The Atlanta Braves have been one of the more aggressive teams in the offseason thus far, and as we inch closer to the winter meetings most pundits expect the hot stove to heat up. Fans are hopeful Alex Anthopoulos is prepared to spend big this winter, but there are a few players that we would be pretty shocked to see Anthopoulos pursue.
Anthopoulos will invest in the right player, but it's rare he makes a run at the top tier free agents on the market. This offseason, big names like Ranger Suarez, Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Bo Bichette all could be a fit for Atlanta based purely on roster need. However, each of those players come with the dreaded qualifying offer attached to their free agency. Normally, the right player could motivate Anthopoulos to disregard the loss of draft pick (signing a free agent who received a qualifying offer does this), but after Drake Baldwin's NL Rookie of the Year win, Atlanta's offseason strategy may have changed.
With Baldwin winning the Rookie of the Year Award, the Braves will get a pick after the first round of next summer’s MLB Draft. They would lose that pick if they sign one of the 13 free agents who received a qualifying offer
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 11, 2025
Braves may opt to keep draft capital, avoid signing free agents with qualifying offer attached
The Braves are not a team that is normally drafting high in the MLB Draft. However, after their miserable 2025 season, the Braves are poised to select in the top 10 of the 2026 Draft. Additionally, we know the Braves now have another first round pick after Baldwin's Rookie of the Year victory secured them a PPI draft pick. With that comes added bonus pool money, which allows Atlanta to implement their normal strategy of overslot picks after the first round at an even greater scale than usual.
The Braves' farm system is widely regarded as a bottom-third unit in MLB, but they have a golden chance to ignite their minor league system thanks to the PPI draft pick. The incentive of this rare draft opportunity could be too good to pass up for Atlanta. It's definitely an odd spot for a team that clearly wants to add impact players to the Major League roster.
There is no doubt any of the free agents who received qualifying offers could help, but it's much harder to justify paying them the big contract it would require to sign them AND surrendering a first round pick, plus give up the draft bonus pool money that comes with that. This problem could force Anthopoulos to take other avenues to improve Atlanta's roster, while simultaneously preserving the Braves' precious PPI draft pick. It's unclear where Atlanta's front office stands on this dilemma, but as rumors arise from free agent markets with QO's attached, we will find out just how much Atlanta values their PPI draft pick.