Braves offseason outlook: Acuña option, Albies decision, and a rotation to rebuild

What happened

The Atlanta Braves closed out a 94-68 regular season, won the NL East, and knocked out the Phillies in the wild card round before the Dodgers ended their postseason run in the NLDS. That's a meaningful turnaround from a 76-86 campaign in 2025, and it sets the table for an offseason that, per MLB Trade Rumors' Mark Polishuk, carries both genuine optimism and some real structural questions.

The core of the lineup is expected to return. Per Polishuk's outlook, Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuña Jr. are all on track to be back at their regular positions in 2027. Mike Yastrzemski, under contract for $10MM through 2027 with a club option for 2028, is expected to factor into the corner outfield in a platoon role.

Why it matters

The Braves are carrying $439MM in total future commitments — assuming the Acuña and Albies options are exercised — with $190MM guaranteed for 2027 alone. That's a significant payroll architecture, and it shapes every decision Atlanta makes this winter, from free-agent pursuits to arbitration calls to how aggressively they move on rotation depth.

The club's guaranteed contracts run deep: Austin Riley at $132MM through 2029, Matt Olson at $66MM through 2029, Spencer Strider at $49MM through 2028, Michael Harris II at $46MM through 2030, Robert Suarez at $32MM through 2028, Sean Murphy at $30MM through 2028, Chris Sale at $27MM through 2027, Jurickson Profar at $15MM through 2027, and Reynaldo Lopez at $8MM through 2027. That's a roster built to contend, but it also leaves limited flexibility for additions without corresponding subtractions.

The numbers

Atlanta finished the regular season at 94-68 (.580), first in the NL East.

On the arbitration side, MLB Trade Rumors contributor Matt Swartz projects Dylan Lee at $4.2MM (4.150 service time), Bryce Elder at $4MM (3.069), Michael Grove at $1MM (3.122), and James Karinchak at $1.1MM (4.130). Joey Wentz, at 3.166 service time, is projected at $900K. Polishuk identifies Karinchak, Wentz, and Grove as non-tender candidates.

Where the club stands

Atlanta enters the offseason having won the NL East at 94-68 (.580), sitting first in the division. The team's most recent result was a loss — a streak of L1 heading into the winter — which is the particular sting of a postseason exit: the last game always goes in the wrong column.

The Braves' payroll commitments, per Polishuk's outlook, total $439MM in future guarantees assuming both pending options are exercised, with $190MM locked in for 2027 specifically. That number is the financial backdrop against which every roster move this offseason will be evaluated.

What we don't know yet

### Will the Braves exercise Acuña's option?

Per Polishuk's report, the Braves are "surely" going to exercise Acuña's $17MM club option for 2027 — the club also holds a $17MM option for 2028, with a $10MM buyout on the 2027 decision. The report notes Acuña was excellent in 2025 following his return from a torn ACL, but that the 2026 campaign saw — the source text ends there, leaving the full picture of his 2026 season uncharacterized in the available material. Neither the Acuña nor the Albies decision has been announced by the club.

On Albies, the report describes the Braves as "likely" to pick up his $7MM club option for 2027 despite what Polishuk characterizes as a third straight middling offensive season. Seven million dollars is an affordable number by any measure on a roster carrying $439MM in future commitments, but three consecutive underwhelming offensive campaigns from a middle infielder on a contending club is the kind of thing front offices quietly weigh even when the math looks easy.

The rotation picture carries more uncertainty. Chris Sale is under contract through 2027 with a $30MM club option for 2028. Reynaldo Lopez, who can function as either a starter or reliever, is locked in at $8MM through 2027. Beyond that, the outlook lists Tyler Mahle and Martin Perez among the free agents departing. A week removed from the NLDS exit, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos signaled mutual interest in re-signing Mahle following his strong post-trade performance in 2026, per a prior Posterior Wire item. Whether that interest translates into a deal remains unresolved.

The free-agent list is substantial: Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Mahle, Martin Perez, Mauricio Dubon, Dominic Smith, Brent Suter, Ha-Seong Kim, Lane Thomas, Kyle Farmer, Joe Jimenez, and Luke Williams are all heading to the open market. Williams' situation has already moved — the Braves outrighted him through waivers earlier this week, and he is expected to elect minor league free agency, per a prior Posterior Wire item.

The 40-man roster has also seen recent activity. Two days after the Williams outrighting, the Braves added Brett Wisely to the 40-man roster to shield him from minor league free agency eligibility, per a prior Posterior Wire item. Ian Hamilton, meanwhile, elected minor league free agency after being outrighted three times by the Braves in 2026, per a prior Posterior Wire item. Under general league rules, a player who has been outrighted multiple times and exhausted his options must clear waivers before any further outright assignment — Hamilton's path to free agency reflects exactly that kind of accumulated roster history.

One name conspicuously absent from the free-agent list: pitching prospect Didier Fuentes. Earlier this month, a report indicated the Braves declined to include Fuentes in trade discussions with Detroit centered on Tarik Skubal, a signal of how highly the organization values him internally. The 40-man moves this week suggest the front office is actively managing which young pieces stay within reach.

What to watch

The rotation is the most pressing open question. Sale and Lopez provide a foundation, but the departures of Mahle and Perez leave real innings to replace. Whether Anthopoulos re-engages Mahle — or pursues other starting pitching on the open market — will define much of Atlanta's winter.

The Acuña and Albies option decisions, while expected to go in the club's favor per Polishuk's report, haven't been formally announced. The non-tender deadline will clarify the arbitration picture. Karinchak, Wentz, and Grove are identified as candidates to be cut loose, which would trim payroll at the margins but also thin out a bullpen and depth rotation that will need bodies regardless of what happens in free agency.

And somewhere in the background, Fuentes waits. The Braves' refusal to move him in Skubal talks suggests he's viewed as a future rotation piece — how quickly that future arrives may depend on how much starting pitching Atlanta is able to add this winter.