A 94-68 season and the NL East crown still resulted in a rapid NLDS elimination against the Los Angeles Dodgers for Walt Weiss, manager of the Atlanta Braves. Even ace left-hander Chris Sale’s Cy Young-finalist season could not hide the cracks.
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This is why MLB insider Jon Morosi places Atlanta as the team that has the most work to do. Morosi explained himself on air.
“For me, it is the Atlanta Braves. They have some major decisions to make, I believe. When you think about their season, they were able to get to the playoffs. Walt Weiss did a great job leading the way.”
The praise holds up since Weiss won the division in his debut and earned NL Manager of the Year finalist status. Still, Atlanta has not crossed the NLDS since the 2021 World Series title, which makes this winter urgent.
That urgency shows up in the batter’s box, and Morosi pointed out the lineup’s weak spots on the same broadcast.
“They would like to add some right-handed bats. There’s a very specific spot, or I’ll say two spots, where they could really add that. Number one would be shortstop, where they had a bit of a revolving door this season. The other one would be left field, maybe a platoon partner for Mike Yastrzemski.”
Atlanta’s biggest gap this season was at the shortstop position. Ha-Seong Kim entered the season with high expectations to anchor the middle infield. But his offseason finger tendon injury delayed the start. After missing months due to surgery and recovery, Kim batted a dismal .116/.219/.140 with 0 home runs, 9 RBIs, a 7 wRC+, and -1.2 fWAR in 51 games. Now, the 31-year-old has entered the free agent market.
The Braves need a player who can hit and field at an elite level. Prospects like Tate Southisene and Briggs McKenzie are making waves in the Arizona Fall League. Per a report from Battery Power, both players made the AFL Fall Stars Game, showing that the farm system has depth. There are free agents available from the outside, too.
Otto Lopez, Zack Netto, or Jeremy Peña are just a few names.
Meanwhile, Atlanta ranked 26th with a .679 OPS against righties but 6th at .751 against lefties. Yastrzemski’s OPS against right-handed pitching in his last 99 games was .768, while left field provided an 85 wRC+. There is also a complex subplot to left field.
As Morosi noted, there is a contract still in play.
“The other big question is Jurickson Profar. He’s still under contract. He missed all of this year while being suspended. He’s actually playing now in the Venezuelan Winter League.”
Profar is an outfielder worth $15 million in 2027 who was suspended for alleged PED use in both of the last two seasons. Left field has put up a wRC+ of 85 without him. Releasing Profar will require taking on that money, while keeping him will bring locker room problems. The market does offer a solution.
Morosi singled out one free agent on the same broadcast.
“Some players I think would fit them include Seiya Suzuki, who is a free agent. He’s a big-time right-handed power hitter. He fits a lot of teams.”
Suzuki elevated his home run ceiling past the 30-homer mark in 2025 (32 HR) and followed up with a strong 26-homer, 86-RBI campaign in 2026 while maintaining an above-average bat (134 wRC+). Unlike pure “all-or-nothing” sluggers, Suzuki pairs his slugging (.472 career SLG) with strong plate discipline and high on-base skills (.351 career OBP), making him a complete offensive threat rather than just a home run-dependent bat. He regularly produces high-end hard-contact metrics, including deep home runs exceeding 440–455 feet with exit velocities nearing 109 mph.
Suzuki and outfielder Randy Arozarena both received qualifying offers, so signing either costs multiple Draft picks and $1 million in international bonus pool money. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos must weigh that price against rotation concerns, too.
The Atlanta Braves face major starting rotation concerns entering the 2027 offseason.
Chris Sale is the clear anchor of the staff, coming off a dominant 5.8 fWAR season, but he will turn 38 years old, leaving the team thin if he misses any time.
Right-hander Spencer Strider was shut down in June with elbow inflammation, and fellow starter Spencer Schwellenbach underwent two elbow surgeries. Starter Tyler Mahle and closer Raisel Iglesias are free agents, so Sale needs reinforcements.
While young arms and prospects like Didier Fuentes, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, AJ Smith-Shawver, and JR Ritchie provide internal candidates, asking them to shoulder heavy or high-leverage starter roles carries high risk. Analysts have tied Atlanta to potential options such as left-hander Trevor Rogers or veteran right-hander Sonny Gray to help stabilize the middle-to-top tiers of the rotation.
Amid all those holes, the one outfielder Atlanta will not shop is Ronald Acuña Jr., its superstar and 2023 NL MVP.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s future in the Atlanta Braves is settled
The Braves can afford to stand pat on their franchise outfielder. Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2023 National League MVP and five-time All-Star, hit 41 homers and stole 73 bases that year, and Morosi says the Braves remained steadfast in that plan.
“There were some whispers, especially after the way the season ended and the team’s underwhelming postseason showing, that we could see Acuña moved,” Morosi reported on MLB Network.
“I was told the answer is no. He is going to be there.
“They want a healthy, productive season from him, and he has shown that ability,” Morosi added on MLB Network.
“Yes, there have been some years when his production has dropped, but he has usually responded positively.”
Acuña hit .255/.345/.451 across 107 games despite dealing with two hamstring injuries, yet the Braves lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
As a December 2 lockout threatens, retaining a middle-of-the-lineup bat with such a ceiling secures the Braves’ $17 million club options through 2028.