In just a few days, the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings will be underway in Orlando. After a quiet offseason last year, eyes will be on the Atlanta Braves to see what comes about.

However, what happens at the winter meetings goes beyond just free agents and big trades. There are implications for the team’s long-term future, and there are high honors at stake, too. Here are four ideal outcomes for the Braves during the Winter Meetings.

They Make One Major Move

The Winter Meetings are a time when the hot stove sets ablaze. However, a plethora of moves by a single team is an insane expectation, so one major move would be ideal for this team. It could be a trade or signing.

It could be locking down an impact starting pitcher or a bat. Something that shows that things will be different this offseason would be big.

Getting a shortstop specifically would be a big addition, but it’s not an expectation with how thin the market is. If they were to land one, it wouldn’t be surprising if it happened a little later in the offseason.

Blake Burkhalter Isn’t Nabbed in Rule 5 Draft

Of the four eligible players for the Rule 5 Draft, the Braves opted to protect none of them. The biggest surprise was prospect pitcher Blake Burkhalter. Perhaps they think he is safe and unlikely to get picked up.

However, he’s not an ideal pitcher to lose. He’s shown promise as both a starting pitcher and a bullpen arm. Coming out of the Winter Meetings with the young pitching talent pool intact would be helpful for 2026.

Braves Move up in Draft Lottery (Or at Least Stay Put)

They’re guaranteed the 26th overall pick in the draft thanks to Drake Baldwin’s efforts. However, the Draft Lottery remains in deciding the full official draft order of the first round.

For the lottery, the Braves have the sixth-best odds for the first-overall pick (4.54%). However, the lottery can move them up to any of the spots ahead of them, too. It’s not the top pick or nothing. The more options when it’s their turn, the better.

However, they also hoped to, at the least, stay put at sixth. They can move down. We ran multiple simulations on Tankathon, and while the Braves moved up to the top pick on one of those simulations, they also fell as low as ninth. That’s the caveat of a lottery. Getting shafted comes with the territory.

Dale Murphy Reaches Cooperstown

We’ll know this the first night of the Winter Meetings. The Braves star of the 1980s has a chance to finally getting to the Hall of Fame after years of waiting. He fell off the writer’s ballot, and he’s missed induction via this avenue before, too.

A push to get him to Cooperstown has gained traction online. Perhaps it gets him over the hump. We’ll know the evening of Dec. 7.

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