The Braves made two expected moves on Thursday, exercising Ronald Acuña Jr.’s $17 million option and Ozzie Albies’ $7 million option for the upcoming season.
Acuña’s deal also carries another $17 million option for the 2028 season. Albies would be eligible for free agency after the 2027 season. Both decisions had long been viewed as inevitable.
Acuña still flashed top-end production when he was on the field, even if he wasn’t quite the same relentless force he’d been before tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in 2024. The 2023 NL MVP batted .255 with 20 home runs, 21 stolen bases and a .796 OPS in 107 regular-season games this year. Two separate left hamstring strains cost him roughly a third of the season.
His postseason line was quieter: 3-for-24 with five walks and three stolen bases across seven games. Against the Dodgers in the NL Division Series, he went 2-for-15 with two walks and one stolen base over four games. He also heard boos from the home crowd during Los Angeles’ Game 4 clincher.
Acuña’s 2023 season set a bar that borders on impossible, when he became the only MLB player to hit 40-plus homers and steal 70-plus bases in the same season. Even so, he closed this year on a strong note, posting a .997 OPS over his final 26 regular-season games.
Albies, meanwhile, turned in a more uneven regular season, hitting .237 with 22 homers and a .685 OPS. But he answered in October with a 1.067 OPS in the playoffs. Even with his offensive drop over the past two seasons, his $7 million salary remains a bargain, especially with his clubhouse leadership factored in.
Atlanta also reinstated pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz from the 60-day injured list. There’s still a chance all four could start next season on the injured list, but once the World Series ended they had to be added back to the Braves’ 40-man roster, which now stands at 35 players.
In Other News...
Braves Face A Tough 40-Man Squeeze With Intriguing Prospects At Risk
The Braves are staring at one of those early-winter roster decisions that can shape the next few seasons as much as the next few weeks. With the Rule 5 Draft approaching, Atlanta has several minor leaguers who are eligible to be taken by other clubs unless they are protected on the 40-man roster by mid-November, which puts added pressure on a front office already trying to balance immediate depth with long-term upside.
Among the names in that mix are David McCabe, Davis Polo and Drue Hackenberg, a group that gives the decision some real bite because these are the kinds of prospects teams do not want to lose for nothing. There is also a wrinkle hanging over the whole process, though, because the draft itself may not even happen this winter if MLBs expected lockout leads to another cancellation, leaving the Braves to manage a squeeze that could end up looking very different once the calendar turns. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Rotation Search Could Lead Anthopoulos Back To A Familiar Bet
Alex Anthopoulos has never been shy about betting on a pitcher he thinks can help the Braves on a short-term deal, and this offseason could present another familiar kind of gamble. With Atlanta still looking at ways to reinforce a rotation that has been tested by injuries and inconsistency, the profile of a left-hander like Kris Bubic fits the general managers usual lane: a one-year contract, some upside, and a chance for both sides to reset the market later.
Bubics appeal is rooted in the same mix that makes him tricky to project. He is coming off injuries and a recent stretch of uneven results, but he also has the kind of rsum that can make a pitcher attractive to a club willing to trust its development staff and its own pitching infrastructure. Nothing is finalized, and no negotiations have been reported, but the Braves have shown before that they are willing to take a calculated swing on a starter who needs to rebuild value. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Bring Back A Familiar Name With Big Draft Stakes
The Braves are bringing back a familiar front-office voice as they strengthen their draft and scouting operation. Dana Brown is returning to Atlanta as a Senior Advisor in Amateur Scouting, adding a seasoned evaluator to a department that has long been central to the clubs roster-building approach. Brown previously spent time with the Braves before moving on to Houston, where he eventually became general manager.
His path back to Atlanta comes after his stint with the Astros ended in August 2026, when the two sides mutually parted ways. For the Braves, the move restores a name with deep scouting experience to a role that can matter a great deal when draft season arrives and every decision in the amateur market carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]