The Atlanta Braves’ roster is going to be pretty well set for a while. While fans may not like that answer given that the team is off to a pretty dreadful start, the reality is that most of the everyday players Atlanta is rolling with 1) have a track record of being much better than they are currently playing and/or 2) have a significant financial commitment attached to them.
However, not EVERY player on the Braves’ roster should be considered safe. In fact, there is a strong argument to be made that for a select few players, the team should strongly consider replacing them before we get too far into the 2025 season.
Here are the Braves players that could lose their jobs by May
For some of these players, the end of their time with the Braves might come even sooner than May. We can’t forget that there are going to be guys that lose their jobs once Spencer Strider and eventually Ronald Acuna Jr. return from the IL. Others could maybe stick around longer than that, but probably shouldn’t based on their performance so far and their actual upside.
Jose Suarez
When the Braves traded for Suarez, it certainly caused some eyebrows to raise given that he wasn’t particularly effective with the Angels as their long reliever. However, Suarez’s first two appearances out of the bullpen with Atlanta actually went pretty well as he has only given up a pair of runs across 6.1 innings of work.
The issue is that there is a chance his presence becomes redundant if the Braves feel like they need to move Grant Holmes to the bullpen OR if Rafael Montero works out. The Braves only gave up the ghost of Ian Anderson to acquire Suarez in the first place, so this isn’t a situation where the team is likely to be too wedded or invested to replace him.
Stuart Fairchild
The Braves went out and acquired Fairchild in the wake of Jurickson Profar’s suspension. The former Wake Forest product is far from exciting, but was a decent pickup as a stopgap solution to Atlanta’s outfield depth problems in the moment.
However, that depth is soon to lengthen with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. which makes Fairchild a pretty easy bet to get cut reasonably soon. Compounding things is that Jarred Kelenic is actually taking some good at-bats right now and Atlanta also signed Alex Verdugo who is gearing up down in the minors. Fairchild has some value, but the Braves are just going to have better options soon.
Bryan De La Cruz
Another piece of the outfield puzzle for the Braves is Bryan De La Cruz. While a seemingly natural platoon partner for Jarred Kelenic, he is a very ordinary one that has hit more like a mediocre fourth outfielder with a little pop than a guy that should be getting semi-regular playing time on a contender.
Assuming Kelenic’s improved approach continues to pay dividends and/or Verdugo gets an opportunity, BDLC just feels like the odd man out. Having a righty outfield bat option is nice, but Eli White is likely to match or exceed what he does anyways and there isn’t enough upside here to justify keeping him.
Bryce Elder
It seems like so long ago that Elder put together a first half that got him an invite to the All-Star Game in 2023. Ever since, Elder has been the guy the Braves call up for spot starts against bad teams given his inconsistent secondary offerings and extremely hittable fastball.
With Strider’s return to the rotation imminent, there doesn’t seem to be a great argument to keep Elder in the big leagues. He has minor league options remaining, he gets beat up too often by quality hitters, and he doesn’t have the upside to dream on of guys like AJ Smith-Shawver or Grant Holmes. No one is thrilled to see him starting games these days and if that is the case, someone else probably needs to have his roster spot.
