{"id":84172,"date":"2025-08-28T01:38:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T01:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=84172"},"modified":"2025-08-28T01:38:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T01:38:36","slug":"breaking-braves-exercising-club-option-for-ozzie-albies-is-a-no-brainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=84172","title":{"rendered":"Breaking: Braves exercising club option for Ozzie Albies is a no-brainer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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He\u2019s been having a rough season but that\u2019s why his team-friendly contract is, well, team-friendly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission.\u00a0See our ethics statement.<\/p>\n

Earlier today, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com\u00a0released an article\u00a0discussing 25 players across Major League Baseball who currently have some big decisions ahead of them \u2014 whether it\u2019s a player option or a club option, these are usually some major decisions that need to be made during the offseason.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Atlanta Braves had one of those players and I\u2019m pretty sure it\u2019s someone you\u2019re all very aware of. Ozzie Albies has a club option for next year and as Feinsand mentioned in this article, there doesn\u2019t appear to be much of a decision here. It\u2019s more than likely that the Braves will exercise the option and bring him back for next season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[H]is contract is quite team-friendly, with $7 million options for both 2026 and 2027, each of which includes a $4 million buyout. The $3 million difference between the buyout and the contract make it very likely that the Braves bring him back next season as he looks to bounce back another year removed from wrist surgery.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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That\u2019s pretty much the ballgame on this issue, folks. Ozzie Albies signed arguably the most team-friendly contract extension in baseball (and maybe in all of North American sports) when he agreed to a seven-year, $35 milllion deal starting in 2019. Ever since then, he\u2019s had three great seasons (4.2 fWAR in 2019, 3.7 fWAR in 2021, 4.1 fWAR in 2023), that weird 2020 COVID-affected season and three middling-to-bad seasons. Ozzie produced 0.7 fWAR in just 29 games during that strange 2020 season and as of right now, he\u2019s trailing that season by 0.3 fWAR, as he\u2019s produced a middling 0.4 fWAR through 131 games here in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The only reasons why the Braves aren\u2019t going to cut bait is because, again, the money just makes sense and there\u2019s still hope that he can turn it around at some point in the future. That\u2019s basically the end of the story, here: Unless something incredibly weird happens between now and Opening Day 2026, Ozzie Albies will be the starting second baseman for the Braves next season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"CLEVELAND,<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
CLEVELAND, OHIO – AUGUST 15: A closeup view of the Atlanta Braves logo on the Nike jersey worn by Ozzie Albies #1 during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 15, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett\/Diamond Images via Getty Images)\u00a0Diamond Images\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But what if they decided, \u201cHey, instead of (allegedly) spending our money on real estate, let\u2019s put it into the baseball personnel,\u201d and decided to go shopping for a second baseman this offseason? Well, the aisle is looking pretty bare in that regard. The second baseman free agent market next season doesn\u2019t exactly look super appealing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Gleyber Torres has been doing pretty well with the Tigers this season and it sure seems like he\u2019s going to command a pretty penny during next season as he will be the top free agent on the second base market if the Tigers don\u2019t lock him down between now and the end of the season. Brandon Lowe has a solid track record at the plate but his defense certainly leaves something to be desired, which isn\u2019t exactly what you want at a position like second base (plus he has a club option as well, so there\u2019s no guarantee that he\u2019ll be available). Luis Arraez has apparently lost his BABIP wizardry powers as he\u2019s been having a down season at the plate and as someone whose calling card in this present day in age is their batting average, that\u2019s not great. Thiaro Estrada appears to have peaked a few years ago, Adam Frazier certainly peaked a few years ago, and the trio of Brendan Rodgers, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Donovan Solano would\u2019t exactly inspire confidence no matter which one of them got signed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With that position having such a weak market, I\u2019d imagine that teams who have even somewhat productive second basemen will be keen to hold on to them.<\/p>\n

In this case, that would include the Braves. Yeah,\u00a0Ozzie Albies may or may not be cooked\u00a0but as it stands right now, he still looks like the best option for the Braves when it comes to their potential choices at second base. All we can hope for is that he\u2019ll bounce back and have a high-quality season like he\u2019s had in the past. He\u2019s certainly capable of it so we\u2019ll just have to see if he can actually make it happen since that currently appears to be the best-case scenario for both Ozzie and the Braves at this particular moment in time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He\u2019s been having a rough season but that\u2019s why his team-friendly contract is, well, team-friendly. 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