Best remaining free agent fits for the Braves

The Braves have filled many of their holes already this offseason.

The bullpen was a disaster entering the winter, but by re-signing Raisel Iglesias and acquiring Robert Suarez, it now looks like a strength moving forward, and Anthopoulos might not be done adding to it. Another arm capable of handling high-leverage situations still feels like a need. The signing of Mike Yastrzemski adds much-needed stability to the outfield/DH mix, and Mauricio Dubon has raised the floor at shortstop, even if the Braves would ideally like to find a better long-term option.

The sense around the club is that shortstop remains the top priority as 2026 approaches, with the rotation taking a bit of a back seat for now. The Braves are very encouraged by the improving health of their starting arms, but adding to that group is certainly not out of the question, and it should be far easier to accomplish than finding a starting shortstop, given how thin the free-agent market is.

Brad Keller

Brad Keller is an intriguing name Braves fans should be keeping a close eye on. As mentioned above, Atlanta could still use both starting pitching depth and additional bullpen help. There has been talk of Keller potentially moving back into a rotation role after his breakout season in the Cubs bullpen. His jump in velocity has added legitimate swing-and-miss to his arsenal, and he remains one of the better groundball pitchers in the league.

Atlanta has gone down this road before and found success with Reynaldo Lopez. Perhaps they try it again with Keller, operating under the assumption that one of Keller or Lopez could contribute out of the bullpen while the other occupies a spot in the rotation.

Ha-Seong Kim

Alex Anthopoulos has repeatedly reiterated that the Braves would like to retain Ha-Seong Kim, and that hasn’t changed even after acquiring Mauricio Dubon. Scott Boras being Kim’s agent obviously complicates matters, as does the lack of alternatives on the market, which will likely inflate his price.

Still, Kim shouldn’t be ruled out as a potential starting shortstop in 2026 and possibly beyond.

Jonah Heim

One need that hasn’t been discussed much is catcher, largely because the Braves currently have two very good ones on the roster. However, there is speculation that Sean Murphy could miss time to begin the season following hip surgery, which would force the Braves to acquire some depth.

Heim could be looking for more stability after being non-tendered by the Rangers, but it’s worth noting he had the best season of his career under hitting coach Tim Hyers in 2023, when he earned an All-Star selection and a Gold Glove. That connection alone makes him an interesting name to monitor.

Chris Bassitt

The Braves may be projecting confidence in their current rotation, but it’s hard to believe there isn’t some level of concern with so many arms coming off significant injuries. They could really use another proven starter, and while it’s unlikely they’ll dive into the top tier of the market, a steady veteran like Chris Bassitt makes a lot of sense.

Bassitt has thrown at least 157 innings in each of the last five seasons and owns a 3.66 ERA over that stretch. A move like this would feel very similar to the Charlie Morton signing a few years back.