Undoubtedly, the biggest news for the Atlanta Braves this offseason has been the retirement of longtime manager Brian Snitker and the subsequent promotion of bench coach Walt Weiss to the position. Weiss served as the Braves’ bench coach for eight years under Snitker, but has prior managerial experience.

Each new tenure comes with its own set of challenges, and Weiss’ is no exception. MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan, in an article shared on Monday, detailed the biggest challenges for each of the MLB’s nine new managers, including that of Weiss.

Despite the anemic season the Braves experienced in 2025, Weiss is still seen as someone, and for good reason, as inheriting lofty expectations. 

“[Weiss] has big shoes to fill as the replacement for Snitker, who had considerable success as Atlanta’s manager and is a beloved figure within the organization,” Harrigan said. “Weiss does have the benefit of inheriting a team that won 104 games in 2023 with many of the same players in place, but it’s also a club that has dealt with a myriad of injury problems over the past two seasons.”

When your biggest issue as a new manager is needing to emulate the success of the three managers before you, it’s safe to say you’re in a good spot. With that said, expectations are quite high for the fourth Braves manager since Bobby Cox re-took the position in 1990.

As mentioned, the Braves have taken a step back in recent years, largely due to injury. Superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña, Jr. suffered from ACL tears in both legs in 2021 and 2023, star pitchers Spencer Strider and Chris Sale have missed significant time due to their own set of injuries and even third baseman Austin Riley missed a large chunk of the 2025 season with an abdominal injury.

With that said, Weiss’s Braves are now nearly fully healthy and will have all offseason and Spring Training to get back into a full rhythm. Former Braves manager Brian Snitker believes this factor will make a big difference for each individual’s production.

“I think it’s big for a guy to go into the offseason not in rehab,” Snitker said back in July. “I think I’ve seen over the years that’s a big difference.” 

Though Weiss will certainly have his work cut out for him, he’ll likely be in a good spot to solidify himself as a long-term manager if he’s able to right the ship after the Braves’ abysmal 76-86 2025 season.

More From Atlanta Braves on SI