Whether or not Alex Anthopoulos wins the offseason comes down to finding a viable Major League Shortstop and more quality pitching in the minds of most Atlanta Braves fans. The team’s next manager, Ha-Seong Kim, and which potential arms to add are the looming impact decisions Anthopoulos will have to answer this winter. However, one under-the-radar position the Braves will have to address is the DH spot.

Marcell Ozuna has manned that spot since the universal DH was adapted in 2022. Next season, Atlanta figures to utilize the Baldwin/Murphy combo for the majority of the DH reps. However, Anthopoulos made an attempt to land a player this past trade deadline that would be a great fit for the DH spot for years to come and if he wants to swing big this offseason he needs to try again.

Braves need to see if Byron Buxton has changed his no-trade stance

The eyebrow raising report we got back in August was that the Braves were one of a few teams that pushed hard to get Bryon Buxton this past trade deadline. Buxton ultimately shut down any trade thanks to his no-trade clause which he still has with Minnesota. However, the Twins are in clear rebuild mode after firing their manager and resetting their struggling roster lacking star power.

Rumors around Minnesota’s ace Joe Ryan swirled at the deadline as well, and there is every chance that both Ryan and Pablo Lopez are dealt this winter. Should the Twins go full rebuild this offseason, Buxton may reconsider his stance on the no-trade clause. Buxton cited his commitment to Minnesota, and was reported to prioritize keeping his family in the same city.

However, moving cities in the offseason is a much easier task, plus Buxton has Georgia ties being that he is from Baxley, GA. If Buxton gave the Twins the front office the green light to seek a trade, Anthopoulos should push hard once again to get this deal done. Buxton is a great player and cost-controlled, being owed just over $15 million a year through his age 34 season in 2028. It would obviously cost a great deal to acquire a player making that little who just posted a 136 wRC+ and 5.0 fWAR.

The worry with Buxton is always health (he played in 126 games last season, the most in a season since 2017), but when he is on the field he is always dynamic. Buxton hit a career high 35 home runs last year, and stole 24 bases without being caught once. He’s a great defender, but putting him at DH like the Twins did a lot in 2025, would hopefully help keep Buxton healthy for the long haul. Not to mention, playing Buxton in the field every once in awhile gives you plus defense in favor of the below average Jurickson Profar/Ronald Acuna Jr. defenders.

Buxton once said he’s a Minnesota Twin for the rest of his life, so it still may be a longshot. However, if by some chance Buxton has changed his stance and this door opens up, Alex Anthopoulos has to sprint through it. Braves fans are hoping the team swing big this winter, there may be no bigger swing out there than revisiting a Byron Buxton trade.