The offseason is in full swing, and while there have not been a lot of moves just yet, it is feeling like the dam could break at any moment. With the lockout set to begin at the beginning of December, teams and players alike seem anxious to get deals done over the next couple of weeks. The Atlanta Braves made one of the first major moves of the offseason when they signed Evan Phillips, but you can bet that the stove will keep heating up the rest of the month.
So what does that mean for the Braves going forward? Well, that first requires understanding where Atlanta stands at the moment from a roster and payroll perspective. With that in mind, here is some relevant Braves news that you may have missed amidst all of the chaos.
Braves News: Atlanta has choices to make ahead of Tuesday's Rule 5 protection deadline
While it may seem odd, given that the Rule 5 Draft probably won't even happen this year due to the lockout, all parties are currently operating as though the event could still happen at some point. On Tuesday, all MLB teams face the deadline to protect eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man rosters, and the Braves do have a couple of pitching prospects that may require protection.
The three prospect arms that stick out as Rule 5 eligible are Davis Polo, Cedric De Grandpre, and Drue Hackenberg. If another team wants to take a chance on fixing Hackenberg, Atlanta would probably be happy to let them, but both De Grandpre and Polo have looked impressive lately. With how much the Braves need to prioritize pitching depth heading into 2027, it would not be surprising at all to see them add one or both men to the 40-man.
Braves News: Chris Sale just made his second All-MLB First Team
While Chris Sale was awesome this year, it came during a season where there were several amazing pitching performances around the league. Sale ultimately fell short in the NL Cy Young race behind the Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski and the Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez, but he didn't come away completely empty-handed.
Last week, the All-MLB teams were revealed, and Sale was named to the First Team for just the second time in his career, the first also coming with the Braves during his 2024 Cy Young season. It may not be the trophy he wanted, but it is still wild that Sale is doing what he is doing at this stage of his career.
Braves News: Despite no actual connections yet, MLB insiders are still pushing Sonny Gray connections to Atlanta
When you have a front office like the Braves have, where leaks are few and far between, it is inevitable that speculation runs rampant as to what Atlanta COULD do. For years now, fans and experts alike have pushed this narrative that Sonny Gray could land with the Braves because he likes to play close to home. So far, that is showing no signs of slowing down.
In a recent column for The Athletic, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal talked about the Braves' likely position this offseason, and the topic of starting pitching came up. Once again, no new actual rumors were put out regarding talks with Gray, but that didn't stop the MLB insiders from continuing to say that the veteran "remains an obvious fit" for the Braves this offseason.
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