1 disappointing player Braves must trade in offseason

It wasn’t that long ago when Michael Harris II burst onto the scene as a five-tool player and future superstar for the Braves, all in his rookie season. Never mind that Harris did not have any big-league experience prior to the 2022 season; he fit in seamlessly with the group, starring in center field with his elite defense and incredible bat, not to mention his positive baserunning.

But since then, Harris has been on a decline. When he made his MLB debut, he was only 21 years of age. So for him to have gotten progressively worse for the Braves through the first four years of his career is very concerning. And it hasn’t just been one facet of the game where Harris has struggled to keep up the pace he was playing at during his superstar-level rookie campaign.

To dissect where things have begun to go wrong for Harris, his plate discipline and pitch selection hasn’t improved one bit. Pitchers have adapted to him and he hasn’t quite been the same. For starters, the Braves center fielder has not dealt well with four-seamers since his rookie campaign.

According to StatCast, he’s been 5.6 runs below average against fastballs from 2023 to 2025. Considering that he’s seeing this pitch most often, that is a major concern.

Moreover, Harris has been borderline useless against sinkers. Pitchers have recognized that he doesn’t respond to pitches moving down towards the bottom of the zone, and they’ve thrown it 22.0 percent of the time in 2025 — a career-high against the Braves center fielder. This year, he’s been worth 12.9 runs below average against sinkers — a woeful output.

Thus, there is no surprise that Harris is posting a career-worst .688 OPS, which is down nearly .300 from his stellar rookie season where he posted an OPS of .953.

It certainly looks as though Harris is pressing; he’s swinging at a career-high 42.5 percent of pitches outside the strike zone. In fact, he’s just been swinging more often in general, posting a career-high 56.3 percent swing rate. That is concerning when he’s not making viable contact; he’s hit more groundballs than ever, and this suboptimal launch angle means that he’s not hitting as many barrels as he did in the past. This explains his career-worst BABIP of .288 (at the time of writing).

The walk rate for Harris is just horrific. He gets on base via walk in just 2.6 percent of his plate appearances, and that, simply, will not get the job done.

But at the end of the day, Harris is not someone the Braves will be trading anytime soon. In fact, he’s been turning it around since the All-Star break. Since the 18th of July, Harris has recorded an OPS of .962 while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 33 runs in the process. He’s always displayed excellent bat to ball ability and the ability to connect for power, and he’s been putting it all together over the past month or so.

However, it is still worrying that he’s only drawn four walks in 43 games. Not everyone can be Kevin Youkilis, also known as the Greek God of Walks, but Harris has to have something to fall back into when the inevitable batting slump continues.

Nevertheless, he’s only 24 years of age, and he’s under a team-friendly contract until 2030, with club options for 2031 and 2032. As nightmarish of a 2025 season he’s been having as a whole, there are signs of life for Harris and the Braves have to have faith that he can put this kind of play together sustainably.

Verdict: Do NOT trade Michael Harris II

Gauging Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider, and Bryce Elder’s futures

Ozzie Albies has also been in the middle of a poor season; he has a 1.0 WAR through 138 games, a career-worst pace. His OPS of .658 is nothing worth writing home about, and the defensive metrics haven’t taken too kindly to his defense at the keystone this year. However, his contract is way too team-friendly, and he’s beloved among Braves fans. He should be given another chance to redeem himself in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Braves have to be very forgiving of Strider in his return season from Tommy John surgery. He’s been a shell of his former self, tallying a 4.97 ERA across 101.1 innings (19 starts). The good thing is that he’s been healthy enough to make that many starts and pitch in that many innings.

However, his fastball velocity is way down and so is his strikeout rate. But he’s shown that he’s way too talented when healthy that the Braves must feel obligated to give him leeway and hope that he returns to form in his second season following major surgery.

If there’s anyone the Braves must trade, it’s Bryce Elder. Elder excited fans when he made the All-Star team in 2023. But he’s been nothing but a below-average innings eater since. He’s posted an ERA of 6.04 in 174.1 innings over the past two seasons, and it’s just about time that Atlanta cuts him loose.

Verdict: Do NOT trade Ozzie Albies and Spencer Strider, trade Bryce Elder away instead