Progress report: Atlanta Braves

2024 finish: 89-73 (2nd in NL East; lost in NL wild-card series)
Manager: Brian Snitker (10th season, 735-582)
Leading the front office: Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations and general manager (8th season)

Largest luxury tax hit: 3B Austin Riley ($21.2 million)
Top returning player(s): DH Marcell Ozuna (4.7 fWAR), 1B Matt Olson (2.6), 3B Austin Riley (2.4)
Top returning starting pitcher(s): LHP Chris Sale (6.4 fWAR), RHP Reynaldo Lopez (3.5), RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (2.6)
Top returning reliever(s): RHP Joe Jimenez (1.8 fWAR), RHP Raisel Iglesias (1.6), LHP Aaron Bummer (1.1)

Key additions: OF Jurickson Profar (free agent), RHP Griffin Canning (trade), LHP Davis Daniel (trade), OF Bryan De La Cruz (free agent), 2B Cavan Biggio (free agent), C Travis d’Arnaud (free agent), SS Nick Allen (trade), RHP Enyel De Los Santos (minors), 1B Garrett Cooper (minors), C Chandler Seagle (minors), RHP Chad Kuhl (minors), LHP Jake Dieman (minors), OF Jake Marisnick (minors), 2B Matthew Batten (minors), RHP Hector Neris (minors).
Key losses: LHP Max Fried (free agent), RHP Charlie Morton (free agent), 3B Gio Urshela (free agent), 2B Whit Merrifield (free agent), RHP John Brebbia (free agent), RHP Jesse Chavez (free agent), LHP A.J. Minter (free agent), OF Adam Duvall (free agent), RHP Luke Jackson (free agent), RHP Jared Johnson (free agent), OF Ramon Laureano (free agent), RHP Huascar Ynoa (free agent), LHP Mitch Farris (trade).
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): C Drake Baldwin (53), RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (83).

The Braves have been to the playoffs each of the last seven years, winning the World Series in 2021, but injuries played a large role in settling for second place in the NL East and bowing out in the wild-card series in two games at the hands of the Padres. Not only did Ronald Acuña Jr. (knee) and Spencer Strider (elbow) suffer season-ending injuries, 3B Austin Riley and OF Michael Harris II both played in just 110 games and 2B Ozzie Albies played in just 99 games. Strider could return by the end of April and Acuña could return in May.
Strider’s return will help offset the loss of LHP Max Fried to free agency and the Braves have plenty of homegrown options to help replace RHP Charlie Morton, but a healthy LHP Chris Sale will make Atlanta a favorite in the NL East. The 35-year-old Sale won a career-high 18 games en route to his first Cy Young award and would have been a bear for the Padres in the NL wild-card series if ailments hadn’t barred the oft-injured ace from the mound.
OF Jurickson Profar (.839 OPS, 24 HRs) started in the All-Star Game, punctuating a career year that got him paid after he finished 2023 with the worst WAR in the majors. Profar will make $42 million over the next three years, far more than the Padres were willing to match to keep the fan favorite in San Diego.