The biggest questions the Atlanta Braves must answer in 2025

Spring training is officially in the books, and now all that separates us from Opening Day is just over 24 hours of anticipation. The Atlanta Braves roster stacks up against many of the contending teams in the National League, but that doesn't mean they are the clear cut favorites in the NL East.

The Braves continue to tinker with their roster late in spring (including swinging a trade with the Angels everyday apparently), and there is no doubt they possess the star power to make some noise in 2025. However, this season is one that has a wide range of possible outcomes for Atlanta. Things will go right, and ultimately things will go wrong, but what are the biggest questions surrounding the 2025 Atlanta Braves? We discuss each of them below.

Will the bullpen remain strong despite the losses?

Looking at the current Braves roster the most uncertainty lies within the bullpen. While the top four of Iglesias, Lee, Bummer, and Johnson are strong relievers there's not a ton to be excited about beyond that group. The front office wanted to add to this group this winter with a splash like Tanner Scott, but sadly he was one of many who will be donning Dodger blue instead.

For the beginning of the 2025 season, Alex Anthopoulos pivoted to see what he can get out of numerous veteran arms hoping to bounce back. Atlanta needs multiple guys out of Daysbel Hernandez, Hector Neris, Craig Kimbrel, and Enyel De Los Santos to provide real value in the early-middle innings. Should those flyers not pan out or an injury occur to one of the big four, Atlanta will have to get aggressive on the trade market.

What do Acuna Jr. and Strider look like when they return?

Atlanta will begin the season without two of their most talented players, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider. Fans know how dynamic these two were before missing most of the 2024 season. The question is how they look once they return.

Strider has looked pretty impressive in his couple spring starts, but will he be able to pick back where he left off and continue piling up the strikeouts in 2025? Ronald Acuna Jr. is coming off his second ACL injury, will he start to play a more conservative style of baseball?

Braves country has seen both of these players do special things on the diamond. Atlanta's success in 2025 may very well depend on whether or not these two players can recapture the production that ranked them amongst the best at their positions. If they do, the rest of baseball better watch out.

Does the offense improve under Tim Hyers?

For the first time in a decade the Braves will enter the season with a hitting coach not named Kevin Seitzer. New Braves hitting coach Tim Hyers will get the chance to showcase a new look Braves offense in 2025.

The offense was historic in 2023, however they saw massive regression in 2024. Can the offense be elite when they aren't hitting the home run ball? Do guys like Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies discover the ability to draw more walks? Can Orlando Arcia be fixed at the plate? All of these questions play a key role into just how good the 2025 Braves offense will be. Hyers can't swing the bat for these guys, but it'll be interesting to see if the players are practicing what he's been preaching this spring.

Who stabilizes the backend of the rotation?

Opening the season without Spencer Strider and after losing both Max Fried and Charlie Morton means the Braves have two uncertain spots in their rotation. As of now Grant Holmes and top pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver will get the first chance to nail down a spot in the backend of the rotation.

Holmes was a feel-good story in 2024, but he pitched well enough for the Braves to entrust him with a rotation spot in 2025. Smith-Shawver has been banging on the door of the majors for a couple seasons now, and because he is finally healthy he looks poised to contribute. Will these two do well enough to keep the Braves in ballgames consistently? Or will their performance and lack of inspiring alternatives behind them have fans wishing the team would've signed a starting pitcher this winter?

Will the Braves stay healthy enough to compete in October?

Lastly, and most importantly is this the year the Braves can finally role into October with a squad healthy enough to compete? The past few years have been a struggle in the healthy starting pitching department, and contributed to Atlanta's early exits.

However, the offense hasn't faired much better in October. The entire team felt snake-bitten last year, so hopefully we get the inverse of that in 2025. Fans desperately want to see the many stars that makeup this offense on the field for a full season. Should that happen in 2025, there's no limit to what type of numbers this offense could put up.

More Braves News from House That Hank Built