For the most part, the Atlanta Braves have the usual end-of-season stuff to deal with. To the surprise of exactly no one, they exercised their club options for both Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies, while also reinstating injured guys from the IL as a procedural move. However, there is one aspect to the Braves' 2026 housekeeping that should be considered anything but a formality.
Looking at the offseason calendar, free agency started five days after the World Series ends, which put the start of the offseason chaos on November 2 this year. This is important because the days between the end of the World Series and the start of free agency are an exclusive negotiating window that teams have with their pending free agents, which include the Braves' Tyler Mahle and Mauricio Dubon.
Getting this close to the start of free agency and then trying to get a deal done before the market opens is tough, but the Braves may need to beat the odds with both Mahle and Dubon if they want to have a successful offseason.
Braves must strike quickly if they are going to avoid unnecessary bidding wars with Tyler Mahle and Mauricio Dubon
Here is what we know ahead of the offseason, or at least some of what we know. The Braves desperately need rotation depth and a shortstop heading into 2027. Dubon may not be a perfect shortstop, but he is markedly better than the other free-agent options for Atlanta, and Mahle was great for the Braves after being acquired at the trade deadline. In essence, two of the best targets for the Braves this offseason also happen to be two guys that played for them last year and who have shown a desire to return.
However, fans should expect real problems if free agency opens up and the other teams around the league can openly court Mahle and Dubon. While they are not top-tier free agents in this market, both Mahle and Dubon will absolutely get interest from multiple teams, including those with deep pockets.
That is what makes this window so crucial. Alex Anthopoulos already said that he plans on taking full advantage of this exclusive negotiating window when asked about Mahle and Dubon, but we have heard precious little about the odds of any deal being struck. That may mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it certainly isn’t good news, either. If these two guys want to stay with the Braves, the front office needs to get serious about giving them offers that make them want to sign quickly.
Unfortunately, part of the issue the Braves now face is that if Mahle and Dubon are looking to maximize the offers they receive, talking to Atlanta now serves little purpose. Waiting until the market opens to gain maximum leverage is the smart business decision. If that is how this plays out, the Braves may find out they are going to be behind the eight ball right out of the gate.
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