The Braves are still sitting near the top of the league, but the questions around them are getting louder by the week.
The Athletic’s latest MLB power rankings put Atlanta at No. 4, and the bigger conversation wasn’t the number so much as the uncertainty behind it. The outlet’s weekly theme centered on one major question for every team, and for the Braves it came down to this: “Is this the most hit-or-miss World Series contender?”
That label fits the way Atlanta has looked lately. The Braves have been sliding, even if not in a way that screams panic.
They are still expected to reach the playoffs, but they’ve dropped plenty of games over the past couple of weeks, and the cold stretch is not new. They went through a similar slump in June, too.
On paper, the résumé is still strong. The Braves remain one of the best teams in baseball over the full season, but the concern is obvious: the roster leans heavily on a handful of stars, both in the lineup and the rotation.
That’s part of why FanGraphs has the second-place Phillies ahead of them in World Series odds. Atlanta has spent most of the year near the top of these rankings, yet it also carries the feel of a team that could limp into October and go out early.
Alex Anthopoulos’ track record is also under the microscope. The Athletic described his work adding to the core over the past several years as mostly horrendous, and that has helped create the uneven play Atlanta has shown. The club’s offseason additions have largely given them nothing, and even with Tyler Mahle looking like a quality pickup through his first four starts, the Braves still did not do enough at the trade deadline to address obvious needs.
And yet the talent at the center of the roster keeps them dangerous. If the core stays healthy, which it mostly has throughout 2026, Atlanta still has enough to be a playoff team again. If a few of those stars get hot at the right time, the Braves have the kind of power that can blow up a game - and a series - in a hurry.
The pitching remains the biggest swing factor. Chris Sale is the sort of arm who could catch fire in October, and if the bullpen keeps performing the way it has all season and one more starter steps forward, the Braves would be following a blueprint that looks a lot like the one that carried them to a World Series title five years ago.
That’s the upside. The downside is probably more realistic: Atlanta muddles into a Wild Card spot and is left thinking about the offseason within a couple of days. Still, the path to a deep run is there if everything breaks the right way.
In Other News...
Craig Kimbrel's Latest Moment Is Tough For Braves Fans To Watch
Craig Kimbrels place in Braves history is already secure. Before being traded to the Padres ahead of the 2015 season, he was one of the most dominant closers the franchise has ever had, piling up a 1.43 ERA and 186 saves in Atlanta and becoming the late-inning arm fans came to expect whenever a lead needed protecting. Since then, though, his career has turned into a winding tour through baseball, with injuries and uneven performance sending him to 11 teams and keeping him on short-term deals more often than not.
Kimbrels latest milestone came in August 2026, when he earned his first save since July 2024 for the Royals and moved into fifth on the all-time saves list. For Braves fans, it is the kind of development that stirs up two feelings at once: appreciation for what he once meant in Atlanta, and a reminder of how far his journey has carried him from those days. It also leaves open the same question that has shadowed his recent stops, because every small bright spot comes with the sense that the next one may not be far behind. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Add Pitching Depth With One Big October Question
The Braves added a little more bullpen insurance by claiming Ricky Vanasco off waivers from the Tigers and sending him to Triple-A Gwinnett. It is the kind of low-risk move teams often make this time of year, especially when they are trying to keep as many arms available as possible for the stretch run and whatever comes next.
Vanasco arrives with some big-league experience from his time with the Dodgers, but he also comes with the kind of recent track record that explains why he was available. Detroit designated him for assignment after a rough five-appearance stint in the majors this season, and injuries have been part of his career path as well, leaving Atlanta with another depth option and one more October question still hanging in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Lock In Two Veterans For Crucial Roster Stability
The Braves have long liked getting ahead of the market with early extensions, and that approach could make sense again as they try to shore up the roster beyond this season. Two names that fit the pattern are Mauricio Dubon and Tyler Mahle, both of whom have given Atlanta useful, if different, kinds of stability. Dubon has shown the kind of versatility that lets a club cover multiple spots without losing much in the way of reliability, while Mahle has looked better since arriving in Atlanta and has started to reestablish himself as a pitcher worth keeping around.
From the Braves perspective, the appeal is obvious: the farm system has promising arms and bats, but not enough ready-made answers to fill every important hole right now. That leaves a window for a pair of veterans to become more than short-term fixes if the sides can find common ground before free agency arrives. The question is whether the Braves decide to move early again, and whether Dubon and Mahle are willing to buy into that kind of longer-term fit. [Read more 🡒]