The Braves are staring at a winter full of hard choices, and the arbitration class already points to a few of them.
Atlanta’s offseason priorities are obvious enough. The offense went quiet in the postseason, and pitching sits right behind it as an area that needs help. That’s the backdrop for a group of arbitration-eligible players in 2027 who could force the front office’s hand.
There are six Braves on that list, and several of them look like clean nontender candidates.
A couple of the names stand out right away. Lee has been one of Atlanta’s better high-leverage bullpen options over the last few seasons, but 2026 raised real concerns.
He faded badly after the break, posting a 6.00 ERA over 24 innings with a .287 opponent average in the second half. Before that, he had looked sharp, putting up a 1.47 ERA over 43 innings with a .143 opponent average in the first half.
The problem is that the late-season version may be the truer one now, and Atlanta may need to find a better answer.
Elder is another pitcher who keeps putting the Braves in the same spot. He flashed at times, but too often he dug the team into an early hole.
He’s the kind of arm who could work as a fifth starter, but that’s about the ceiling, and there isn’t much extra value beyond that. Atlanta needs more out of the rotation than that.
Karinchak gave the Braves something usable in limited bullpen work this season, but availability was the issue. He wasn’t usable on back-to-back days, and that limitation followed him even in the minors. That kind of usage pattern is tough to live with, which makes him a logical player to move on from.
Grove is a little different. Braves fans probably don’t know him well, since he was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay.
He hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since 2024 with the Dodgers, and his 1.2 innings with the Stripers were rough: a 10.80 ERA with one walk and three strikeouts. Still, the sample is tiny, and his 2026 numbers were more respectable, with a 3.68 ERA over 36.2 innings, 15 walks and 46 strikeouts.
Atlanta will probably keep him around because he is cheap, but he remains an easy nontender possibility if the team doesn’t see a real role for him.
The last two names are Joey Wentz and Luke Williams. Wentz was expected to be part of the 2026 rotation before an ACL tear wiped out his season, and he likely won’t be available until sometime in the summer of 2027. Williams is simply a depth piece, though the Braves could choose to keep him for that reason alone.
For Atlanta, this is the kind of list that can shape an offseason fast. Some of these decisions already feel obvious.
In Other News...
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Los Angeles did plenty of its damage by taking advantage of defensive mistakes and coming through with timely hits, the sort of efficiency Atlanta could not match on a night when the margin for error disappeared quickly. The Dodgers move on to the NLCS, while the Braves are left with the lingering feeling that the breakdown fans had been bracing for arrived at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Freddie Freeman Just Reopened An Uncomfortable Debate For Braves Fans
Freddie Freemans return to Atlanta brought the kind of reminder Braves fans expected and probably did not want. In Game 3, the former Braves first baseman went deep in the fourth inning to help the Dodgers move ahead in the series, and the home crowd met him with boos. Freeman, who spent 12 years in Atlanta before leaving for Los Angeles, said afterward he was unfazed by the reaction and still appreciative of his old team.
For Braves fans, the moment reopened a familiar debate about how to process one of the franchises modern icons wearing a different uniform in October. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the crowds response, but also pointed to the respect that remains for Freeman, even in a building where emotions clearly have not faded. It was the sort of postseason scene that leaves the baseball part of the story settled for the night, while the personal part hangs around a little longer. [Read more 🡒]