ESPN on the Atlanta Braves’ biggest offseason priority

The Braves enter the offseason with far more questions than answers about their roster.

Is it finally time to shake up this core and move one of their big pieces? Who in the world can they actually count on in the rotation? What does the future hold for Didier Fuentes? And which of their many free agents are worth aggressively trying to retain?

Those are just a few of the puzzles ahead, and Atlanta will need to solve most of them if it wants to seriously challenge a powerhouse like the Dodgers. But as for the single biggest priority, ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes it’s finally finding an answer at shortstop — a revolving door for the Braves ever since Dansby Swanson left in free agency.

“Shortstop,” Schoenfield writes. “Ha-Seong Kim is also a free agent and he was a $20 million disaster, hitting .116 in 147 at-bats. Dubon ended up starting the most games there, 51, but he’s also a free agent, and his best role is as a utility guy. Rookie Jim Jarvis started 35 games, but he hit .207 with one home run. Prospect Tate Southisene is a couple of years away.

“Aside from that, re-signing Mahle, who pitched so well after coming over at the trade deadline, is another big priority given the uncertainty of Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach returning from injuries. Didier Fuentes will be ready to replace Iglesias as closer, so given the subtraction of Kim, Fuentes and other free agents, there should be room to bring back Mahle.”

The trouble with solving shortstop externally is the cost: these guys command either a fortune or a package of top prospects, and the asking prices are always astronomical — the kind the Braves have consistently refused to meet. Since that’s not likely to change, I wouldn’t expect Anthopoulos to take a big swing here, which is exactly why re-signing Mauricio Dubon should be near the top of the list.

He’s elite defensively and gives you more than enough at the plate for the position, and he shouldn’t require a massive commitment — likely a two- or three-year deal somewhere in the $10-15 million AAV range. That feels like the smart bridge until Atlanta decides one of its intriguing shortstop prospects is ready to take over.

Tyler Mahle belongs on the priority list too. The Braves already know they can’t bank on Strider or Schwellenbach. Martin Perez is a free agent. And while Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes were surprisingly steady for most of the season, neither is the kind of arm that pushes this club over the top.

Mahle was a revelation after the deadline — a 1.99 ERA across nine regular season starts — and then somehow got better in October, forming a legitimate one-two punch with Chris Sale. The catch is that the strong finish may have priced him right out of Atlanta, which would leave the Braves in a very tough spot in the rotation.

One route they’ll almost certainly weigh is moving Didier Fuentes back into the rotation. Schoenfield floats Fuentes as the heir to Raisel Iglesias at closer, and there’s little doubt he could handle it. But he’s far more valuable as a starter, and the Braves would be foolish to slam that door this early in his career just because he dominated out of the bullpen this year.