In the tough NL East division, the Atlanta Braves are usually in the mix. That was not the case last season. They finished in fourth place, with only 76 wins, three behind the Miami Marlins. The Braves had a payroll of $215M, eighth highest in the game, while the Marlins were dead last, only spending $67M. It is not an overstatement to say it was a disappointing season for the Braves. With a healthy season from Ronald Acuna Jr. and Chris Sale, this team could find their way back to the postseason.
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THE LINEUP
Sep 28, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
When you take a deep dive, it isn’t difficult to see where many of their problems came from last season. Catcher Sean Murphy missed 83 games. Third Baseman Austin Riley missed 60 games. Right Fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. missed 69 games. Left Fielder Jurickson Profar missed 82 games. That is a tremendous amount of games and ABs missed over the course of the year, and too much for any team to overcome.
The good news for Braves fans is that all of them are on pace to be ready for the start of the season. The team did add two nice offensive pieces in the offseason. They added OF Mike Yastrzemski and IF Jorge Mateo. Yaz is now entering his eighth MLB season, and with him, you can pencil in 15-18 HRs. Mateo gives them versatility anywhere in the infield. The 30-year-old has stolen double-digit bases in each of his seasons since 2021. He peaked with back-to-back seasons with 30+ SBs in 2022 and 2023.
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Make no mistake about it, when this team is healthy and clicking on all cylinders, they are a tough lineup to get through unscathed. Aside from Murphy, Riley, Acuna, and Profar, they have Matt Olson at first base. Since 2020, he has only missed six games…and he hasn’t missed one since 2022. Over the past three season’s he has averaged 37 HRs, and is a 100/100 guy…and he boasts an OPS of .857.
They also have second baseman Ozzie Albies. He plays solid defense and puts up decent numbers for a 2B. Over the past three seasons, he’s averaged 20 HRs and is a mid-70s run and RBI guy. And he has a bit of speed, averaging 12 SBs over the last three seasons.
THE ROTATION
Sep 28, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Similar to the lineup, the pitching staff caught the injury bug, too. Not one of their starters made 30 starts. Bryce Elder led the way with 28 starts, then Spencer Strider, who only made 23 starts. Chris Sale won the Cy Young award in 2024, only to come back in 2025 and start 20 games. Grant Holmes made 21 starts, and Spencer Schellenbach made 17. Reynaldo Lopez was 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 2024. He only made one start last season.
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The Braves have the arms; they just have to stay healthy to toe the rubber more than they did in 2025.
BULLPEN
Sep 28, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) pitches the ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
If the rotation can get the team deep into games, they’ll be fine, boasting a very imposing bullpen. Aside from having incumbent closer Raisel Iglesias, they will begin the season with former Padres closer Robert Suarez. Iglesias has averaged 32 saves over the last three seasons, and Suarez had 40 saves last season. To fill out their deep bullpen, they also have Aaron Bummer, Joe Jimenez, and Ian Hamilton.
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