Admittedly, the Atlanta Braves have had a home run of an offseason so far. Alex Anthopoulos has not only picked up high-end talent, but also improved the club's depth with solid acquisitions. However, for all his great work there have been other deals this winter that we would have loved the Braves to do.
Atlanta has been busy, and Anthopoulos does not have unlimited funds to work with, but there have been a couple ofoffseason moves that fans would have enjoyed seeing the Braves make. Whether it was a deal that fit the teams need (and was financially savvy), or it was a player with too much upside worth passing on those moves do exist. Here are a few MLB offseason moves Braves fans wish they saw Atlanta make instead.
2 moves Braves fans wish Alex Anthopoulos made instead
Cody Ponce - 3 years, $30 million
The 2025 KBO MVP, Ponce revitalized his career in Korea last year. Ponce was remarkable last season, posting a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in just over 180 innings. The former Pittsburgh Pirate saw an uptick in velocity, and added a splitter to his arsenal which helped spur his incredible season.
Of course this deal does not come without risk, as returning to MLB competition will test Ponce's adjustments. However, for $10 million AAV over three years, this feels like a gamble that was well worth rolling the dice on.
Brad Keller - 2 years, $22 million
Another reliever isn't exactly what Braves fans would express as a need, but newest Phillies reliever Brad Keller was drawing interest as a starter before signing his two-year deal with Philadelphia. With the additions of Iglesias and Suarez, the Braves have dependable right-hand pitching options in their bullpen. However, what the Braves do not yet have is that additionally rotation piece that would make fans feel really great about this offseason.
Keller has a five-pitch mix that allows us to think he could make the transition back into the rotation. His exciting peripherals showcase plenty of upside, where Anthopoulos could have found that "able to make a playoff start," if things clicked like they did in 2025 for Keller. There is no guarantee Keller would have been the rotation piece Atlanta was looking for, but with a deal this cheap and Keller's ability to slot back into a bullpen role is a fallback that makes this deal hard to strikeout on.
Truthfully, most of the deals handed out in free agency makes fans happy Anthopoulos isn't so reckless with Atlanta's funds. But the deals Ponce and Keller got simply had too much upside, for an area of need, to have been upset with the move. Although, the Braves missed out on these two possible rotation arms, perhaps there is a similar deal out there for Anthopoulos to finish off this winter with.