Bravos Insight

Has the Atlanta Braves and Alex Anthopoulos (AA) done enough to put themselves back into contention? The following signings are great, and have really contributed to the depth the Braves were sorely missing a year ago, but is it enough?

RP Robert Suárez – 3 years/$45M

SS Ha-Seong Kim – 1 year/$20M

RP Raisel Iglesias – 1 year/$16M

OF Mike Yastrzemski – 2 years/$23M

IF Mauricio Dubón – 1 year/$6.1M

AA isn’t done, and proved it by the pickup of Right-hander Ian Hamilton to a non-guaranteed major league contract. If Hamilton can prove himself in spring training, he will be a great addition to a bullpen already featuring closer Iglesias and setup man Suarez. He would join returning arms Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, and Joel Payamps. Joe Jimenez is a major wild card, as the elite relief expert is still returning from injury, and there’s no timetable for his return. Without any other signings, the Braves may look to younger prospects like Hayden Harris and Jhancarlos Lara for the completion of their bullpen. 

Athlopoulos gave us reason to believe he’s not quite done with the pitching staff. In a recent interview on “The Game” he stated, “It would be great if we could add someone that maybe slots everybody down a peg in our rotation.” . “Haven’t closed the door on that. Still open to it if it can present itself.” The bullpen would benefit from an additional signing of a strong starter, as it would allow fringe rotational pieces like Hurston Waldrep and Grant Holmes to start in the bullpen and be available for spot starts when needed. 

Regardless of what happens the rest of this offseason, the Braves have positioned themselves nicely for the start of the 2026 baseball season. There’s still whispers of possible trade pieces like Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy, but waiting and allowing their trade value to increase is also a viable option. As it sits now, the Braves have a very strong team and will compete aggressively against the Mets and Phillies to once again sit atop the NL East.