At third base, the Braves may already need to think beyond Austin Riley.
That extension looked like a slam dunk in 2022, but the deal has not held up the way Atlanta hoped. Riley’s production has dropped in recent years, with injuries and mechanical problems breaking down his swing and throwing off his timing.
The clean answer would be a bounce-back in 2027 camp, when he shows up looking like himself again and the Braves can simply hand him the job. But there is little to suggest that kind of turnaround is on the way, which is why Atlanta should already be mapping out alternatives.
The organization does have a few in-house possibilities, at least in theory. Alex Lodise, John Gil, or even Tate Southisene could move to third if the Braves need them there, though none of those options comes with any real certainty given how young and untested they are.
Outside the organization, the free-agent market doesn’t offer much comfort either. Teruaki Sato would be the flashy name, but there is next to no chance a Japanese star of his caliber lands in Atlanta if history is any guide. Alex Bohm is the other free-agent possibility, though his track record has been uneven and he has famously been inconsistent on both offense and defense.
That leaves trades, and that may be where the Braves have the best shot at finding a workable backup plan. Pittsburgh could be a place to start. The Pirates are moving up and may want more immediate help, which could open the door to Murf Gray, even if he still looks at least a year away from being ready in the majors.
There are bigger names the Braves can dream on, but not many realistic paths. Jefferson Rojas or Xavier Neyens would be long shots, since the Mets aren’t helping Atlanta with anything and the Astros may not have enough prospect depth to move a bat like Neyens.
If Atlanta is patient, the White Sox might be willing to include Cole Prosek in a deal if it helps them fill a short-term need. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have enough prospect depth that Chase Harlan could be available if they decide to deal from it.
None of that is neat. None of it is a sure thing. But that’s the reality at third base right now: the Braves have very few clean answers beyond Riley, and Alex Anthopoulos may need to get creative if Riley keeps sliding and Atlanta has to face the possibility that his time there ends sooner than anyone expected.
In Other News...
Braves Fans Will Instantly Recognize This World Series Parallel
A late-inning jolt from a rookie can feel like the kind of moment that shifts a World Series, especially when it comes in the 12th and puts his team ahead in dramatic fashion. Cooper Pratt delivered exactly that kind of swing, and for Braves fans, the scene probably felt uncomfortably familiar right away. The energy, the timing and the sense that a postseason game had just turned were all there, along with the uneasy memory of how quickly a championship script can change.
Milwaukee got the kind of lift that usually becomes a postseason legend, only for the Tampa Bay Rays to answer in the bottom half and flip the night back the other way. It is the sort of sequence Atlanta followers know too well from a recent October heartbreak, when a huge swing seemed to set one path in motion before the other dug in and changed the outcome. For Braves fans, the parallel is hard to miss, and it leaves plenty of room to wonder whether this latest version ends the same way or breaks the pattern instead. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Suddenly Face A Tough Jurickson Profar Decision
Jurickson Profar is back on a field again, but his return comes with more uncertainty than clarity for the Braves. The outfielder recently played for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, his first game action since receiving a 162-game suspension for a second PED violation that cost him the 2026 season, and Atlanta is now sorting through what comes next as it tries to map out the roster and the clubhouse.
Alex Anthopoulos has said the organization plans to have internal discussions about Profars future, which puts the Braves in an awkward spot after a season lost to suspension. Ronald Acua Jr. has also said Profar distanced himself from the team after the ban, adding another layer to a situation that is still very much unresolved as Atlanta weighs how to handle one of its more complicated offseason questions. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face Tough Price Decision On Two Key Free Agents
Jim Bowdens free-agent projections put the Braves in a familiar winter spot, trying to weigh fit against price on two players who matter in very different ways. Mauricio Dubon brings the kind of defensive versatility teams value when the market gets thin, and the Athletic piece suggests there may not be much competition at shortstop if clubs start circling. For Atlanta, that can turn a reasonable ask into a tougher one, especially if other teams decide they need a glove-first option who can move around the diamond.
Raisel Iglesias is the more straightforward name, but not necessarily the easier call. Bowden projected the veteran closer at one year and $17 million after another All-Star-level season, yet the Braves may pause before going that high with a reliever on the roster already and some age-related caution attached to the deal. It leaves Atlanta staring at two free agents who could help right away, while also forcing a decision on how much certainty they want to buy this offseason. [Read more 🡒]