Atlanta Braves 2024 offseason preview: Can the Braves win the World Series in 2025?

Let’s take a look at the Atlanta Braves’ 2024 season, the questions the team must answer this winter, and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Twins, Mariners, Cubs and more?

Result after the season

After playing a doubleheader of makeup games to secure a spot in the playoff field, the Braves seemingly ran out of gas and were swept out of the wild card round by the Padres. They put up very little fight in a 4-0 loss in Game 1 and, despite a late rally in Game 2, couldn’t match the Padres in a 5-4 loss. The Braves will head home for the winter and hope for a longer run in October next year.

Things that went well

Somehow, the Braves won 89 games and qualified for the postseason in their final game of the regular season – and would still call their regular season performance disappointing. Such is life for an organization that is loaded with talent and has won more than 100 games each of the last two seasons. Still, there were some notable successes from this star-studded roster.

Atlanta’s pitching staff was excellent and produced the best ERA in the National League. Chris Sale was perhaps baseball’s best offseason acquisition by any team. The lanky southpaw arrived from Boston in late December and went on to win the Triple Crown, leading the National League in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Sale is close to winning the NL Cy Young Award, the first Cy Young of his career. Unfortunately for Atlanta, his incredible run didn’t extend into the wild-card round, when back spasms kept him from pitching.

Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach also emerged as excellent rotation members, and Max Fried and Charlie Morton remained reliable and effective. The bullpen, led by closer Raisel Iglesias and setup man Joe Jiménez, was also among the best in baseball.

There were far fewer successes in attack, but Marcell Ozuna stands out as someone who has had a special season. In a year where many of his teammates were injured and/or ineffective, Ozuna finished as a top-10 Major Leaguer in home runs, batting average and OPS.

Things that went wrong

Almost everything went wrong on the offensive side, mainly due to injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr. was the most disappointing player on the team. After winning the NL MVP award in 2023, Atlanta’s leading man got off to a disappointing start (.716 OPS) in 49 games before suffering a torn left ACL that knocked him out for the remainder of the season.

Acuña was far from the only star to let the team down. Michael Harris II missed two months with a hamstring injury and suffered a year-over-year OPS drop of about 100 points. Austin Riley’s OPS dropped 78 points before his season ended prematurely due to a right hand fracture on August 18. Ozzie Albies battled wrist and toe injuries, played in about 100 games and saw his OPS drop by more than 100. points. Matt Olson was one of the few guys who stayed healthy, but his OPS still dropped by as much as 200 points. Finally, catcher Sean Murphy missed two months after suffering an oblique injury in his first game of 2024. On his return he played so poorly that he lost some of his playing time to Travis d’Arnaud.

The pitching letdowns were much fewer, but there was one major problem: the absence of Spencer Strider. The right-hander was expected to be one of the most dominant starters in baseball and instead missed the entire season due to elbow surgery. Luckily, people like Sale and Lopez picked up the slack.

Off-season plans

The Braves may have the brightest future of any MLB franchise. The squad is packed with talent and most key players have reasonable long-term contracts. The infield is set for 2025, with Olson (first base), Albies (second base), Riley (third base) and Orlando Arcia (shortstop) under contract. Behind the plate, team Murphy returns and has a team option on d’Arnaud.

Two-thirds of the outfield has been taken up. Acuña aims to return from his knee surgery by Opening Day. He will play right field next to Harris, who will be the center fielder. Jarred Kelenic had some good moments in his first season at the club, but overall did not score well. Still, he’s only 25 years old and should be a payroll fit due to his low salary in the early stages of his career. The club will undoubtedly pick up the $16 million option to bring Ozuna back as DH.

The rotation has also largely been completed. Strider hopes to return in early 2025, and Sale, López and Schwellenbach will all secure rotation spots. Fried and Morton’s contracts are expiring, which should prompt president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to add a starter via trade or free agency. It would make sense to bring back Fried, who has played all eight major league seasons with Atlanta.

The team leaders in relief appearances are also all under contract for next year. With Iglesias, Jiménez, Aaron Bummer, Pierce Johnson and Dylan Lee all set to return, the bullpen is in great shape.

The Braves had a top-10 payroll this year, but should have room to keep their key players and add a starting pitcher. Anthopoulos has a long-term plan in place that should keep Atlanta fans happy for years to come.

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Prospects on the horizon

The Braves have some of the weakest talent in baseball in their farm system, which isn’t surprising for a team that has competed for championships in recent years. The good news is that some of their top prospects are ready to contribute in 2025.

AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep have both made starts in the Majors and could bolster the rotation in 2025 if needed. That said, both players have taken a step back in terms of minor league results this year and will need to utilize their control skills. to reach the next level.

Shortstop Nacho Alvarez Jr. also debuted in 2024 and hit .100 over 30 at-bats. Yet he scored well in the minors this year and is only 21 years old. Alvarez could have better results if he takes a longer look next year.

Catcher Drake Baldwin is the latest member who could contribute next season. Baldwin has solid plate skills and is improving as a receiver. His immediate future will depend on whether the Braves exercise the option on d’Arnaud’s contract.

Goals for 2025

First and foremost, the Braves should have a goal of returning to the top of the NL East after seeing their six-year streak of division titles snapped in 2024. After all, while this roster may be the best in baseball, there is a similarly talented group of players plying their trade in Philadelphia.

But winning the division shouldn’t be enough for the Braves either, who will be aiming for another World Series title. They have the talent to make it happen, and after terrible luck in 2024, the squad will almost certainly enjoy better health next year.

Fantasy focus

Fantasy managers will have headaches as they try to figure out which Atlanta hitters are ready for a bounce-back year. Acuña remains a coveted star and will be selected in the first round of some drafts. Olson, Ozuna and Riley should come off the board in rounds 2-3, and Albies and Harris will be looking forward to round 4-5.

On the pitching side, Sale should be considered a top-five starter, which likely means a Round 3 selection. Strider will be selected in the first five rounds if he looks good in spring training, and López and Schwellenbach should be drafted in the Round 10 series. Iglesias will be a popular closer option selected in the Round 7 series -8.

Yes, you read that right: the Braves, who barely made the postseason in 2024, could have eight players selected in the first five rounds of the 2025 fantasy baseball drafts.