The Braves have already done the hard part by getting back to the top of the NL East, but that hasn’t erased the bigger question hanging over the offseason: what needs to change so this team isn’t just patching holes again next year?
Atlanta’s roster still has pieces that could help right away, but it also has a few names that could bring back real value in a trade. With that in mind, these are the six players the Braves may have to seriously weigh as trade chips.
Alex Lodise is the kind of prospect that naturally draws attention. He closed the 2026 minor league season on a strong run, finishing with a .272/.355/.486 slash line, 25 doubles, 28 home runs, 84 RBI, and an .841 OPS across 134 games.
Atlanta’s top prospect ended the year at Double-A Columbus and showed he can contribute on both sides of the ball. He still looks like someone who could matter for the Braves down the line, but that same profile would also make him appealing in a deal if Atlanta decides to cash him in.
Cam Caminiti fits the mold teams always chase: a controllable left-handed arm. He kept trending up across two levels this season, putting up a 3.38 ERA with 53 walks and 125 strikeouts over 114.2 innings.
He’s looked even better at Double-A, and his performance is starting to match the billing of a first-round pick. If the Braves made him available, there’s no doubt he would bring back a strong return.
Eric Hartman has turned himself into one of the more interesting names in the organization after a breakout 2026 season pushed him to the top of Atlanta’s prospect list. His power showed up, his speed kept playing, and his defense remained a strength.
He has had some trouble at the plate in Double-A, but teams will still notice the total package. That makes him a logical name to come up quickly in offseason trade talks.
Ozzie Albies is a different case because of the contract. At $7 million, he’s on a deal that should make him awfully hard to move if Atlanta wants to keep him.
Still, the source of his value is obvious: even with recent struggles, he has enough of a track record to interest other teams. The Braves would be wise to at least think about the possibility, even if the idea feels unlikely on its face.
Spencer Strider is another player the Braves have to evaluate carefully. Since his most recent elbow injury, he hasn’t looked like the same pitcher and hasn’t been able to stay on the mound consistently.
He is still owed $22 million over the next two seasons, plus a club option for 2029, which makes the financial side of the equation important too. Even with the regression, there should still be clubs willing to take a shot on him.
Reynaldo Lopez rounds out the list after a season that looked nothing like his 2024 peak. His 1.99 ERA that year now feels far away, and multiple shoulder injuries have left his velocity short of where it used to be.
A knee injury also cut into his 2026 season, and the Braves eventually shifted him to the bullpen after he struggled to work deep into games. The fight with Jorge Soler “really seemed to derail things for him.”
With $8 million due in 2027, Atlanta may have to decide whether to move on, even though his experience could still hold some trade value.
In Other News...
Braves Playoff Rotation Just Lost A Starter At The Worst Time
The Braves playoff rotation took a hit at the worst possible time Monday, when the club announced that Martn Prez is headed to the injured list with lower back inflammation. It is a late setback for a team trying to line up its pitching for October, and it leaves Atlanta with less breathing room than it wanted as the postseason gets underway.
Prez was in position to matter in the NL Wild Card Series, and his absence also carries over into the NLDS if the Braves advance. With only a short window to adjust, Atlanta now has to rethink how it wants to piece together its early-round pitching plans while waiting to see how the rotation picture settles. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Leave Cincinnati With One Big October Concern
The Braves spent a weekend in Cincinnati with little left to decide in the standings, but plenty to monitor as October approaches. Ronald Acua Jr. left with a shin contusion, though the early tests came back clean, and Atlanta also got a mixed bag on the field with a shutout loss, a narrow extra-innings win and another close defeat. There were bright spots along the way, including work from pitchers JR Ritchie and Chris Sale, plus contributions from Matt Olson and Austin Riley, but the bigger picture was less about the record than about how the group is holding up.
For a club that already has its division and postseason position locked in, the final tune-ups are about health and rhythm, and Acuas status now sits at the center of that conversation. The Braves do not need to chase anything in the standings, which makes every late-game decision and every awkward step on the bases feel a little more important than usual, especially with October closing in and the margin for error shrinking in a different way. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Deadline Plan Suddenly Looks Risky For One Clear Reason
The Braves went into the trade deadline looking to shore up a staff that had been thinned by injuries, and they came away with help in both the rotation and the bullpen. Their starting-pitching addition brought a 1.99 ERA over nine starts, while Brent Suter arrived with a 1.92 mark across 24.2 innings, giving Atlanta a pair of useful arms for a stretch run that has already demanded more from the pitching staff than planned.
Still, the deadline moves did not solve the bigger problem hanging over the roster. Atlantas offense has been inconsistent, and the rotation behind the top three options remains awfully light with Bryce Elder and Martin Perez sidelined. That leaves manager Walt Weiss trying to piece together a postseason plan with limited major-league experience on the mound, a reality that makes the Braves deadline strategy look a lot more precarious than it did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]