The Braves have spent the better part of a half-decade staring at the same problem spot in the lineup, and shortstop has been the one that keeps coming back into focus. Mauricio Dubon gave them a workable answer in 2025, but with free agency looming, he looks more like a versatile chess piece than the long-term fix Atlanta needs at the position.
That’s why the trade market starts to matter here. The free-agent options at shortstop are basically thin to the point of being irrelevant, but the trade board has a few names that could change the look of the Braves’ infield for years. At the top of that list is Jeremy Peña, a former All-Star and the 2022 World Series MVP.
Peña makes sense for Atlanta on multiple levels. There’s already a familiar link through Dana Brown, who was recently relieved of his duties as Astros GM and is now back with the Braves. If Brown pushes hard for Peña, Alex Anthopoulos is going to listen.
The fit on the field is just as clean. Atlanta would prefer a right-handed bat, especially after the way the club struggled against lefties this past season. Peña has handled southpaws well throughout his career, posting a batting average near .300 and an .800 OPS against them.
He’s not just a power bat, either. Peña brings a contact-oriented profile that the Braves have lacked: he gets on base, doesn’t pile up strikeouts, and still gives you some pop from a premium position. In 2025, he hit above .300 and struck out only 93 times across 125 games.
There’s also the cost, and that’s where this becomes more realistic than some of the other big-name options. Peña is under team control through the 2027 season, so Houston wouldn’t be dealing from a pure rental position.
In this hypothetical, the Braves would send A.J. Smith-Shawver, JR Ritchie, and John Gil to the Astros.
Smith-Shawver and Ritchie are both former top-100 prospects who haven’t fully put it together in the majors yet, but they could help Houston as soon as next year. Gil is included because, in this framework, those two alone didn’t feel like enough to get it done.
Atlanta probably wouldn’t want to part with Tate Southisene, Cam Caminiti, or Eric Hartman for a short-term move. But if the Braves believed Peña was someone worth extending, that would change the conversation and make them far more willing to push harder on a deal.
In Other News...
Ronald Acua Jr. Trade Talk Just Took A Dramatic Turn
Ronald Acua Jr. has been the kind of name that naturally sparks speculation whenever the offseason starts to take shape, especially with his contract situation and the usual churn that comes with roster-building. But multiple MLB insiders, including Jon Morosi and Jon Heyman, have now painted a very different picture, saying a trade involving Acua this winter is considered highly unlikely as the Braves continue to operate like a contender rather than a club looking to reset.
For Atlanta, the bigger takeaway is not just that Acua appears to be staying put, but that the team reportedly has no interest in opening the door to trade talks at all. Even with the usual noise that follows a star player, the Braves seem prepared to treat this as a non-starter, which only adds to the intrigue around how the front office plans to handle the rest of the offseason around him. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face A Bigger Jurickson Profar Decision Than Fans Realize
Jurickson Profars status has quickly become more than a footnote for the Braves, and not just because of what he brings on the field. Atlanta now has to sort through the fallout of a player who has been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs in consecutive years, a situation that naturally pushes the conversation beyond roster fit and into trust, accountability and how the organization wants to handle the next step.
Alex Anthopoulos has already said the Braves need internal discussions about the matter, which is usually the clearest sign a front office is still weighing the full scope of a decision. For a team trying to plan ahead, the uncertainty around Profar only adds another layer, and the sense around the club is that his future in Atlanta is very much in doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Revenue News Just Added More Tension To MLB Lockout Fight
The Braves status as MLBs only publicly traded team means their earnings calls often do more than just explain the bottom line. They also offer a rare window into how one franchise is navigating the leagues broader financial picture, and this weeks update arrived with the labor fight looming in the background. Chairman Terry McGuirk kept the discussion pointedly general, steering away from the kind of detailed labor talk that would only invite more questions as the sport heads toward another round of uncertainty.
What stood out was how carefully the financial message was packaged. The clubs report showed the kind of accounting nuance that has become familiar around team business updates, with one version of the numbers emphasizing a loss and another highlighting profitability on an adjusted basis. For Braves fans, it is another reminder that the teams public financial disclosures are now part of the larger MLB lockout conversation, even when the people presenting them are trying not to wade too far into it. [Read more 🡒]