In the blink of an eye, the Atlanta Braves are five years removed from their most recent World Series win, and for all the rhetoric about Atlanta extending its young core from the early 2020s, few players who actually featured in the 2021 Fall Classic remain with the squad. Here’s where each of the members of the championship roster is now:
Atlanta stalwarts Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Dylan Lee are the only current Braves that went on the championship ride in 2021. Albies and Riley each took home a Silver Slugger and a Top 15 MVP finish, while Lee, a rookie, was thrown into the postseason fire after just two big-league innings in the regular season. Ronald Acuña Jr. can boast a ring, but much to his chagrin, he missed half the season, including the postseason, due to a torn ACL.
Five years later, the Braves’ World Series champions are scattered across baseball
The World Series victory was tinged with heartbreak when Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers, with whom he has lifted two more trophies, following the 2021 season. The next postseason, Dansby Swanson stuck another dagger in the hearts of Braves fans by signing with the Cubs. Max Fried and AJ Minter followed the bright lights to New York, signing with the Yankees and Mets, respectively.
World Series MVP Jorge Soler and catcher Travis d’Arnaud have spent the past two seasons with the Angels. They regularly face off against Joc Pederson and Chris Martin of the AL West-rival Rangers. d’Arnaud’s backup William Contreras, who didn’t play in the World Series but was on the roster, was traded to the Brewers and has emerged as one of the best catchers in baseball, finishing fifth in MVP voting in 2024.
Still others are keeping their pro careers afloat in other venues. Kyle Wright (Cubs), Orlando Arcia (Twins), and Tucker Davidson (Phillies) are on Minor League contracts in hopes of making it back to The Show. Guillermo Heredia, whose swords became an emblem of the Braves’ magical 2021 season, began playing in Korea in 2023 and is the two-time reigning batting champ in the KBO.
World Series hero Ian Anderson, who once seemed like a future ace, is recovering from surgery and will miss the entire 2026 season. Eddie Rosario, too, is a free agent. Gritty bullpen arms Luke Jackson and Tyler Matzek are looking for work, while Will Smith and Drew Smyly, though they haven’t pitched since 2024, have not announced their retirement from baseball. Similarly, Adam Duvall, who reportedly intended to retire if he wasn’t offered a bigger contract for 2025, has yet to announce anything official.
A handful of players have walked away from the game. Ehire Adrianza, a non-roster invitee and breakout star in 2021, is working in player development for the Twins, and Jesse Chavez is now a bullpen coach for the Giants. Charlie Morton got a proper sendoff into retirement last season.
One player has been in the hearts of baseball fans as the new season gets underway. Terrance Gore spent the 2021 season with Triple-A Gwinnett, but his game-changing speed earned him a place on the NLDS and World Series roster. He did not appear in the World Series, but he took home a championship ring, his third in seven seasons. Gore passed away in February 2026 due to complications after surgery.