The Braves head into this week’s General Managers Meetings with a shopping list that keeps getting longer, and the biggest item might not be the one fans expect.
Atlanta still needs pitching help, sure. But the clearest problem staring back at president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his staff is the lack of a dependable right-handed bat.
The Braves finished this past season 26th out of 30 teams with a right-handed OPS of .679, while producing a .751 OPS from the left side, good for sixth in MLB. That imbalance has only grown more obvious with the declines of Austin Riley and Sean Murphy and the extended absences of Jurickson Profar.
There’s at least a path to patching the lineup around Mike Yastrzemski, who struggled out of the gate but posted a .768 OPS against right-handed pitchers over his final 99 games. Still, the Braves need more than a simple platoon fix.
They need a right-handed hitter who can play left field against left-handed starters and also fill the designated hitter spot when Drake Baldwin is behind the plate. Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki are the top right-handed-hitting outfielders on the free-agent market, but both received qualifying offers this past week.
If either turns that down, the price includes the loss of multiple Draft picks and $1 million from the international bonus pool.
Profar is not part of the picture after performance-enhancing drug suspensions the last two years, so the search for a right-handed outfielder sits at the top of the Braves’ must-do list.
Pitching, though, is right there with it. The Braves can’t bank on Spencer Strider or Spencer Schwellenbach being anchors of the rotation next season.
Both were once viewed as future Cy Young contenders, but elbow surgeries have changed the equation. Strider is expected to be “full-go” when Spring Training opens, which is encouraging, but his recent injury history raises real questions about whether he can hold up over a full season as a starter.
He’ll get a chance to start in camp, though a move to the bullpen could make more sense.
Schwellenbach’s situation is different but just as tricky. He spent more than a year trying to avoid the surgery he had in September, and now he’ll try to pitch with a screw in his previously fractured elbow. That’s not unheard of, but it’s far more common for relievers than starters.
That leaves Chris Sale, Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes as the current rotation names, with Didier Fuentes and AJ Smith-Shawver as possible additions. Tyler Mahle, though, looks like the most likely outside answer if Atlanta can bring him back.
The bullpen could also need a reshuffle, especially if Fuentes ends up there. Raisel Iglesias is a free agent, Robert Suarez’s postseason work can’t erase concern about the elbow issue that cost him three months this year, and Dylan Lee’s second-half fade leaves another question mark.
And then there’s shortstop, which may become another priority before long. Mauricio Dubón would be welcomed back, but he’s expected to draw plenty of interest in a market that doesn’t offer many shortstops.
If he leaves, Jim Jarvis stands as the top internal option. The Braves could also explore a trade for Jeremy Peña if the Astros decide to make him available.
So as the meetings unfold in Las Vegas, Atlanta’s list is pretty clear: a right-handed bat, rotation help, bullpen depth and possibly a shortstop. That’s a lot to sort through, even before the rumors start flying.
In Other News...
Ronald Acua Jr. Trade Talk Just Took A Dramatic Turn
Ronald Acua Jr. has been the kind of name that naturally sparks speculation whenever the offseason starts to take shape, especially with his contract situation and the usual churn that comes with roster-building. But multiple MLB insiders, including Jon Morosi and Jon Heyman, have now painted a very different picture, saying a trade involving Acua this winter is considered highly unlikely as the Braves continue to operate like a contender rather than a club looking to reset.
For Atlanta, the bigger takeaway is not just that Acua appears to be staying put, but that the team reportedly has no interest in opening the door to trade talks at all. Even with the usual noise that follows a star player, the Braves seem prepared to treat this as a non-starter, which only adds to the intrigue around how the front office plans to handle the rest of the offseason around him. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face A Bigger Jurickson Profar Decision Than Fans Realize
Jurickson Profars status has quickly become more than a footnote for the Braves, and not just because of what he brings on the field. Atlanta now has to sort through the fallout of a player who has been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs in consecutive years, a situation that naturally pushes the conversation beyond roster fit and into trust, accountability and how the organization wants to handle the next step.
Alex Anthopoulos has already said the Braves need internal discussions about the matter, which is usually the clearest sign a front office is still weighing the full scope of a decision. For a team trying to plan ahead, the uncertainty around Profar only adds another layer, and the sense around the club is that his future in Atlanta is very much in doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Revenue News Just Added More Tension To MLB Lockout Fight
The Braves status as MLBs only publicly traded team means their earnings calls often do more than just explain the bottom line. They also offer a rare window into how one franchise is navigating the leagues broader financial picture, and this weeks update arrived with the labor fight looming in the background. Chairman Terry McGuirk kept the discussion pointedly general, steering away from the kind of detailed labor talk that would only invite more questions as the sport heads toward another round of uncertainty.
What stood out was how carefully the financial message was packaged. The clubs report showed the kind of accounting nuance that has become familiar around team business updates, with one version of the numbers emphasizing a loss and another highlighting profitability on an adjusted basis. For Braves fans, it is another reminder that the teams public financial disclosures are now part of the larger MLB lockout conversation, even when the people presenting them are trying not to wade too far into it. [Read more 🡒]