While there have been a lot of things that have gone wrong for the Atlanta Braves this season, the unfortunate decline of Ozzie Albies may be the most painful to watch. Once one of the absolute best hitting second basemen in MLB who made three All-Star teams, Albies has been a shell of the player he once was and now fans wince when he steps into the batter's box.
Despite getting off to a slow start this season, most people thought that there was no world where the Braves wouldn't exercise the club option in Albies' contract for 2026. At $7 million, that is chump change especially when one considers how much it would take to replace Albies at second with anyone passable.
However, being reasonably cheap isn't necessarily a reason to keep a bad player and as Braves insider noted after the Braves' loss to the A's on Thursday, Albies has been declining for a while now and there is little sign that things are going to get better anytime soon. If that is true and Atlanta truly doesn't want to bring Albies back next season, shouldn't the Braves just trade him before the trade deadline?
Braves trading Ozzie Albies makes sense if Atlanta is looking to move on after 2025 anyways
Now, this is not the most likely outcome here when it comes to Albies. The decision whether to keep Albies or not is actually cheaper than $7 million as he has a $4 million buyout on that option. Ultimately, the decision to save $3 million probably isn't enough for Atlanta to completely cut Albies loose. In related news, wow was the extension Albies' signed almost criminally cheap.
However, money may not actually be the issue here, but his place on the roster. Albies has been one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball in 2025. He rarely hits the ball hard anymore with his homer on Thursday against the A's being an exception and still failed to exceed 100 MPH in exit velocity. Albies' arm strength has also declined to where he isn't an asset on defense anymore. In short, Albies looks like a guy whose body is beat down from all of those injuries and who needs a change of scenery.
If the Braves were to trade Albies before the deadline, they could sell him as a guy with two cheap years of team control left who might still have something left in the tank if put in the right situation. There are so few bats on the trade market, there is going to be a desperate team or two that might be willing to really pay up for him in hopes that he could be that All-Star-level guy again.
Is that likely to happen? No, it is not. Teams can use their eyes just like we can and probably know that Albies is fading and the Braves would have to sell low at best to move him. Atlanta also doesn't really have an option to replace Albies at second base especially with shortstop already a problem area. However this ends, it is feeling more and more like the tenure of one of the key cogs on the Braves may be coming to an unceremonious end.