A few familiar faces could make a lot of sense if they end up back where they started.
Michael Soroka is one of the clearest examples. Before his call-up in 2018, he was sitting near the top of the Braves’ prospect lists, with some outlets placing him in the top three.
Then came the breakout. In 2019, his first full season, Soroka made his lone All-Star team, finished sixth in Cy Young voting, and came in second in the Rookie of the Year race.
At that point, he looked like the next great Braves arm in waiting.
The road after that got rough fast. Soroka tore his right Achilles twice, once in 2020 and again in 2021, and the question shifted from how good he could be to whether he would pitch again at all, much less wear a Braves uniform again. He did recover, though, and over the last few years he has kept building himself back up.
Last season with the Diamondbacks marked the first time since 2019 that Soroka got over 100 innings. Injuries still cropped up along the way and kept his workload in check, but crossing that threshold matters. It suggests he is moving toward the kind of season where 30 starts is a realistic target.
That is why Atlanta keeps coming up. The Braves are always connected to starting pitching, and Alex Anthopoulos has a reputation for working the margins and keeping costs down while filling holes. With the Braves needing multiple starters this offseason, Soroka fits the profile of the kind of affordable arm that matches how “AA” tends to operate.
Kevin Gausman is another reunion that makes plenty of sense, even if his path has been different. Since the post-COVID season, he has been one of the most dependable starters around. From 2021 on, he has made 30-plus starts every year across three teams, a stretch that tracks with the moment his career really settled into place.
In 2026, Gausman logged 32 starts, threw 177.2 innings, struck out 184, and posted a 4.51 ERA with a 3.74 FIP and 1.1 bWAR. He finished the year with the Blue Jays before they dealt him at the deadline to the Cubs, and there does not seem to be much reason he could not wind up back in Toronto.
The numbers suggest a pitcher who still got the job done even if the season was not as clean as some of his best work. His ERA sat well above his FIP, which points to some bad luck in 2026. That lines up with the Baseball Savant graphic referenced in the source, which showed little difference between 2026 and 2023, his best Blue Jays season.
In Other News...
Braves Just Drew A Hard Line Around Ronald Acua Jr
Ronald Acua Jr. is not going anywhere this winter, and Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos made the clubs stance unmistakable as the offseason gets underway. For a team that still sees Acua as a centerpiece when healthy, the message was less about drama than direction: Atlanta wants to keep building around its star while also sorting through a list of needs that stretches across the roster.
The Braves are still looking at ways to strengthen the rotation, settle the shortstop spot, upgrade left field and deepen the bullpen, all while weighing the need for more right-handed offense and other positional help. Acuas injury-marred season only underscored how much the lineup misses him, which is why his place in the organization feels settled even as the rest of the winter remains very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]
Walt Weiss Just Missed A Major Honor After Atlantas Toughest Year
Walt Weiss came up just short in the BBWAA voting for National League Manager of the Year, but his first season steering Atlanta still carried plenty of weight around the league. In a year when the Braves were forced to navigate a long list of injuries and other challenges, Weiss guided them to 94 wins and an NL East title, a strong enough showing to put him firmly in the conversation for one of the sports top managerial honors.
The award went to Milwaukees Pat Murphy, leaving Weiss as the runner-up in a vote that was completed before the postseason began. Even without the trophy, the result underscored how quickly Weiss earned credibility in his new role and how much Atlanta accomplished under difficult circumstances. For a club that spent much of the year dealing with adversity, simply getting back atop the division was a notable statement in itself. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Shortstop Search Just Got A Lot More Complicated
The Braves search for a shortstop has already been one of the biggest questions of the offseason, and it only got more complicated with Corey Seager suddenly in the mix. Texas is reportedly willing to explore a trade, which naturally puts a player of Seagers caliber on the radar for a club like Atlanta, but the fit is far from simple. His contract is massive, his injury history is part of the conversation, and the no-trade clause gives him another layer of control over where this goes.
For Atlanta, the appeal is obvious because shortstop remains a clear need and Seager would instantly change the look of the infield. The problem is figuring out whether a deal of that size is even realistic, especially when the Braves would have to weigh premium talent against what it would take to pry him loose. The offseason plan at shortstop is still very much unsettled, and this latest twist only adds another difficult choice to a search that was already going to shape the roster. [Read more 🡒]