The playoffs are all about individual matchups as the focus narrows. While the regular season is a marathon where survival is the ultimate goal, the postseason is a sprint to the finish where you pull out all of the stops. As the playoffs go on, contenders often find themselves with familiar faces that they must beat to keep their season alive in the opposing dugout.
The Braves' path to the World Series is difficult. After the division-rival Phillies, the Braves would then have to take down the Dodgers and, if seeding holds, they would have to get past the Brewers in the NLCS to return to the Fall Classic. Making matters worse, some former Braves players could be aiming to end Atlanta’s playoff run.
Here are the former Braves who pose the greatest threat to Atlanta's postseason run on the NL side
William Contreras
The Braves were convinced that they needed a catcher who was more refined defensively and as a game-caller when they traded for Sean Murphy a few years ago. There was wisdom to the trade at the time, but Murphy has dealt with injuries ever since. Making matters worse, the catcher they gave up on, and one of the players they sent out to get Murphy, was William Contreras, who has become one of the better catchers in all of baseball.
It remains perplexing that Atlanta thought so little of Contreras, given that he was coming off a 20-homer, 2.6 rWAR season before he was traded. Nevertheless, the Braves made their choice, and the Brewers ended up being the big winners, as Contreras has averaged 3.8 rWAR and almost 19 homers a season ever since he was traded. Contreras’ offensive numbers are down a bit in 2026, but you can bet he will be motivated to beat his former team if the Braves face the Brewers.
Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman is the most obvious name to mention here. The former Braves lineup cornerstone famously moved on to join the Dodgers after his agent seemingly botched negotiations for a return to Atlanta. Freeman fired his agent afterwards, but the damage was done, and he has been causing havoc for LA ever since.
At 36 years old, Freeman is starting to show all the miles on his body. 2026 was his first regular season with a sub-.800 OPS since 2012 and the first time he didn't get to 20 homers in a non-shortened season in a decade. That said, the man can still hit, and Freeman could still easily ruin the Braves' day (again).
Evan Phillips
A lot of fans may not remember that Evan Phillips was with the Braves, but there was a time when he was a very intriguing relief prospect who made eight appearances for Atlanta before being traded to the Orioles in the deal for Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day. It took a while, but Phillips eventually found his way and became a critical piece of the Dodgers' bullpen.
Injuries have been the story for Phillips, and he is only just now getting his feet back under him after recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, the Braves have a tendency to try to get their offense off of relievers, but doing so against Phillips and his sweep would be easier said than done. If the Braves face the Dodgers and a game is close late, seeing Phillips take the mound could be a problem.
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