Atlanta Braves

Off-season Overview:

The Braves had an interesting 2023 offseason . Atlanta lost some key players to free agency including relief pitchers Kenley Jansen and Darren O'Day, as well as outfielders Adam Duvall and Robbie Grossman. More importantly, Atlanta will play without Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Though Atlanta lost some bullpen pieces, they should be as good as last season with the additions of Nick Anderson (via free agency) and a trade for long-time Tigers reliever, Joe Jimenez. The Braves will have to rely on rookie shortstop Vaughn Grissom early in the year in hopes that he is a worthy replacement of Swanson. Perhaps the most interesting move the Braves made was the trade for catcher Sean Murphy. Atlanta traded away a big package in offensive-minded catcher Williams Contreras, catcher Manny Pina, and the young lefty hurler, Kyle Muller. Sure, Murphy is a great catcher, but the Braves already had one of the best catcher combinations in baseball with Contreras and Travis D'Arnaud. They certainly did it for a defensive upgrade and time will tell if the change was necessary.

Ceiling:

A World Series Championship. This Braves have proved time and again that they are not to be doubted. Atlanta possesses a solid starting rotation, a great bullpen, and an offense to scare any starting rotation. There is no shortage of electric talent in Atlanta that will be led by superstars Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, Matt Olsen, Ozzie Albies, and the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Michael Harris. If Acuna and Albies stay healthy... man this team will be a ton of fun to watch again.

Floor:

A wild card exit. I don't see the Braves missing the playoffs after last years 100+ win season. Having lost Swanson, one could argue they are a worse team. Don't sleep on Grissom, though. Even if he can't mimic Swanson's numbers, he will be good enough to not change the dynamic of Atlanta's offense. They possess the talent and experience to be back-to-back NL East champs. But, the NL East is stacked. Worst case, the Braves earn a Wild Card spot and lose to an improved NL Central team...(yea, it's the Cardinals).

My Prediction:

A 3rd place finish in the NL East and lose in the NLDS. This Braves team has everything they need to win a World Series, but so do a lot of organizations...especially in the NL East. The bullpen remains great, the offense is elite, but they will need to add another arm in the rotation to compete in this league. The Mets and Phillies made top market moves this offseason and Atlanta will only be returning a team just as good as the 2022 team...no better. Atlanta is still a contender, no doubt, and the stadium reigns supreme, but they are going to need some help to climb the peaks of the NL this year. Another great year to be a braves fan, nonetheless!

-- Cyrus Beermann