The Atlanta Braves are at the finish line of the 2025 season. While there are still a handful of games to play, much of the focus is starting to shift to the offseason.
Let’s take a look at three glaring questions that are on the minds of most as the season changes from baseball season to winter.
This is really two questions rolled up into one.
For at least three more games, Brian Snitker is the manager. He seems tempted to come back next season, but his official decision won’t come until after the season is over.
First, we have to find out if he will be back (question one), and then determine, if he isn’t, who will succeed him (question two). Reported candidates, so far, are bench coach Walt Weiss and former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker.
Other suggested candidates include former Cubs manager and former Braves catcher David Ross, as well as former Braves utility player and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa.
What Will the Middle Infield Look Like?
Neither Ozzie Albies nor Ha-Seong Kim is guaranteed to be back next season. The former is up to the team, while the latter is up to the player.
Should the Braves get the production from both players as of late next season, then they would have themselves one of the best middle infields in the game. However, they have to find out if the band will stay together.
Albies seemed like an easy choice to have his $7 million option picked up, but with another injury, that could change. In his final 26 games of the season, he batted .304 with an .897 OPS with six home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs. The Braves have to decide if, after the injury, they’ll get this production again or if they’ll be back to square one.
Kim has looked sharp since arriving in Atlanta, with a .289 average and a .770 OPS. With a weak shortstop market this winter, they’re likely hoping to find a way to keep him. He has a $16 million player option.
If they don’t keep this duo together, Nick Allen and Nacho Alvarez Jr. are immediate options to plug in. However, the Braves would likely need to find an external option, especially if they have to replace both.
With the rise of young talent on the team, the Braves have more in-house options for the starting rotation than they did compared to last season. However, they can’t rely on those options alone after how this season turned out.
Some notable starting pitching options who are unrestricted free agents are Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Ranger Suarez. They could also opt for a trade to acquire the arm they need.
There are so many ways this could go that a prediction can’t even be made. That being said, the Braves have to do something to ease this question mark.
