Now that the Atlanta Braves have a manager and the coaching staff is filling out nicely, the front office led by Alex Anthopoulos can turn their attention to upgrading the roster.

After a handful of particularly surprising decisions when it came to team options, the Braves’ bullpen is going to need some love.

Adding some rotation help would be nice, but no search looms larger at the moment than at starting shortstop.

No one wants to see 162 games of Nick Allen and less options at short for Atlanta, but finding a fit for the Braves’ needs is not going to be easy.

The free agent market now has both Ha-Seong Kim and Bo Bichette, but neither player is a perfect fit especially beyond certain price points. If Atlanta gets creative, they could find some options with real upside on the trade market even though closing a deal may be expensive and difficult.

However, one other factor in the Braves’ search that isn’t being discussed much is that the upcoming 2026 MLB Draft could change Atlanta’s long-term shortstop plans radically.

The strength of the shortstop draft class in 2026 could be an important consideration for the Braves this offseason

Look, the Braves are not going to run Allen out there (probably) at short for the entire season next year again just because of a draft pick. That would be colossally stupid and needlessly risky with a team that could contend for a playoff spot next year. It would be a major upset if Anthopoulos exited this offseason without adding another shortstop.

However, what could change is the length of any contract for a shortstop the Braves would be willing to hand out this offseason.

If you look at MLB Pipeline’s way-too-early mock draft for 2026, the top 4 picks are all shortstops including college shortstops Roch Cholowsky and Justin Lebron.

Atlanta’s exact draft position has yet to be determined and won’t be until the MLB Draft Lottery takes place, but the Braves will be picking high and the odds that a high quality shortstop prospect will be available when they pick is very high.

Given there draft status and the strengths of the class, how much sense does it actually make for Atlanta to hand out a six plus year deal to a shortstop this offseason when they could end up picking someone that is likely (though not certain) to be ready well before that.

That doesn’t disqualify a deal with Kim or perhaps an under-the-radar option like Jorge Polanco, but it might make the already unlikely pursuit of Bichette even less likely and a trade for a young shortstop like Jordan Lawlar less feasible especially with the attached price tag.

How exactly will the Braves navigate all of the decisions in front of them? That is really hard to say. Hell, we don’t even know if they will pick a shortstop with their top pick as a lot can change between now and the draft and we know how much they like to take arms.

That said, it is clear that the Braves’ choices are anything but simple.