The Atlanta Braves clinched a postseason spot on Friday night and hope to get hot as October baseball approaches. We have learned a lot about the Braves through their 154 regular season games, and despite returning to the postseason, this team has some clear red flags moving forward.
No matter what the team does in October, serious conversations about the Braves' future are necessary. To start, the roster is clearly flawed, and a few players under contract next season have experienced a disappointing 2026 season. What Atlanta does with these players in the winter will be a fascinating storyline to monitor. Here are a few names Atlanta has to strongly consider trading in the offseason.
Austin Riley is on the verge of being just the third player in MLB history to have 200+ strikeouts and less than 20 home runs, joining Drew Stubbs (2011) and Yoán Moncada (2015).
— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) September 16, 2026
Riley’s current AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS would all be the worst among the three players
3 current Braves that need to be on the trading block in the offseason
Austin Riley
Atlanta's third baseman has probably been the biggest disappointment of 2026. Riley was coming off back-to-back mediocre seasons and had work to do if he was going to earn the trust of the fanbase once again. Instead, Riley has put together arguably the worst season of his career, with an 80 OPS+ in 151 games.
This development is made even worse considering Riley is under contract through 2032. Trading Riley now would be selling at the ultimate low, but getting off that contract might be worth it. Swapping bad contracts with another team may be the only feasible way to trade Riley. At that point, it may be best to hope Riley can turn things around in 2027.
Reynaldo Lopez
Lopez has never regained his stellar 2024 form, and he has battled a number of injuries to boot. Inconsistent velocities, a lack of swing-and-miss, and a 4.38 FIP this season make his future in Atlanta quite cloudy. The Braves could have been done with Lopez after 2026 had they not reworked his contract a couple of years ago, but the deed is unfortunately done.
Perhaps a rebuilding team may want to take a swing on one year of Lopez in 2027, and should that possibility exist, Atlanta needs to pounce. The Braves still have rotation questions next season, but if these last two years have taught us anything, it's that Reynaldo Lopez is definitely not an answer.
Spencer Strider
This is a tough one, but trading Spencer Strider needs to be on the table as well. Strider is beloved in Atlanta, but the fact of the matter is he simply isn't the same pitcher anymore. Strider was struggling for much of the season before right elbow inflammation put a halt to his season in early June.
Atlanta clearly had ideas of moving on from the two years left on Strider's deal, as a reported Jacob deGrom trade proposal involved Strider earlier this season. Strider is owed $22 million each of the next two seasons, and if the Braves truly believe he can't contribute next year, it's time to cut bait anyway they can.
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