As arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history winds down, a potentially tumultuous offseason is on the horizon for the Braves.

Does Alex Anthopoulos decide to simply run it back again, blaming off years and a mountain of injuries for the team’s underperformance? Or, after four years without a series win in the playoffs, is it finally time to shake things up? History tells us the former is much more likely, so let’s take a look at how the roster could look come Opening Day in 2026.

Rotation

• Chris Sale
• Spencer Schwellenbach
• Spencer Strider
• Hurston Waldrep
• ???

When healthy, Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach is one of the best one-two punches in the sport. There are a lot of concerns after those two, but I feel safe in saying Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Strider will be apart of the Braves Opening Day rotation.

The final spot, however, is up in the air. Do the Braves still believe Reynaldo Lopez can stay healthy as a starting pitcher? He’s made it clear he doesn’t want to return to the bullpen, but keeping him off the IL has to be a top priority.

This is where it feels like the Braves might finally get aggressive. They need another proven starting arm, and there a number of options available in free agency. They went hard after Aaron Nola a couple of offseasons ago. Thankfully, the Phillies were willing to go even further, but this time, I expect the Braves to land one of the more coveted starting arms on the open market.

Prediction: Braves sign Merrill Kelly

Lineup

1. Ronald Acuña Jr. (RF)
2. Jurickson Profar (LF)
3. Austin Riley (3B)
4. Matt Olson (1B)
5. Designated Hitter ??
6. Drake Baldwin (C)
7. Ozzie Albies (2B)
8. Michael Harris II (CF)
9. Ha-Seong Kim (SS)

If Ha-Seong Kim opts into his $16 million player option for next season, which most people expect, the Braves don’t really have many places where they can upgrade this offseason. They just have to hope their core players experience bounce back campaigns and start playing closer to their career norms.

One area where the Braves should be looking to improve, however, is the designated hitter spot. Marcell Ozuna is a free agent, and while Drake Baldwin is a serviceable DH, Sean Murphy is not. Adding a guy like Kyle Schwarber would be a dream, but that’s probably not realistic, given the Braves’ track record. Unfortunately, the options outside of him aren’t exactly sexy.

Prediction: Braves Re-Sign Marcell Ozuna

Bench

• Sean Murphy
• Nick Allen
• Nacho Alvarez Jr.
• Jake Fraley

If the Braves were going to trade Sean Murphy, they should have done it at the trade deadline. He was red-hot, and there were no starting caliber catchers on the trade block. He could have demanded a haul. Doing it now will be impossible after it was revealed he needs hip surgery and will miss the next 4-6 months.

Overall, this bench is much better than it was coming into the season. Murphy is the league’s best backup catcher. Nick Allen is a fantastic defensive replacement. Nacho Alvarez is a good utility piece, and Jake Fraley was a nice mid-season pick up off the waiver wire.

Bullpen

• Closer???
• Pierce Johnson
• Dylan Lee
• Tyler Kinley
• Hayden Harris
• Joe Jimenez
• Reynaldo Lopez
• Aaron Bummer

If the Braves are healthy, this group really doesn’t need as much of a makeover as some might believe. However, that is a big if. Joe Jimenez missed the entire season after undergoing knee surgery but should be back for Spring Training next year. I have Reynaldo Lopez moving back to the bullpen after the addition of Merrill Kelly to bolster the rotation.

The Tyler Kinley trade at the deadline is looking like a home run thus far, and Hayden Harris has been impressive since receiving the call. The big question is who will close games for the Braves?

Raisel Iglesias, who has been a monster after a really rocky start, will be a free agent at season’s end. The Braves could look to re-sign him, but there are a lot of really intriguing names available in free agency.

Prediction: Braves Sign Robert Suarez