Are the Braves Wasting the Window?
For the last few years, the Braves have been regarded as the team set up to make a run at the World Series for years to come. One of the main reasons this discussion was happening came from the "Core Group" the Braves had secured: players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, and Max Fried. These were all players that the Braves had developed and successfully brought up to the league with tremendous production. Not to mention, all were under team control for the foreseeable future. The Braves further solidified that control by signing Albies and Acuña Jr. to long-term, team-friendly deals and extending Riley at a decent rate as well. The plan seemed to be in place, culminating in the ultimate prize: a World Series Championship in 2021. Fans witnessed the hard work of the front office come together with this young core group and the leadership of Freddie Freeman in the clubhouse. The team appeared to be on a trajectory toward winning multiple championships—something everyone thought the Braves of the '90s should have done but ultimately fell short of.
Fast forward to this off-season and many fans are scratching their heads. We look at the roster and suddenly it isn’t as recognizable. Large missing pieces in Freddie Freeman, Dansby Swanson, and Max Fried (all free agency departures) make you wonder what is going on. Yes, there have been some good additions such as Matt Olson and Sean Murphy; however, I don’t think anyone would argue that their production has been fully up to par with the expectations set for them. Olson has had the home run production that is needed, but hitting sub-.250 for the 2024 season is hardly what we would expect from a player the organization invested so heavily in with the trade and immediate extension.
As we sit here on January 13th, the Braves do not have a single notable signing or off-season move that would improve the team. Instead, we’ve lost yet another major piece, as noted before, in Max Fried to free agency. The starting rotation, bullpen, and bench, all areas that needed addressing this off-season, have seen nothing but idle hands.
How have we gone from massive optimism with a young core and veteran leadership to now sitting on the sidelines and watching other teams get better? The conversation has quickly shifted from, "Will the Braves win the World Series this year?" to, "Can the Braves even win their own division?" Ownership and the front office need to cast a vision because the way this is all playing out makes it seem like the organization has settled with their 2021 World Series win. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? Are the Braves wasting the window everyone said they had?
