The 2025 regular season is only a couple of weeks away and the Atlanta Braves have some important roster decisions to make. Fans expected the team to do a little more this offseason, but had to settle for minor moves aside from Jurickson Profar who recently gave everyone an injury scare.
However, there was one offseason trade that may end up helping the team out. In November, the Braves swung a one-for-one trade with the A's for infielder Nick Allen. Minor league pitcher Jared Johnson went to the Athletics in return.
Allen was once a top prospect for the A's, but a drop in production led to the sides parting ways. He is out of options so he will hope to make the roster out of spring training. His name wasn't really mentioned as a potential candidate for the Opening Day roster a whole lot, but things seems to have changed.
Braves offseason acquisition of Nick Allen may prove more useful than they anticipated
Braves insider Mark Bowman reported that Allen's glove will give manager Brian Snitker a chance to rest Orlando Arcia more consistently than he has in the last couple of years. Before spring training, the Braves manager seemed intent on letting Arcia have the reins at shortstop again. However, his spring has been absolutely awful offensively and he has done little at all to make anyone sign up for 150+ games of him starting.
This is why Braves fans wanted the team to go out and get a replacement for Arcia. They reportedly had an interest in signing Willy Adames but he priced himself out of Atlanta when he inked a 7-year, $162 million deal with the Giants. Arcia's contract is just $2 million so it's easy to see why they passed on him but this could come back to bite Atlanta.
However, this is what the team chose so now they have to find a way to pivot should Arcia not be able to at least hit for average. Allen is much more known for being a defense-first player but he's been hitting well this spring. He's 8-for-17 with one double, one homer, two walks, two strikeouts, and three RBI. Arcia on the other hand is 1-for-15 with three walks and one strikeout.
Nick Allen facing Cy Young winner Chris Sale in the first live batting practice of #Braves camp. He hit one on the berm beyond left field. pic.twitter.com/dwVTFNy16H
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 17, 2025
It's doubtful the Braves will give up on Arcia without allowing him a chance to fix things in the regular season. So, Allen could initially join the roster as a defensive replacement, but may see extended playing time should Arcia continue to struggle.
Allen, the son-in-law of Bret Boone, had success at the Triple-A level the last two years with a .341/.428/.503 line, including 10 HR, 29 SB, 40 2B, and 69 RBI. That success hasn't translated to the big leagues yet as he has a .209 average across 247 games played. Perhaps getting away from the A's organization will help unlock what's been missing.
Arcia struggled mightily last season with a .218/.271/.354 line over 551 at-bats. Atlanta's offense struggled as a whole but Arcia's at bats were miserable to watch. At this point, he's having to hope neither Allen or Eli White relegate him to a bench role.