There were teams that dealt with injuries in 2025, and then there were the Atlanta Braves. Despite that, this was a team that looked strong down the stretch, finishing with a -10 run differential despite ending up 10 games under .500. Is a litany of change necessary to get back into contention, or just a few months of better luck?

A Bright Spot
C/DH Drake Baldwin not only made the team out of camp, but he’s the odds-on favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year (.810 OPS, 3.31 WAR in 124 games).

A Big Concern
Can the long list of seriously injured Braves return to full form within a reasonable timeline, or is 2026 already a bit of a mystery?

Related Links
2026 Braves Financials
MLB Offseason Guides

Pending Free Agents

After back-to-back monster seasons, Ozuna’s numbers fell off on 2025. With two very capable hitting catchers in Baldwin & Murphy now in the fold, there may not be a roster spot for Ozuna going forward. Iglesias was good enough to be considered for a multi-year re-sign.

PLAYER MARKET VALUE
Marcell Ozuna (DH, 35) $13.7M
Raisel Iglesias (RP, 35) $8.8M

Option Decisions

Atlanta boasts one of the larger option lists in all of baseball, with more than a few tough decisions at hand. Sale’s $18M is risky based on injury history, but the Braves need for depth in the rotation likely means it’s exercised. Kim could slot in as the everyday SS in 2026 if he’s healthy and he accepts his player option. Albies remains good value at $7M here, but could also be involved in trade discussions.

PLAYER OPTION SALARY
Chris Sale (SP, 36) $18M club option
Ha-seong Kim (SS, 30) $16M player option
Pierce Johnson (RP, 34) $7M club option ($250k buyout)
David Fletcher (INF, 31) $8M club option ($1.5M buyout)
Ozzie Albies (2B, 28) $7M club option ($4M buyout)
Tyler Kinley (RP, 34) $5.5M club option ($750k buyout)

Arbitration-Eligibility

The Braves extended most of their top young core into long-term contracts, avoiding the arbitration process and buyout out a few years of free agency in the process. This leaves a relatively inexpensive group for 2026 (projected at $14.7M in total payroll). A few of these players will be non-tendered in the coming weeks for roster spots.

PLAYER PROJ. ARB SALARY
Jake Fraley (OF, 31) $3.1M
Dylan Lee (RP, 31) $3M
Joel Payamps (RP, 32) $2.9M
José Suarez (RP, 28) $1.1M
Alek Manoah (SP, 28) $1M
Vidal Brujan (2B, 28) $1M
Eli White (OF, 32) $900k
Nick Allen (SS, 27) $850k

Guaranteed Salary

There’s an awful lot of value on paper here, but unfortunately an awful lot of recent injury history attached to these names as well. When it’s right, this is one of the best looking payrolls in baseball. But in years from hell like 2025, the early extensions handed out seem like major swings and misses.

PLAYER CBT SALARY
Austin Riley (3B, 29) $21.2M
Matt Olson (1B, 32) $21M
Jurickson Profar (OF, 33) $14M
Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, 28) $12.5M
Spencer Strider (SP, 27) $12.5M
Sean Murphy (C, 31) $12.1M
Reynaldo López (SP, 32) $10M
Michael Harris II (OF, 25) $9M
Joe Jimenez (RP, 31) $8.6M
Aaron Bummer (RP, 32) $6.5M

Team Tax Projections

The Braves enter the offseason with $185M of projected tax allocation across 39 players. Option decisions will change this number in the coming weeks, but Atlanta should hypothetically be operating with around $30M of tax space this winter. Will they be willing to enter the over-tax conversation in 2026?

Spotrac's 2026 MLB Offseason Previews