This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
“We could still do something at shortstop; we’re very open there,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said. “We could still do things with a [starting pitcher]; we’re still very open there. Bullpen, we’re still very open there.”
Anthopoulos is obviously very open to extending the progress he made on Wednesday, when he signed Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal and also traded Nick Allen to the Astros for Dubón. But his to-do list still looks much like it did at the start of the offseason. Well, kind of.
Securing a closer – one who posted a 1.25 ERA over his final 45 appearances this past season – was significant. But who is going to serve as Iglesias’ top setup man? The top current option is Dylan Lee. Other internal candidates include Daysbel Hernández and Aaron Bummer. Grant Holmes might fill a bullpen spot if he’s able to avoid right elbow surgery. But there’s still uncertainty about Joe Jiménez’s surgically repaired left knee, which cost him the 2025 season.
However you look at it, I think it’s safe to assume the Braves will try to add at least two more relievers and likely three before the start of Spring Training.
As for the Dubón acquisition, it’s best to wait until the end of the offseason to project the value of this move.
From an immediate standpoint, this is a win. Allen’s value is limited to the great defense he provides at short. For about $4 million more, the Braves have gained a two-time Gold Glove Award winner who can provide plus defense at every infield and outfield position.
How is Dubón offensively? Well, let’s just say he’s good enough that I won’t be using the same Rafael Belliard comp that I gave to Allen heading into last season.
Will Dubón be the Braves’ primary shortstop in 2026? This seemingly depends on a few different variables. If the price for Ha-Seong Kim proves to be right, then it might make sense to sign him and have Dubón fill a super-utility role.
Unless you’re among the few who would be willing to put Bo Bichette’s glove at short on a daily basis, Kim is the only attractive shortstop on the free-agent market. There might be trade possibilities. If the Yankees move on from Anthony Volpe, he could benefit from a change of scenery.
But if the Braves don’t find a shortstop, Dubón seems capable of filling the role on a daily basis.
Dubón has won a Gold Glove Award as a utility player two of the past three seasons. The 31-year-old veteran was tied for the sixth-highest fielding run value (17) among all MLB players this past season.
Maybe more impressively, Dubón had the sixth-highest FRV (6) among all MLB shortstops in 2025. Why is sixth-best impressive? Well, this is a cumulative stat, and Dubón played just 206 innings as a shortstop. That’s 856 fewer innings than Astros starting shortstop Jeremy Peña, whose FRV was also 6.
Too small of a sample size? Well, Dubón is tied for the 15th-highest FRV (11) among all shortstops going back to 2021, despite 55 players logging more innings at the position during this span.
Dubón will be more than capable of playing shortstop if that’s the route the Braves go. Will he hit enough to be an everyday player? He was nearly an average offensive performer in 2023, when he had a 97 OPS+. That number has slipped to 87 and 78 the past two seasons.
If Michael Harris II finally puts a full season together, and Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy bounce back, and Ronald Acuña Jr. further distances himself from his second ACL tear, and Austin Riley gets back to being a 30-homer hitter, then the Braves might have enough firepower to have a bat like Dubón’s in their lineup every day.
But the Braves entered last season knowing that offensive production at the shortstop position might be a problem. Orlando Arcia had produced a 73 OPS+ in 2024, and there was never reason to think Allen would hit. Still, it was fine because they would be part of a lineup that would get 30-plus homers and a .900-plus OPS from Marcell Ozuna again, right?
So if Dubón is the shortstop, is there still a need for another bat? And if the medical staff says Ozuna’s hip is healthy, would it make sense to also bring him back for one more season?
