The Braves find themselves in an uncommon situation, outside looking into the playoffs.
Following the conclusion of the Brewers series, in which Atlanta was swept, the Mets eliminated the Braves from the last Wild Card place.
With less than 50 games remaining in the season, Atlanta could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Braves offense has been the team’s Achilles heel all season, but injuries, bad luck, and underperformance have prevented the club from gaining momentum.
Though I believe the Braves are talented enough as they are today to make the postseason, embracing the chance that they may not is critical because if our worst fears are realized, significant adjustments must occur this winter.
I’m not discussing Brian Snitker or Alex Anthopoulos. They are not flawless, but they consistently perform admirably in their particular responsibilities. However, if the Braves fail to reach the playoffs, they will have to make adjustments. I’m not even sure what the obvious move would be with so many of the club’s regular players signed to long-term contracts.
The one area that isn’t is shortstop, which could be improved. Orlando Arcia is a below-average offensive performer at best, and the Braves should be able to locate a decent replacement via trade or free agency.
Bleacher Report believes Atlanta’s shortstop is the most likely player to be traded this offseason.
This is a long shot. Arcia has been a solid role-player on otherwise star-studded teams in Atlanta, and there hasn’t been any public indication that the club wants to move on from him.
Yet the slide in his productivity since the 2023 All-Star break makes it conceivable that Atlanta will look to upgrade at shortstop, perhaps by signing Willy Adames or Ha-Seong Kim or trading for Bo Bichette. If so, they’d surely try to find a taker for Arcia.
Arcia is in the second year of a three-year, $7.3 million contract, with a club option in 2026. At worst, the Braves could employ him as a bench player, able to step in at either middle infield spot. Given Ozzie Albies’ injury history, that is an important role to fill. For that reason, I don’t see the Braves dealing Arcia because he won’t get anything in return.
