Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 Atlanta Braves, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Twins, Mariners, Cubs and more?
Postseason outcome
After playing a doubleheader of makeup games to secure a spot in the playoff field, the Braves seemingly ran out of gas and were swept out of the wild-card round by the Padres. They put up very little fight in a 4-0 defeat in Game 1 and, despite a late rally in Game 2, couldn’t match the Padres in a 5-4 loss. The Braves will head home for the winter and hope for a longer October run next year.
Things that went right
Somehow, the Braves won 89 games and qualified for the postseason in their final game of the regular season — and would still label their regular-season performance disappointing. Such is life for an organization that is loaded with talent and won more than 100 games each of the previous two seasons. Still, there were some notable successes from this star-studded roster.
Atlanta’s pitching staff was outstanding and produced the best ERA in the National League. Chris Sale was arguably baseball’s best offseason acquisition by any team. The lanky lefty arrived from Boston at the end of December and proceeded to win the Triple Crown, leading the National League in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Sale is a near-lock to win the NL Cy Young Award, which will be the first Cy Young of his career. Unfortunately for Atlanta, his incredible run did not extend into the wild-card round, when back spasms prevented him from pitching.
Also, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach emerged as excellent rotation members, and Max Fried and Charlie Morton continued to be reliable and effective. The bullpen, led by closer Raisel Iglesias and setup man Joe Jiménez, was also among the best in baseball.
There were far fewer successes on offense, but Marcell Ozuna stands out as someone who had a special season. In a year when many of his teammates were injured and/or ineffective, Ozuna finished as a top-10 major leaguer in home runs, batting average and OPS.
Things that went wrong
On the offensive side, pretty much everything went wrong, most of that due to injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr. was the team’s most disappointing player. After winning the NL MVP award in 2023, Atlanta’s leadoff man got off to a disappointing start (.716 OPS) across 49 games before suffering a torn left ACL that knocked him out for the rest of the season.
Acuña was far from the only star who let the team down. Michael Harris II missed two months due to a hamstring injury and experienced a year-over-year OPS drop of roughly 100 points. Austin Riley’s OPS dropped by 78 points before his season came to an early conclusion due to a right hand fracture suffered on Aug. 18. Ozzie Albies dealt with wrist and toe injuries, played in roughly 100 games and watched his OPS drop by more than 100 points. Matt Olson was one of the few men who stayed healthy, but his OPS still dropped by a whopping 200 points. Finally, catcher Sean Murphy missed two months after suffering an oblique injury in his first game of 2024. When he returned, he played so poorly that he lost some of his playing time to Travis d’Arnaud.
The pitching letdowns were far fewer, but there was one massive issue: the absence of Spencer Strider. The right-hander was expected to be one of the most dominant starters in baseball and instead missed the entire season due to elbow surgery. Fortunately, the likes of Sale and Lopez picked up the slack.
Offseason plans
The Braves might have the brightest future of any MLB franchise. The roster is loaded with talent, and most of the key players are signed to reasonable, long-term contracts. The infield is set for 2025, with Olson (first base), Albies (second base), Riley (third base) and Orlando Arcia (shortstop) under contract. Behind the plate, the team returns Murphy and has a team option on d’Arnaud.
Two-thirds of the outfield is accounted for. Acuña is aiming to return from his knee surgery by Opening Day. He will play right field, alongside Harris, who will be the center fielder. Jarred Kelenic had some good moments in his first season with the club but didn’t hit well overall. Still, he’s just 25 years old and should be a payroll fit due to his low salary at the early stages of his career. The club will undoubtedly pick up the $16 million option to bring Ozuna back as the DH.
The rotation is also mostly settled. Strider hopes to return early in 2025, and Sale, López and Schwellenbach will all grab rotation spots. The contracts for Fried and Morton are expiring, which should prompt president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to add a starter through a trade or free agency. Bringing back Fried, who has played all eight of his major-league seasons with Atlanta, would make sense.
The team leaders in relief appearances are all under contract for next year as well. With Iglesias, Jiménez, Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee all set to return, the bullpen is in excellent shape.
The Braves had a top-10 payroll this year but should have room to retain their key players and add a starting pitcher. Anthopoulos has created a long-term plan that should keep fans in Atlanta happy for many years to come.
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Prospects on the horizon
The Braves have one of baseball’s weakest talent pools in their farm system, which isn’t surprising for a team that has been competing for championships in recent years. The good news is that some of their top prospects are ready to contribute in 2025.
AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep have both made starts in the majors and could support the rotation as necessary in 2025. That said, both players took a step backward this year in terms of minor-league results and will need to harness their control skills in order to reach the next level.
Shortstop Nacho Alvarez Jr. also debuted in 2024, batting .100 over 30 at-bats. Still, he hit well in the minors this year and is just 21 years old. Alvarez could deliver better results if given a longer look next year.
Catcher Drake Baldwin is the final member who could contribute next season. Baldwin has solid plate skills and is improving as a receiver. His immediate future will depend on whether the Braves exercise the option on d’Arnaud’s contract.
Goals for 2025
First and foremost, the Braves should have a goal of returning to the top of the NL East after seeing their six-year string of division titles snapped in 2024. After all, even though this roster is possibly the best in baseball, there is a similarly talented group of players plying their trade in Philadelphia.
But winning the division also shouldn’t be enough for the Braves, who will aspire to secure another World Series title. They have the talent to make it happen, and after terrible luck in 2024, the roster will almost certainly enjoy better health next year.
Fantasy focus
Fantasy managers will endure headaches while trying to figure out which Atlanta hitters are poised for bounce-back years. Acuña will remain a coveted star and will be selected in the first round of some drafts. Olson, Ozuna and Riley should come off the board in Rounds 2-3, and Albies and Harris will make sense in Rounds 4-5.
On the pitching side, Sale should be regarded as a top-five starter, which likely means a Round 3 selection. Strider will be selected in the first five rounds if he looks good in spring training, and López and Schwellenbach should be drafted in the range of Round 10. Iglesias will be a popular closer option selected in the range of Round 7-8.
Yes, you read that correctly: The Braves, who barely made the postseason in 2024, could have eight players selected in the first five rounds of 2025 fantasy baseball drafts.
