Rebuilding Atlanta Braves for 2026

Rebuilding Atlanta Braves for 2026

The Atlanta Braves were supposed to bounce back in 2025, but instead they fell flat on their face. Now with two seasons of wasted potential, is it time for change in the Big A? Hello, my name is Avery Taylor and welcome to Rebuild October, a series where we rebuild every single team across the month of October. So whether you’re looking for your favorite team or just generally curious about how every team could approach the offseason, then this is the series for you. And with that being said, let’s go ahead and jump into the video. As you can see from the war by position, the struggles of this team are mostly due with the pitching staff, both rotation and relief. Centerfield and shortstop were also issues. However, these stats, much like the Orioles in our last rebuild, don’t tell the full story. Injuries ravished the Braves in 2025, making it understandable why the team underperformed so heavily. However, it also makes it difficult to know what players we can count on and what players we need to move on from. The main culprit of that is Shawn Murphy, who has been often injured and underperforming his superstar status, which has caused fans to question whether his contract is worth its weight, especially when the team has a perfectly capable catcher and Drake Baldwin already on the roster. Although the common sentiment seems to be to find a trade partner, I’m in the camp of keeping the tandem intact. Murphy would be the primary catcher as he is a bit better defensively. Baldwin would be the backup to get his time in the sun as a DH. Murphy, when healthy and performing, is in the conversation for the best catcher in baseball, and I’m not ready to give up on that. Now, more than ever, Murphy has a good backup that can shift him to the bench or DH when he needs a day of rest. With that in mind, Marcelo Zunu will need to be cut loose in the free agency. The Big Bear didn’t hit the same in 2025. Not to say he was bad, but a true DH that isn’t the top of the position becomes expendable with the talent on this roster. He will make a good asset to another roster. And if he returns to his 2024 self, then I might look a little dumb. But that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Aside from Ozunu, the Braves are faced with two players set to hit free agency unrestricted, as well as four club options and one player option. Of the two unrestricted free agents, the Braves will welcome back one. And unfortunately for Carlos Carrasco, it’s not him. Rozelle Glaciius will be brought back to Atlanta. He wasn’t as dominant in 2025, but Alacius is still a really good reliever. This is a guy who very quietly has been one of the better relievers in baseball and it’s someone the Braves need to prioritize to keep their bullpen intact. For the club options, the team is faced with four in the form of Chris Sail at $19 million, Pierce Johnson at $7.1 million, Azie Alb’s at 7 mil, and Tyler Kennley at 2 million. Chris Sail has enjoyed a nice renaissance in Atlanta, and despite some miss time, he deserves to be back without really much discussion. Pierce Johnson has been rock solid for this team ever since he came over in 2023. So again, he’ll be back without much contest. 7.1 million is too good of a price. Aussie Alb’s hasn’t been the same player the last two seasons. His offensive game has dipped into the negatives. However, even with where his game is at, he is still worth his $7 million club option. It’s still crazy the Braves locked him up at such a good price with so much team control. And the final team option is for Tyler Kennley at $2 million. The Rocky relievers do need to be studied because the second they leave Colorado they turn into a really good pitcher. Kenley follows that trend being incredible for the Braves during his time. His Statcat Savon Page is a thing of beauty and expect him to find his way back in 2026. And then for the lone player option, we have Hassan Kim with a $14.5 million player option. The Braves might have finally found their shortstop in the post Danv Swanson era. However, he could leave just as fast as he showed up with the power in the players hands. For Braves fans, I don’t think there is much to worry about. Kim only played around 50 games, and he isn’t a true superstar. 14.5 million feels like a good price for the South Korean. The Braves have several prospects who have already or will make the majors at some point in 2026. None of them are greater than J.R. Richie, who is currently ranked as the Braves number two and the 99th best prospect in baseball by pipeline. Richie has a really good three- pitch mix with his fastball, slider, and change up, which he commands well. With 25 starts split across high A, double A, and AAA, this is a right-hander who can definitely step in during an injury. He might struggle to wiggle his way into the rotation if everything goes well for the Braves, but with their injury history, seeing him at some point is probable. The Braves could see a number of other prospects in 2026. There is a ton of pitchers who have already had some major league time, especially in the Braves mad search for help. However, none of them will make the major league roster out of the gate. Returning players to the lineup included Matt Olsen at first base, Austin Riley at third, Proar and left, Harrison center after a strong second half, and Akunia in right. Eli White and Nick Allen will return as bench options. This course should lead a strong turnaround in Atlanta in 2026. And now there’s just one bench spot left to fill. The team needs a left-handed bat off the bench. And with the flexibility of Allen, it doesn’t have to be somebody particularly great at defense either. That’s where a guy like Luis Aras can step in. If you need a guy who can step in and get you a knock, this is your guy. Plus, he can play an ugly first or second base as well. He doesn’t have the highest upside, but somebody who is extremely valuable for the Braves to acquire in a bench role. For the rotation, it’s going to look very similar to last season, minus the injuries with Chris Sail at the top with Spencer Strider and Ronaldo Lopez both looking to bounce back in the middle with Hen Waldrip and Spencer Schwallback at the back end. In this video, I’m going to do something I never do, and that’s use a six-man rotation. For most teams, a six-man rotation is generally seen as a waste of a roster spot. However, with the Braves injury history combined with the lack of innings this unit actually threw in 2025, it would be good to take the workload off the unit. Luckily, despite the issues the Braves had in 2025, they actually have pretty good depth there and can run out Grant Holmes every sixth day to band-aid the situation. For the bullpen, it suffers the same fate, returning a lot in the form of Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Aaron Bummer, and Joe Jimenez. With one bullpen spot left, the team will go out and grab a solid middle relief option in the form of Sir Anthony Dominguez. Dominguez has been playing hot potatoes on teams for the last two seasons. However, he is pretty solid, especially if you look at where he was in 2025 and his ability to limit homers and hits while striking out a ton of batters. Walks have been an issue throughout his career, but every other aspect of his game, particularly in 2025, has been superb. And that’s going to do it for the video. There isn’t really much to do with this roster to make them a contender again. Truthfully, it’s just a matter of whether they can stay healthy and perform up to standard. Unless this team is dead set on making changes, some subtle changes will go a long way for this roster. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and they’ll be right back at top the league.

The Atlanta Braves lost another season to the injury bug in 2025, and now it leaves the team with more questions than answers. The talent is there, but do they continue to run it back with injury riddle players, or do they cut ties with some of the injured list frequenters.

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