of his three-year contract is 2027.
There was praise, too, for Austin Riley. Anthopoulos said he was pleased Riley stayed healthy for the full season, pointed to his defense, and expressed optimism that his offense can get back on track.
On the free-agent side, Anthopoulos said the club will try to use its exclusive negotiating window to its advantage with Tyler Mahle and the rest of its own free agents. He also spoke highly of Mauricio Dubón’s work away from the field. Dubón is another pending free agent, and if he returns, Anthopoulos said he could be an option at shortstop for 2027.
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Braves Face One Offseason Problem That Could Shape Everything
Alex Anthopoulos spent the early part of the Braves offseason laying out the familiar mix of roster questions and organizational priorities, with the rotation at the center of it all. He talked through the statuses of Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and Didier Fuentes, while also touching on Tyler Mahle, Jurickson Profar, Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubn and the continuity of the coaching staff. The tone was measured, which is usually how Atlanta handles this time of year, but it also made clear there is still a lot to sort through before the roster takes its final shape.
What stood out was Anthopouloss insistence that several of those decisions will require more internal discussion, rather than easy assumptions about how the staff will look when camp opens. He also made it clear he is comfortable with the current coaching group, which matters for a club that values stability as much as Atlanta does. The Braves have enough proven pieces to feel good about the framework, but the way they answer these offseason questions could end up influencing far more than just the back end of the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Feel Squeezed In A Salary Cap Fight More Than Fans Think
The looming labor fight in baseball is about more than whether the sport ends up with a salary cap. For Atlanta, it is also about how much room a club with a typically hefty payroll would actually have to maneuver if a new system comes in. The Braves have built around spending, but they have also tied themselves to a roster core through long-term commitments, which makes the conversation less abstract than it might seem from the outside.
If the next collective bargaining agreement brings a hard cap and a floor, Atlanta could find itself squeezed in a way fans do not usually associate with a team that has been willing to pay up. The issue is not just whether the Braves can keep spending, but whether their current approach leaves them enough flexibility to adjust if the rules of the market change underneath them. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face One Huge Rotation Question Heading Into 2027
Atlantas starting-pitching picture has a lot of familiar names in the conversation as the club looks ahead to 2027. Chris Sale is still the headliner because of his contract and the reality that age will continue to shape how much the Braves can count on him, while Tyler Mahles arrival gave the rotation a much-needed jolt after the trade and showed why the front office targeted him in the first place.
Sonny Gray also enters the mix as a possible addition, which only adds to the intrigue around how the staff could be lined up two years from now. And then there is Didier Fuentes, whose promising rookie season has put him on the path toward a bigger role, leaving the Braves with a rotation question that is less about finding innings than deciding which arms they trust most when 2027 arrives. [Read more 🡒]