A crucial offseason has begun in Atlanta following one of the most disappointing years in franchise history. The 2025 campaign should serve as a valuable lesson for Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves’ brass: if you sit on your hands and go cheap in the winter, you’ll keep wasting valuable years of an incredibly talented core.

The Braves can’t afford another passive offseason. Significant changes must be made, and it starts with deciding what to do about a few key free agents.

Atlanta Braves 2026 Free Agents

Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna has provided plenty of memorable moments across his five seasons in Atlanta, but he’s now an aging designated hitter coming off a torn hip. The Braves need to be thinking about a replacement, ideally someone who can also play the outfield. With questions about Jurickson Profar’s defense and Ronald Acuña Jr.’s long-term health, versatility matters. Atlanta also wants to open up more at-bats for Drake Baldwin, and with Sean Murphy sharing time behind the plate, the cleanest path is to use Baldwin at DH more often.

Raisel Iglesias

Iglesias was a liability early in 2025, carrying a 6.75 ERA into June. But from June 9th on, he was lights out, posting a 1.25 ERA and 1.98 FIP over his final 45 appearances, right in line with the rest of his Braves tenure. He remains one of the more reliable closers in the league, and Atlanta should strongly consider bringing him back.

Ha-Seong Kim (1-year, $16 million player option)

The Braves rarely hand out player options, but they inherited one when they claimed Kim off waivers from the Rays. He stabilized shortstop during the final month, and there’s no question the team would welcome him back in 2026. However, with such a thin free-agent shortstop market — and Scott Boras representing him — Kim may decline the option and test free agency in search of a multi-year deal.