ATLANTA — The Braves have said finding a shortstop, strengthening the rotation and reconstructing the bullpen are at the top of their offseason to-do list. But depending on the result of their shortstop search, there may be a need to add another bat.
When asked last week about how the team might utilize the designated hitter spot next season, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said:
“We haven’t closed the door on guys like [Marcell] Ozuna, but we just don’t know. We’ll see what opportunities present themselves in the winter. If someone who is a pure DH is the right move, we’ll make it. But right now, we’re not committed to anything.”
The key part of this response is the reality that the Braves need to compensate for the potential free-agent loss of Ozuna. Yeah, the 35-year-old slugger struggled as he produced a .673 OPS over 91 games played after the start of this past June. But, this is the same slugger who had a .916 OPS over the two previous seasons (2023 and ’24) combined.
This creates a pair of questions. Would it be worth taking another chance on Ozuna with the hope this past season’s hip ailment won’t be a lingering issue? And, if Ozuna isn’t the target, shouldn’t the Braves be aiming to fill the void with someone capable of producing the elite-level stats he was projected to produce this past season?
If so, does that mean the Braves should be pursuing one of the top available free-agent bats like Bo Bichette? Bichette would be a defensive liability at shortstop, even if he was to play the position for just a season or two before possibly shifting to second base if Ozzie Albies ends up going elsewhere.
More importantly, Bichette will most likely demand one of the biggest deals of any free agent this offseason. Would the Braves make this kind of commitment to a player when they want to address their rotation and add a closer to what is currently a rather barren bullpen?
There’s always a chance the Braves could try to fill their shortstop void via trade. They have at least inquired about the possibility of acquiring two-time Gold Glove Award winner Mauricio Dubon from the Astros. Dubon has a .677 OPS over the past three seasons combined. He might be an offensive upgrade over Nick Allen.
But would there still be a need to add offensively if Anthopoulos was able to strike a deal with his good friend and mentor Astros GM Dana Brown?
If the season started today, here is a potential Braves lineup:
Is there a need for another bat? There’s a chance Murphy, Albies and Harris could all bounce back next year. Acuña should also be more productive, and an entire season of Profar could be very beneficial. Riley could also easily return to the 30-homer threat he was before being saddled by injuries the past two seasons.
There is a lot of potential within this lineup. But there are also many questions. And while there is never certainty with roster reconstruction, the more uncertainties a team has in Spring Training the more likely it is going to have a compilation of problems during the season.
The Braves made it clear Ha-Seong Kim was a target when they claimed him off waivers from the Rays on Sept. 1 and used him as their everyday shortstop for the remainder of the season. He became a free agent after declining his $16 million option earlier this month.
Kim is a better defensive shortstop and he should be cheaper than Bichette. Even though the South Korean veteran doesn’t have the same offensive ceiling, he was a slightly above-average offensive player for the Padres in 2022 (105 OPS+) and 2023 (107 OPS+).
If the Braves lure Kim back to Atlanta, they’ll be stronger at the shortstop position than they were at the start of 2025. But there might still be a need to compensate for what Ozuna was projected to provide this past season.
It seems unlikely Kyle Schwarber or Pete Alonso would fit Atlanta’s payroll. But would it make sense to pursue Ryan O’Hearn, who could occasionally play the outfield when not manning the DH spot? Or would an Ozuna reunion make more sense?
Regardless, the level of need for another bat will be determined by how the shortstop search ends.
