The Braves aren’t completely done this offseason, but Alex Anthopoulos did say the other day that fans shouldn’t expect anything big leading up to Opening Day. Perhaps he’s lying; he’s known to keep things close to the vest, but I don’t see another substantial splash out there for the Braves anymore. Depth can still be added to positions of need, but with a weak farm system and very few free agents remaining, Atlanta’s 2023 roster is pretty much set. Let’s take a look at how it might look if Opening Day was tomorrow.
Braves 2023 Opening Day Roster
Starting Rotation
The first four spots are set in stone, providing there are no injuries leading up to the season. The fifth spot is up for grabs with three names to watch out for — Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, and Mike Soroka. All of them are major-league-caliber pitchers, and the Braves could even turn to a six-man rotation for parts of the season if two of them are pitching well. Right now, I’ll give the early nod to Anderson, who I still have a lot of faith in, but it really could be any one of these guys.
Bullpen
- Raisel Iglesias
- A.J. Minter
- Joe Jiménez
- Collin McHugh
- Kirby Yates
- Lucas Luetge
- Dylan Lee
- Nick Anderson
This group is getting filthier by the day. Two days ago, the Braves acquired Lucas Luetge, which gives them the lefty they needed to replace Tyler Matzek. Just looking at these eight guys has me foaming at the mouth. This is an unreal group, capped off potentially by Nick Anderson, who has suffered from injuries over the last two seasons but owns a career 14.1 K/9. If he has a bounce back season, this could be the best bullpen in baseball. What’s even more incredible is this doesn’t even include guys like Jackson Stephens and Dennis Santana. The depth of this group is simply insane.
Catchers
Nothing to see here. Providing both of these guys are healthy, they will be the two catchers on the Braves Opening Day roster.
Infielders
To the shock of many, Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia are set up to handle the shortstop duties. Without question, the Braves hope Grissom can take over the reins as the starter, but Arcia will be around in case he stumbles out of the gate.
Outfielders
- Ronald Acuña Jr.
- Michael Harris II
- Eddie Rosario
- Marcell Ozuna
- Jordan Luplow
- Eli White
In one of the more perplexing developments of the offseason, the Braves didn’t do much of anything to bolster left field. Jordan Luplow could serve as a platoon option against southpaws. He has some pop in his bat and can play great defense, but it’s far from anything spectacular. Eli White is another outfielder, but he will strictly be used as a defensive substitution if he makes the roster. Ozuna is far from a lock, but until I see him struggle in Spring Training, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because the Braves really need him to have a bounce back year. Rosario will be on the team, but the same goes for him. The Braves desperately need him to look like the player he was in 2021 rather than 2022.
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Photo: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire
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