Free agency is about to put a long list of ex-Braves back on the market, and Atlanta’s fingerprints are all over it.
That’s been the pattern under Alex Anthopoulos: if the price gets too steep, the Braves are willing to watch a player walk. The result is a free-agent class stocked with former Atlanta contributors - and a few names the Braves may be eyeing again when the offseason really gets rolling.
For the sake of completeness, there are also the current Braves players who are set to be free agents after the 2026 season, even if they are not technically former Braves yet. They are Travis d'Arnaud, C; Jonah Heim, C; Carlos Santana, 1B/C; Mauricio Dubon, INF; Ha-Seong Kim, SS; Ramon Laureano, OF; Lane Thomas, OF; Marcell Ozuna, DH; Jorge Soler, DH; Joc Pederson, DH; Kevin Gausman, RHP; Tyler Mahle, RHP; Kenley Jansen, RHP; Raisel Iglesias, RHP; Kirby Yates, RHP; and Evan Phillips, RHP.
The group covers just about every outcome imaginable, from hits to misses. If there’s one player Atlanta probably wishes it could keep around, it’s Tyler Mahle. Mauricio Dubon also looks like a name the Braves would pursue hard, especially with the rest of the shortstop market looking rough.
The designations at designated hitter are especially crowded with familiar names. Marcell Ozuna, Jorge Soler, and Joc Pederson all land in that lane, which makes for a strange little Braves reunion tour on paper.
Atlanta’s current roster doesn’t give it much room to shuffle pieces around - Austin Riley isn’t going anywhere, at least not now - so adding a DH bat would make sense. Of the former Braves DH types, Pederson is the one who could make the most sense for a return, and even that comes with a big dose of vibe-based logic.
Ramon Laureano is another possibility worth watching. If his hip is healthy, he could fit as a right-handed bat with some pop, something Atlanta could use.
So yes, there are plenty of former Braves in this offseason’s free-agent pool. But when it comes to which ones actually make sense to bring back for 2026, the list gets a lot shorter.
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