This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it repeatedly in your inbox.
ATLANTA — With the Winter Conferences beginning on Monday, the following few days and weeks might present extra readability about how the Braves will full their offseason roster reconstruction.
Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will tackle media members on Sunday evening and the rumor mill must be churning as soon as the Conferences formally start on Monday at a Walt Disney World resort positioned simply a few miles from the Braves’ former Spring Coaching facility.
MLB Community, MLB.com and braves.com will present full protection of the occasions, which conclude on Wednesday.
Membership Wants: Beginning pitcher, extra bat, bullpen depth and perhaps a shortstopDubón is a proficient utility participant who’s able to serving because the on a regular basis shortstop. If the Braves go this route, they might have larger monetary flexibility to deal with their different wants. Coming off a season tormented by a plethora of accidents to the rotation, the Braves may benefit from the addition of a frontline starter. Will Reynaldo López return to his pre-shoulder surgical procedure kind? Will Grant Holmes keep away from elbow surgical procedure? These are simply a few the rotation issues that might be minimized by the addition of a confirmed starter.
The uncertainty concerning Joe Jiménez’s surgically repaired knee creates the likelihood a high-leverage reliever might be wanted.
Burning Query: Will the Braves add a bat?The Braves want to deal with the exit of Marcell Ozuna’s anticipated manufacturing from the DH position. Even when the Braves have been to signal shortstop Ha-Seong Kim and use Dubón as a utility participant, there’s motive to argue that the lineup nonetheless wants one other bat. Going with an on a regular basis DH would take plate appearances away from Drake Baldwin when he’s not catching. However there’s an opportunity the Braves might strengthen their offense with the addition of an outfielder who could be considered one of many candidates to fill the DH position.
Atlanta’s offense must be a lot improved with Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies more healthy than they have been firstly of the 2025 season. However there are numerous questions because the Braves financial institution on their well being and the hope to obtain sturdy contributions from Jurickson Profar and Michael Harris II for greater than only a few months. So, there’s seemingly a profit to including one other hitter.
Potential Commerce CandidatesSean Murphy’s title has been bounced round, however there hasn’t been any indication the Braves are prepared to maneuver the veteran catcher. Even when they have been, they might be getting dimes on their funding till the 2023 All-Star proves he has recovered from hip surgical procedure. Murphy and Baldwin have the potential to be one of many recreation’s finest catching duos if the previous returns to well being.
Whereas there’s a want to guard pitching depth, the strides JR Ritchie (ATL No. 2 prospect/No. 86 total) and Hurston Waldrep took final yr helped strengthen the group’s pitching depth. This doesn’t imply the Braves ought to commerce Cam Caminiti (ATL No. 1/MLB No. 72) or Didier Fuentes (ATL No. 7). However there’s sufficient depth in that division that the Braves could be dealing from a place of energy.
Prospect to KnowRitchie posted a 2.64 ERA whereas combining to make 26 begins over three ranges in 2025. The 22-year-old right-hander started the season in Excessive-A and ended up producing a 3.02 ERA over 11 begins on the Triple-A stage. Not unhealthy, particularly when you think about this was his first full skilled season with none restrictions following Tommy John surgical procedure. The No. 35 total Draft decide from 2022 might drive his means into Atlanta’s rotation in some unspecified time in the future in 2026.
Rule 5 DraftThe Braves took two gamers, right-hander Anderson Pilar and infielder Christian Cairo, within the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft final yr. Each have been despatched again to their former golf equipment earlier than the tip of Spring Coaching.
If the Braves lose a participant in the course of the Rule 5 Draft, it might be No. 11 prospect Blake Burkhalter.
Atlanta didn’t add anybody to its 40-man roster forward of the Rule 5 deadline, leaving Burkhalter (amongst many) obtainable. The 6-foot right-hander had strong success as a Double-A starter in 2025 earlier than shifting to the Triple-A bullpen, the place he didn’t miss as many bats (23 strikeouts in 31 innings). His 92-95 mph four-seamer does have spectacular journey (17.9 inches of induced vertical break at Triple-A, on common) and a few slicing motion that might be appetizing for Rule 5 golf equipment, and he has a more true cutter within the upper-80s, a low-80s curveball for righties and a mid-80s changeup for lefties.
