With the World Series marching on and Freddie Freeman becoming the next Mr. October much to the chagrin of Atlanta Braves fans, the official start of the offseason is only just days away now. There is going to have to be some roster housekeeping before the fun starts including the non-tender deadline and the deadline for options decisions, but things will crank up almost immediately after.
The Braves are a tough time to read in terms of when they could strike. There have certainly been times when Alex Anthopoulos has chosen to make his move(s) early in the offseason, but we saw last offseason that he is willing to wait out the market as well. What we do know are the positions that Atlanta would like to address this offseason and some of the names that could be dream solutions as well as some that would be....less than ideal.
Here are the dream moves the Braves could make this offseason (and a couple ones that would be nightmares)
Before anyone gets too excited, the odds that the Braves make all of these "dream" moves are basically near zero and there is a chance that they decide that the "nightmare" moves are the right deals for them for whatever reason (price, availability of other options, etc.). However, this is our best pass as to what the ideal offseason moves for Atlanta would be as well as some that they need to avoid if possible.
Re-signing Ha-Seong Kim seems to be the ideal start to the Braves' offseason
Now, there are some true "pie-in-the-sky" options here like trading for Bobby Witt Jr. or something, but we want to stay somewhere in the realm of possibility here and that ain't happenin'. Atlanta definitely needs a real shortstop by the start of 2026 and reuniting with Ha-Seong Kim remains the best option from a cost and production on both sides of the ball standpoint. This is the one "dream" that the Braves absolutely have to figure out because the alternatives are speculative at best.
Signing Bo Bichette would be an extremely costly mistake
Speaking of shortstop alternatives, Bo Bichette is a popular name for the Braves and that is not a move Atlanta needs to make. Not only is Bichette going to be looking for a contract that may approach $200 million at 27 years old, but he is a flawed player. The guy can flat out hit for sure, but he dealt with injuries this season and his defensive shortcomings blunt the benefits of his bat. Between the cost and being a net negative on defense, signing Bichette would likely be a big mistake from an opportunity cost perspective.
Trading for Tarik Skubal could change everything for the Braves
Okay, this is the big one and also the toughest one to pull off. The Braves want starting pitching depth and there is a good chance that soon-to-be multiple Cy Young winning Tarik Skubal is available in the right trade. Skubal only has one year of team control yet, so perhaps a package similar to the one that successfully landed Kyle Tucker last offseason would be a good starting point for trade talks. The problem is that EVERY team in baseball would love to have Skubal and will at least try to pry him away, but it is still fun to think about.
Signing Framber Valdez is too big a risk for the Braves
On the other side of the coin, Framber Valdez is the best starter available on the free agent market, but he comes with some problems. Not only is he going to be very expensive (and we know how the Braves feel about long-term, high dollar deals for pitchers), but Valdez has some make-up questions after 2025 which saw him throw teammates under the bus and even crossing his own catcher up on purpose because he was irritated. There are just too many decent starting pitching options (internal and external) to bring in a potential clubhouse cancer.
Stealing Edwin Diaz from the Mets would be absolutely delightful
Finally, we come to the bullpen. A reunion with Raisel Iglesias is possible, but going after Edwin Diaz and giving Mets fans nightmares sounds like a good idea either way. Diaz bounced back in 2025 with a 1.63 ERA in 62 appearances. He would have to opt out to make this a possibility and New York almost certainly will make a strong push to keep him, but Diaz is the type of lock-down reliever that this Braves' bullpen needs.