Alex Anthopoulos talks Braves’ primary focus at GM meetings

The MLB GM Meetings are taking place this week in Las Vegas, and Alex Anthopoulos sat down with several media members to discuss the Braves’ offseason priorities.

“The Braves will be looking for a shortstop, starting pitchers, and ‘a lot of relievers’, Anthopoulos said,” via Robert Murray of Fansided.

“Braves chairman Terry McGuirk also noted on a recent earnings call that he would like the franchise to have a top-five payroll in 2026. Atlanta had a $214 million payroll in 2025, which ranked eighth in baseball, according to MLB.com.”

As expected, Anthopoulos didn’t directly address McGuirk’s comments about payroll, but with more than $176 million already committed to the 2026 roster, according to Spotrac, and a number of key holes to fill, the Braves will find themselves in that top-five range if they’re aggressive this winter.

The bullpen needs multiple additions after Atlanta declined the options on Tyler Kinley and Pierce Johnson. However, Anthopoulos revealed that most of the front office’s attention is currently focused on shortstop and starting pitching.

“I would say starting pitcher and shortstop are what we’re spending the most time on right now,” Anthopoulos said.

Shortstop could get real interesting if the bidding gets to an uncomfortable point for Ha-Seong Kim, who the Braves have already said that they want back. He’s really the only reasonably affordable starting caliber option on the market this offseason, and it just feels like the Braves realize they can’t continue trotting out journeymen at one of the most important positions on the diamond.

Starting pitching, on the other hand, is an area that continues to be overlooked by some. The rotation has very few certainties heading into 2026. Reynaldo López, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Grant Holmes are all coming off major injuries. Spencer Strider struggled mightily in his first season back from InternalBrace surgery, and while Hurston Waldrep showed promise in the second half, the sample size wasn’t large enough to know what he’ll bring moving forward.

Adding another proven starter should be at the very top of the Braves’ wishlist this offseason.

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