The Braves season ended less than a week ago, but MLB general managers don’t have much time to think about what could have been. Decisions on contract options and arbitration-eligible players will have to be made within the next month, and then free agency will begin. The road to the 2025 World Series is already underway for Alex Anthopoulos, who has the difficult job of figuring out what will get this ultra-talented roster back over the hump and on the top of the mountain after three disappointing early exits in the postseason.
Ranking Braves Free Agent Needs
4. Rotation
Not long ago, this was a major question surrounding the Braves. With the futures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton in doubt, it looked like Alex Anthopoulos was going to have to allocate significant resources towards re-signing them or replacing them.
However, while the 2024 campaign was incredibly frustrating, there was a golden underlying storyline. The Braves offseason acquisitions of Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez turned out to be highway robbery. Sale will soon be recognized as the National League Cy Young award winner, and Lopez posted an ERA of 1.99 over 25 starts. Beyond that, rookie Spencer Schwellenbach emerged out of nowhere and has already proven capable of being a frontline guy. With Spencer Strider set to return, there aren’t a lot of questions anymore about the Braves rotation going into 2025.
Anthopoulos does have to add some sort of veteran presence to be the team’s fifth starter. It could be Max Fried, but most likely, it will be someone like Charlie Morton, a guy with a lot of experience on a much shorter deal than the one Fried will require.
3. Shortstop
Most Braves fans would probably have shortstop higher on this list, as Orlando Arcia has quickly turned into someone fans love to hate, and I don’t blame them. He’s one of the worst starting shortstops in baseball.
With that being said, Arcia’s $2 million contract is extremely team friendly, and there is really only one option to replace him this offseason in free agency. Willy Adames of the Brewers would be an incredible upgrade, but he’ll also likely cost around $200 million, and I just don’t see the Braves being in that market after balking on a similar deal for Dansby Swanson, who signed with the Cubs for $177 million.
Other circumstances must also be considered. The Braves aren’t relying on Orlando Arcia for his offense. There are eight other All-Star talents on this club that should be providing that. Unfortunately, most of them dealt with injuries this season, but when fully healthy, Arcia’s offensive warts shouldn’t be as big of an issue, especially when he’s providing good defense at a position like shortstop on such an inexpensive contract.
2. Bullpen
The Braves relief core was one of the better units in the league from start to finish, but with A.J. Minter set to hit free agency, I’m not sure it’s championship caliber. Unlike Max Fried, I expect Anthopoulos to make an honest attempt to bring Minter back into the fold, but that’s not enough. This group could add at least one more addition on top of Minter, particularly one with some higher velocity, which has proven to play much better in October.
1. Outfield
The Braves really have to think long and hard about their outfield situation for 2025. Michael Harris II will man centerfield in Atlanta for over a decade, hopefully, but outside of him, there are no clear answers as to who will start in left or right field.
The Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall experiment in left field was a failure. Duvall won’t be retained, and while Kelenic will be on the roster unless he’s traded, he can’t possibly be expected to start going into Opening Day. At the very least, competition must be brought in, but if I’m the Braves, I would consider something bigger.
Right field is also a potential issue. Ronald Acuña tore his ACL in late May, and the Braves aren’t going to rush things with him after a second ACL surgery. He may not be ready for Opening Day, and who knows when he’ll be able to play the outfield. He may have to spend some time as a DH, which creates a complex situation, including Marcell Ozuna and Jorge Soler.
Ozuna can’t play in the outfield at this point in his career, and we saw how Jorge Soler handled right field once he was acquired after the trade deadline. That’s not an option either. Simply put, I don’t see any way both Ozuna and Soler are both on the Braves roster to begin next season.
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Photo: David John Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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