Most people agree that a primary reason why the Atlanta Braves struggled so much in 2025 was because of the sheer amount of injuries they suffered even though it wasn't the only reason. Assuming that the Braves are even remotely healthy, finding people that think the Braves won't at least be pretty good in 2026 would be difficult. Well, at least we thought it would be difficult.
This is the time of year for way-too-early predictions for 2026 and The Athletic took a stab at creating an early 2026 MLB power ranking before the offseason gets started. While these are just fun exercises and purely guesses at this point of the offseason, the Braves are not going to like their placement on the list as they were ranked just 16th by The Athletic staff.
Braves being ranked 16th in early MLB power rankings needs to be motivation heading into 2026
In complete fairness to Chad Jennings, Andy McCullough, and Stephen J. Nesbitt here who make these rankings, this is not a completely crazy ranking. Atlanta DID just put up one of the worst records in MLB this year and they are losing Marcell Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias on paper. The Athletic didn't just rank teams by how they finished, they just didn't ignore each team's 2025 results.
However, if you are the Braves, this should be a wake-up call and a call to action. Every offseason for years now, the Braves have been seen as a World Series contender even after the disappointment that was 2024. The shine is clearly wearing off in the eyes of outside experts and faith is certainly waning.
It is also important to note that the opinion here is far from universal. There is not a shortage of other experts that believe the Braves are still positioned well for the future and it isn't like Atlanta's rivals are going to be taking them lightly next year as they know what this roster is capable of. If Alex Anthopoulos hits the right notes this offseason, the Braves are going to be just fine. One hopes he sees takes like this one and uses it as motivation to get the roster in a great spot.