As spring training gets under way for the the Atlanta Braves, most of their roster is pretty well set for the start of the 2024 season. The lineup is going to consist of mostly the same players from the Braves' record-setting offense last season with the exception of the newly acquired Jarred Kelenic in the place of Eddie Rosario with the only reason question there being where he will hit in the lineup.
Most of the Braves' rotation anchored by Max Fried and Spencer Strider is in place now that the Braves brought in Chris Sale and the bullpen is stacked with a bunch of familiar faces along with a couple new additions from this offseason. As it turns out, keeping most of the roster that won 104 games last season together is a pretty sound strategy.
However, that doesn't mean the Braves don't have some tough choices to make in camp. While most of the big decisions have already been made, Atlanta has a few key competitions this spring that don't have clear answers at the moment. Here is a look at the toughest decisions the Braves have to make before the end of spring training.
What will the Braves' bench look like going into 2024?
Benches have arguably never mattered less in the game of baseball now that the universal DH is in place. Without the need for pinch-hitters nearly as much, the bench is more about protecting against potential injuries as well as providing depth than a necessary source of regular production especially given the way Brian Snitker manages. However, just because bench players aren't AS important as they used to be doesn't mean that they are completely unimportant.
We know that one the Braves' bench spots is going to be one of Sean Murphy or Travis d'Arnaud most days. However, with d'Arnaud getting older and struggling last year, there is an argument for the Braves carry a third catcher especially early in the season to allow Murphy and TdA to save their strength for later in the season. Chadwick Tromp feels like the easy answer as the most likely option as he is back on a minor league deal even though he isn't currently on the 40-man roster with prospect Drake Baldwin being a dark horse option as well if Atlanta is feeling particularly ambitious.
Forrest Wall, JP Martinez, Jordan Luplow, and Eli White appear to be set to compete for the backup outfield spot with Wall and Martinez having a slight edge being that they are already on the 40-man. It does seem like David Fletcher and Luis Guillorme are favorites to get carried on the big league roster as utiliy infielder back-ups, although the Braves could decide to only carry one of them if they want more roster flexibility early in the season.