The Atlanta Braves are among the most interesting teams to follow this offseason. While they have an abundance of talent and their core is all locked up to long-term extensions, that begs the question of how active the Braves will be this winter, and who they will acquire.
Last week, Atlanta’s front office and GM Alex Anthopoulos made a couple of notable moves. The first being re-signing Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal, which some analysts and insiders have criticized as being a bad signing, considering Iglesias’s age. The other moves were making a small trade with the Astros for Mauricio Dubon. And lastly, the Braves brought back Joel Payamps on a $2.25 million deal after Payamps pitched in just 2.2 innings last season.
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Braves Writer Believes the Braves Need To Do More
At this point in MLB, with how much some teams spend, especially in the National League, the Braves will have to compete with the big players in free agency and the trade market.
Braves writer Nick Halden believes Atlanta can’t continue shopping for cheap relievers to fix what was a poor bullpen in 2025:
“The Braves must understand they are stuck in the same National League as the Los Angeles Dodgers, who already have a 2026 payroll of over $240 million, per Spotrac. For Atlanta not only to have a chance to return to contention, but to have a chance to compete with the back-to-back World Series champs, there must be a willingness to spend what it takes to patch obvious holes.”
GettyIf the Blue Jays passed on Raisel Iglesias, who are they after?
The Dodgers aren’t the only big spenders in the NL either. Atlanta is competing with Philadelphia, the San Francisco Giants, and the New York Mets as well.
The back end of the Braves bullpen actually lines up pretty well. They have two solid southpaws in Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer, and Daysbel Hernandez can serve as a set-up man for Raisel Iglesias. However, after that, things thin out. The Braves haven’t really received a clear update on Joe Jimenez or Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez could move to a bullpen role, as he was in previously in his career.
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The Braves Can Not Get Complacent This Offseason
If the Atlanta Braves have aspirations of returning to the MLB playoffs in 2026, they can not get complacent in their attempt to do so.
Over the last two seasons, the Braves have tried to fix both their bullpen and starting rotation by picking up either cheap arms or relying on arms they already have heavily until the point of burnout.
Atlanta has a decision to make on Pierce Johnson, who is currently a free agent, but the point remains the same: the Braves are going to have a tough time competing next season if they do not address the bullpen and add another depth starter or two.
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