Atlanta Braves fans have to be thrilled with how the 2023 season is going. After taking down the Dodgers in a tight game last night, the Braves sit at 90 wins in early September (which is crazy any way you look at it) and appear to be firing on all cylinders. The offense is great, the pitching staff is finally getting healthy, and the bullpen has been, mostly, very strong.
It's no surprise that the Braves currently have the best odds of winning the World Series this year. Fangraphs has them at a whopping 29% to win it all and Baseball-Reference has them at a lower but still very strong 22.3% chance to claim another title. With what the Braves have done to the Dodgers who are arguably the second-best team in the league, the last few days, it is hard to argue with those numbers.
However, that does not mean, whatsoever, that Atlanta has an easy road to the World Series. Some teams are just better matchups than others and anything can happen in a short series. In fact, we saw exactly that happen last year when a very good but gassed Braves team encountered a red-hot Phillies team that appeared built to win a playoff series. The Braves will likely be favored to win any playoff series they are in, but there are a few matchups they would probably prefer to avoid.
Here are 3 teams the Atlanta Braves would probably prefer to avoid in the postseason
At the end of the day, all of the teams that make the playoffs are at least pretty good and would be capable of beating the Braves. This team is not invincible by any stretch. However, there are a few specific teams that pose unique challenges for Atlanta and if given the choice, the Braves would probably prefer to not have to see them on the other side in a series where the winner goes home.
Let's take a look at three playoff matchups the Atlanta Braves would probably prefer to avoid this coming postseason.