Everyone knew that Ozzie Albies had a lot riding on the 2026 season as we came out of a winter. The Atlanta Braves ultimately did decide to exercise his first club option for 2026, but there were absolutely zero guarantees after that. After multiple injury-shortened and subpar seasons, Albies' future in Atlanta and the major leagues in general was looking very sketchy, at best. Oh, what a difference a few months can make.
Albies started the season as hot as any hitter in baseball. He had an OPS well north of .900 at the beginning of May, and it looked like we were going to get the All-Star version of Albies again. However, after his production began to decline over the next few weeks, those familiar doubts started resurfacing, and it was fair to wonder if this was the next step in Albies' lengthy career decline.
Well, after another stellar run of play, that does not seem to be the case. In fact, based on how he looks and the amount of money involved, Albies is making the decision to exercise is last remaining contract option for the 2027 season an incredibly easy one for the Braves.
At this point, the Braves exercising Ozzie Albies' contract option is a mortal lock
The issue Albies had coming into the season was that while his contract option for 2027 is very cheap at $7 million, he wasn't even playing up to that low bar. Over the previous two seasons, Albies only managed a combined .685 OPS while averaging just 13 home runs a season and dealing with a seemingly never-ending series of injuries. It was frustrating for everyone involved, and while $7 million is nothing in today's market, that doesn't mean the Braves should continue to play Albies if he wasn't going to perform well enough to help them win games.
Well, Albies is definitely playing with some urgency these days. Over his last 20 games, Albies is the proud owner of a .329/.365/.553 line with four homers, 13 RBI, and just nine strikeouts. Yeah, he still refuses to draw walks, but that is just who he is at this point. Albies isn't a kid anymore, as he is in the middle of his 10th season (where did the time go?), so expecting him to become an OBP stud just isn't in the cards.
What Albies CAN be is a guy who helps keep the lineup turning over and puts pressure on opposing teams. Even though Albies has shown he can still win games single-handedly, he doesn't have to be a star. The Braves have those guys. They need guys who can be leaders in the clubhouse and strong complementary pieces. If Albies can just be that, Atlanta would be thrilled to exercise his 2027 option. So far, he has been that and even more this season.
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