Spring training is finally here and the Atlanta Braves are ready to right the ship after a disappointing 2024 season. The offseason was tough as the Braves lost some of their biggest names in free agency.
Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Travis d'Aarnaud, and A.J. Minter all landed with new teams. Jorge Soler was traded to the Angels and left the team with three areas to fill needs. Atlanta's only impact addition was free agent outfielder Jurickson Profar who is coming off a career-best season with the Padres.
Atlanta has added pitching depth with a lot of minor league deals. It definitely seems like the organization wants to be cautious of the luxury tax threshold or give themselves some cushion for the trade deadline.
The starting rotation is still very good and the backend should be able to tread water until Spencer Strider returns. The Braves will still have an excellent rotation this season as long as everyone stays healthy.
As for the bullpen, it's a little subpar when you take a look at it but there are bound to be surprises waiting in the wings. The bullpen we see on opening day likely won't be the same one we see at the end of the season.
Atlanta's lineup remains deep and Profar provides them with a great option at the top of the lineup. He makes contact and gets on base often. The usual suspects all return to the lineup except for Ronald Acuña Jr. who will return at some point and make the lineup deeper.
Braves manager Brian Snitker gives fans a glimmer of hope with updates on Strider and Acuña
Manager Brian Snitker recently spoke with MLB Network about the status of Strider and Acuña. What he said is extremely encouraging for Braves fans.
Snit stated that both players will be on their own programs and timelines for return. He mentioned watching Strider's recent side session and noted that the ball was coming out of his hand well. That's a very important development as well as an exciting one.
As for Ronald, he stated he's checking all of the boxes so far and looking good. Snit did make sure to let the MLB Network crew know that Acuña hasn't done any "cutting and things like that". So, he still has some progress to make, but there isn't any news that should have fans concerned for the moment.
The most important takeaway is that he expects them back sometime pretty early in the 2024 season. Hopefully, that means both will be able to return sometime in May. It's very encouraging to hear things are going according to plan so far. They were sorely missed last season.