Coming into the second half of the season, it was difficult to come up with an offseason strategy that could get the Atlanta Braves back into postseason contention.

The outfield was a mess, outside of Ronald Acuña Jr. Michael Harris was the worst qualified hitter in the sport, and there was a ton of concern surrounding Jurickson Profar after serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. There’s a reason the Braves were connected to Byron Buxton at the trade deadline.

The middle infield was in just as bad of shape. Ozzie Albies was performing similarly to Michael Harris. He was struggling against lefties for the first time in his career, and his power seemed to have completely left him. Nick Allen, while outstanding defensively, had to be replaced due to his limitations offensively.

However, all of those issues seem to have sorted themselves out over the last couple of months. Michael Harris II is hitting .321 with a .920 OPS in the second half, and Jurickson Profar recorded an OPS north of 1.000 in August, thanks to nine home runs.

Up the middle, the Braves started their offseason early by acquiring Ha-Seong Kim. He stepped in for Nick Allen this week, and it took him just two games to do something no Atlanta shortstop has done all season — hit a home run. Kim has a $16 million player option for next season, and in all likelihood, will be the team’s starting shortstop.

Additionally, Ozzie Albies has also experienced a surge over the last three weeks. His power, particularly from the right side, has returned. He has six homers over his last 20 games, three of which came from the right side. Prior to this stretch, Albies did not have a single home run this season right-handed.

These developments, and some others, have completely reshaped the Braves offseason priorities.

Braves Updated Offseason Priorities

4. Middle Infield

Assuming Ha-Seong Kim is on the 2026 roster, one could make the argument that middle infield is no longer a need. He’ll be the club’s starting shortstop, and there’s no chance the Braves replace a three-time All-Star in Ozzie Albies after his resurgent second half. The Braves should probably keep Nick Allen around as a reserve/defensive replacement and roll with what they’ve got.

3. Outfield/DH

This remains a need and should be addressed in the offseason. It’s not nearly as pressing as it was a couple of months ago, but with Marcell Ozuna hitting free agency, a right-handed hitting power bat that can also play the outfield would do wonders for the Braves lineup. This shouldn’t be too expensive to acquire, whether the Braves do it via trade or free agency.

2. Bullpen

With some guys coming back from injury, the Braves bullpen should be better next year, but they still need a closer. Raisel Iglesias could be brought back and adding another high leverage arm feels like the bare minimum.

1. Rotation

The Braves should spend the most amount of resources shoring up their rotation. Hurston Waldrep’s emergence has been a huge development, but that shouldn’t stop the Braves from adding a starter of the frontline variety. There have to be concerns about what Spencer Strider can provide next year, and injuries need to be accounted for before the start of the season. Pitchers go down every season. The best teams have 4-5 guys they can count on in a hypothetical postseason start. Right now, the Braves have two — Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach.