In the early days of the offseason, information regarding a few Atlanta Braves players has surfaced.
“Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.” In the Buhler household, we refer to it as the gospel. From my late grandfather’s mouth to my fingers hovering over a computer and into your dome, bruh. You are welcome, I suppose. Baseball season is done, and there’s plenty of football to enjoy in Braves Country. However, the Atlanta Braves are in for an exciting offseason.
Although the entire coaching staff will be returning, we have to wonder what roster changes may be on the way. With a spate of injured players returning, there are only so many roster spots.
Will any of the Replacement Braves have the staying strength to make next year’s team? Everything will be sorted out in the end, but first, how about these three? While there was some disagreement over what to do with Travis d’Arnaud, his future with the Braves has already been determined. The Braves may have a better picture of Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury rehabilitation timeframe after tearing his ACL during a Memorial Day Weekend game against Pittsburgh. Also, is Atlanta looking to trade Marcell Ozuna?
Let’s answer all of these critical questions with the most recent Braves rumors.
For additional news and rumors, listen to MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, sign up for our weekly MLB newsletter, The Moonshot, and join the Discord channel to get the inside scoop until the MLB offseason. Atlanta Braves Rumors: What’s Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury timeline?
The Braves’ finest player, Ronald Acuña Jr., suffered a major injury this season. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL on the base paths during a road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates during Memorial Day Weekend. He wasn’t playing up to par before that. While he may eventually return to form, Don’t expect him to have a 40/70 season when he returns to the Braves. According to David O’Brien of The Athletic, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos declined to provide a specific date for Acuña’s return to the team. Anthopoulos discussed the return of Acuña and pitcher Spencer Strider. “Both might be opening day, the middle of April, the beginning of May, the middle of May, or the beginning of June. That would probably be on the longer end. And this isn’t to raise alarms. You simply don’t know. So I don’t want it to be, “Oh, man, they’re not ready for Opening Day.”
They experienced a setback.” No, perhaps the best time to give them rest and so on is in early May. Maybe it’s best to give them a little more time (till the beginning of June).”
Anthopoulos did suggest that he will have a better idea of their recoveries by February or March. “If you ask me this question in February or March, we will know a lot more. We’ll see how they’re doing when spring training begins. Maybe Ronald is sprinting about, feeling wonderful, and Opening Day is a real thing. Perhaps Strider has already thrown a lot of bullpens and feels fantastic. But if it takes another month or two to get them back in
The flow will be a fluid thing for us throughout the winter. I believe we will learn more each month.” Look. As frustrating as it may be for Braves fans, this is the proper approach. We’re talking about an outfielder with an ACL rupture and a starting pitcher with a UCL ailment. Saying they’ll be back on Opening Day when it could be closer to June isn’t good business. For now, let’s presume Acuña and Strider won’t help the Braves until June.
The Braves perform better on the field, but there is no reason to rush them back just yet.
Atlanta Braves rumors: What is Travis d’Arnaud’s status for the 2025 season?
It was a simple, yet wise decision. Travis d’Arnaud will remain with the Braves for at least one more season. He, along with designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and left-handed relief pitcher Aaron Bummer, were given club options for the 2025 MLB season by the Braves. All three played significant roles in this team’s ability to overcome such adversity and advance to the postseason.
MLB.com’s Mark Bown had the contract information ready as soon as the club options were extended.
For d’Arnaud in particular, this was a simple decision. He has been a key member of this team since joining from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. d’Arnaud won a Silver Slugger, a World Series championship, and made an All-Star appearance while playing for Atlanta. He also accumulated over ten years of MLB service time with Atlanta. More importantly, he helped counter Sean Murphy’s disastrous season.
In my opinion, this is the most important reason why Atlanta cannot afford to let d’Arnaud depart. The Braves have plainly shown their distrust of Murphy over the past two years. He was fantastic in his first year with the squad, but had a year to forget after straining an oblique in Game 1 of this season. He had no confidence.
at the bat, and his attempts to throw runners out were completely ineffective. Murphy had a horrible season for Atlanta. For just $8 million, it made perfect sense for Atlanta to extend d’Arnaud’s club option.
Atlanta Braves rumors: Will the franchise actually trade Marcell Ozuna?
This is ridiculous, and I cannot believe I have to answer it. While the Braves may need to address their lineup, especially with Jorge Soler under contract, I can’t see Atlanta selling Marcell Ozuna this winter, especially after he was extended his club option for $16 million. We are talking about moving on from one of baseball’s best hitters while he is on a reasonable contract. Grant McAuley addressed the Braves’ outfield/DH conundrum. Yes, the concept of selling high on Ozuna could be appealing, but you’d have to transfer him to an American League team, right? Why on god’s green earth would you want him to wreak havoc on another National League club? I’m not on board with that, and neither should you be. With Ronald Acuña Jr. still recovering from an ACL tear, the Braves have more time than expected to react.
More importantly, I believe Atlanta can retain Ramon Laureano at a reasonable price through arbitration. This summer, the Braves will once again be large spenders by their standards. Unfortunately, I don’t believe any of that extra money will go to Max Fried during his free agency, as he is very probably walking. Charlie Morton is presumably retiring, so there could be more money to work with.
Right now, I believe trading Ozuna would be unwise, though that may change in the future.
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