Building a playoff team out of former Atlanta Braves players

Not many teams would want to even face a roster of the Braves' cast-offs.

Sep 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) runs to
Sep 26, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) runs to | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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LF - Jorge Soler

Braves' World Series hero Jorge Soler is next up and honestly, switching him with the DH spot would be a perfectly defensible choice as well. The defense out in left from Soler is not ideal, but he has come back from an injury-riddled 2022 season in Miami to hit 36 homers this season for the Marlins. Soler wouldn't be the most consistent hitter in this lineup by a long shot, but his insane raw power can still take over a game.

DH - Joc Pederson

Every team needs at least one hype man in the clubhouse and there isn't a better one in the league than Joc Pederson. After he left the Braves, Joc put up some awesome numbers for the Giants at the plate in 2022 before seeing those numbers back up a bit this year. Joc is likely a back third of the lineup guy on this roster, but he still posted a 116 wRC+ in 2023 and everyone would love seeing him put the pearls back on for another postseason run.

SP - Kevin Gausman

The pitching staff is up next and Kevin Gausman's tenure in Atlanta was a weird one. A lot of the peripherals liked him a lot back in 2019, but he never could get much going that season and he ended up with a 6.17 ERA for the Braves before the Reds claimed him off the waiver wire. Unfortunately for the Braves, he has turned into one of the best pitchers in the league over the last three seasons and he is the ace of the staff on this roster.

SP - Julio Teheran

With all of those bad Braves teams that Julio Teheran had to play on, it feels right for him to get a spot here. Teheran could be an adventure at times when he was with the Braves, but the guy played his brains out for Atlanta including making two All-Star teams. It has been hard for Julio to stick around the league after he left the Braves before the 2020 season, but he fought his way back in 2023 and has been pretty okay with the Brewers with a 4.66 ERA in 13 games with them.

Schedule