The Braves have a lot to sort out this offseason, and left field sits near the top of the list. Atlanta is trying to build toward being a real contender in 2027, and that means filling holes with players who can actually hold down a job every day.
Jurickson Profar is the biggest question mark in that spot. He spent all of last season suspended for PEDs a second time, and the situation leaves Atlanta without a clear answer in left field.
As Jeff Passan wrote, “Atlanta Braves designated hitter Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in the last year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Profar, 33, is the sixth player to receive a 162-game ban for PED use since Major League Baseball increased the penalty for two-time offenders to a full season in 2014.
He will forfeit the entirety of his $15 million salary," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote.
That uncertainty is why the Braves need a dependable everyday option. Last season, left field was handled mostly as a full-time platoon, and the club was juggling lineup pieces while also dealing with shortstop needs.
SI’s Harrison Smajovits summed up the issue this way: “The Atlanta Braves enter the offseason with some question marks in their lineup. Last season ended with the bats drying up in October.
An answer on Jurickson Profar looms. While Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II are everyday outfielders, left field was a rotating spot.
It was matchup-dependent, and the needs at shortstop played a role as well in who the options were," SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.
With free agency open, one name has surfaced as a fit: Jake Bauers. Sports Talk ATL’s Chase Irle suggested Atlanta should bring in the $2.7 million World Series champion to handle left field duties.
“One of the heroes of the Brewers’ World Series run, Bauers entered this season with -1.3 WAR to his name. Then he hit 26 homers with an .874 OPS over 144 regular season games before taking home NLCS MVP honors in Milwaukee’s triumph over the two-time defending champions. Bauers is a year younger than Arozarena and Suzuki, and the fact that he has just one year of production under his belt should make him much more affordable,” Irle wrote.
For Atlanta, that kind of profile makes sense. Bauers is coming off the best offensive season of his career, and his 26-homer breakout gives the Braves a chance to add a bat that produced at a high level in 2026. If he can keep that going, he could be exactly the kind of cost-conscious answer Atlanta is looking for.
In Other News...
Chris Sale Just Gave Braves Fans A New Reason To Celebrate
Chris Sales first season in Atlanta has already given the Braves plenty to feel good about, and now it has put him in line for one of the games top individual honors. The left-hander was dominant from start to finish, working to a 2.16 ERA while piling up 200 strikeouts over 162.2 innings, production that helped stabilize the rotation and justify the one-year contract extension he signed with the club.
The award race only adds to the sense that the Braves got exactly what they hoped for when they brought Sale in. His season put him among the National Leagues elite pitchers, and Atlanta also has another familiar face in the mix for postseason recognition, with Walt Weiss drawing consideration for manager of the year. For a team that spent the year chasing bigger goals, the hardware conversation is now part of the payoff. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Be Headed For More Hardware In November
The Braves are in line for more recognition this fall after two of the biggest names attached to the club landed among the National Leagues award finalists. Chris Sale is up for the Cy Young Award following a strong season in Atlanta, while Walt Weiss is in the mix for Manager of the Year after steering the Braves back to the top of the NL East.
Sale gave Atlanta the kind of front-line production it needed all year, and Weiss helped turn that into a division title and a much bigger win total than the club had a season ago. The winners will be announced in November, leaving the Braves with a chance to add some individual hardware to what was already a successful year. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Face A Tough Trevor Megill Decision This Winter
With Raisel Iglesias heading into free agency after helping push Atlanta to the NLDS, the Braves are already looking ahead to how they might steady the back end of the bullpen. One name that keeps surfacing is Trevor Megill, the Brewers closer who has emerged as a possible trade target for a club that needs late-inning certainty and has a track record of being willing to shop from its pitching depth when the fit makes sense.
Megills appeal is obvious: he has the kind of stuff and role that can change a bullpens shape quickly, but Milwaukee also has to weigh the value of keeping him against the possibility of moving him while his market remains strong. For Atlanta, the question is whether the cost in young pitching is worth it, especially with the Braves trying to balance immediate help against the long view of a roster that still has plenty of moving parts this winter. [Read more 🡒]