The Braves have already made one big call on their core, but Ozzie Albies still sits in a tricky spot.
Last week, Atlanta exercised team options for Ronald Acuña Jr. and Albies for the 2027 season, a move the club announced by saying, “The Braves today exercised options for OF Ronald Acuña Jr. and INF Ozzie Albies for the 2027 season,” the Braves posted.
Even with that decision on the books, Albies’ long-term future in Atlanta is far from settled. The second baseman is heading into the final season of the $35MM extension he signed early in his career, and Atlanta has added $10MM through two club options along the way.
MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco noted that a $4MM buyout on the first option was already included in that $35MM guarantee, meaning Albies has made a total of $45MM over a nine-year stretch. Franco also wrote that Albies “handily outperformed those salaries, though he’s been more serviceable than great going back to the start of the 2024 season.”
That’s where the trade chatter starts to build. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa thinks the Braves could actually move Albies this season, and he pointed to the way Atlanta’s offense faded late as a reason the team might be ready for a shakeup.
“On the other hand, can they really run it back with the same offense that flatlined after June 1 and in the NLDS? It might be time to shake things up a bit, and I boldly predict it will happen.
Does that make this bold prediction a "the Braves will trade Albies" prediction? Yeah, I guess it does.
It feels like things are getting a little stale in Atlanta and it’s time to change up a core,” Axisa wrote.
If Atlanta does go that route, the club would need a reliable replacement ready to take on an everyday job. Albies may not be producing at his peak anymore, but there’s still value in the certainty he brings when he’s available.
For now, his future leaves Atlanta with two obvious paths: he could be dealt before he reaches free agency next winter, or he could simply play out the rest of his time with the Braves and hit the market then.
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