The 2024 calendar year is coming to a close, and the Atlanta Braves enter the home stretch of the offseason. After a turbulent year for them, perhaps there are a couple of New Year’s resolutions that could help them out.
Here are three of those right here.
Get Healthy and Stay Healthy
It’s not a hot take by any means that a healthier Braves team would have done better. That being said, staying healthy needs to be a priority after the onslaught of injuries last season.
This one is easier said than done, but it’s doable. Certain players will raise concern until proven otherwise, such as Ronald Acuña Jr. But others who were hurt last season should be fine because they suffered freak injuries, such as Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies.
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Michael Harris II has somewhat of an injury history, but this Grade 2 hamstring strain was his first significant injury. He gets a pass and we can expect him to be around to contribute next season.
Be a Bit More Aggressive at the Trade Deadline
They don’t have to make a mega splash. That’s not their way of doing things and it’s arguably unnecessary.
However, seeing a bit more than the single Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson acquisition would be helpful. They banked a lot on getting healthy down the stretch, and that didn’t quite work out.
The route of signing recently released veterans only worked to an extent – though credit to how well it actually did work.
The Braves have been more aggressive in a more dire spot. They won a World Series that year. That same aggressiveness might have changed things last season. It would benefit them to get back to that in 2025.
Trade at Least One Pitching Prospect for Proven Talent
The Braves are up to their ears in pitching prospects with many on the cusp of being Major League ready. On top of that, they have proven arms, such as Ian Anderson and Grant Holmes at your disposal.
Not all of these arms going to have a future on this team, especially when they’re part of a Braves organization that is currently in contention. Whatever the move is, they can’t be afraid to move some of these guys. They seem to have a couple near untouchables, such as Cam Caminiti and Hurston Waldrep, but the others should be up for grabs.
Again, it doesn’t have to be a major splash, but getting a proven veteran piece, either a bat or arm, would be a huge benefit for winning now.