As many predicted once the World Series ended over the weekend, the off-season began with plenty of activity on Monday. And the Atlanta Braves entered the off-season with more to do than most, and they got right to work. The Braves announced that long time bench coach Walt Weiss will be the new manager of the team. Long considered the manager in waiting under Brian Snitker, the Braves promoted Weiss to take over as head of the team for 2026 and beyond.
The hiring of Weiss resulted in many reactions across Braves country. In short, with the fact Weiss was not introduce right after Snitker retired from the position led many to thing that the Braves would be focused on an external hire. However, after likely discussing the position with multiple candidates, the Braves made the decision to value familiarity and continuity. In the end, what the Braves do to improve the roster will likely far more impactful for the Braves to get back too contention.
Ha-Seong Kim officially declined his $16M player option to enter free agency. This decision was likely influenced by the lack of shortstop options available, so Kim is focused on a significant pay day. Kim likely remains a top priority for the Braves to keep long term.
As mentioned above, the hiring of Walt Weiss not only resulted in many but also mixed reactions. However, there are obvious positives that likely factored into Weiss becoming the new leader of the Braves.