Injuries were the Atlanta Braves’ undoing.In the end, they missed much too much time with their best players to go out and win the NL East once more. The team lost a chance to contend for the World Series after losing Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider for the season due to ruptured ligaments.

However, injuries can only bear a portion of the blame, even though they play a significant role in the Atlanta Braves’ 2024 narrative. Eventually, the front office is held accountable for failing to create a strong enough roster. The front office had plenty of time to replace their injured players, but they didn’t act quickly enough, which led to a season that ended in defeat.

 

The front management will now have to make some difficult choices this offseason, some of which could result in the trade of these three players or worse this winter.

 

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3. Cade Kuehler, a potential RHP, might be involved in a significant trade.

Who Atlanta might try to trade for this summer is the first thing that every Braves fan will be eager to learn. Although the Braves have a plethora of choices to choose from, the piece of the jigsaw we will discuss today is who the team would have to move to obtain their key trade targets.

 

Right-handed pitcher Cade Kuehler is the player who may and ought to be acquired by the Braves this winter. This isn’t because Kuehler is a horrible player; rather, it’s because he is a valuable player who is ranked below several of Atlanta’s top pitching prospects.

According to MLB Pipeline, Kuehler, 22, is the Braves’ tenth-ranked prospect.With his amazing fastball and wipeout slider, Kuehler has a lot of promise. Despite his brief stint in professional baseball, he has had respectable minor league numbers. With 60 professional innings pitched and 56 strikeouts, Kuehler has a 3.30 ERA.

There are a few past top prospects on the MLB roster, and he trails six of the Braves system’s best pitching prospects. Atlanta would do well to trade him for a proven player.

 

2. In free agency, OF Adam Duvall will be released.

It goes without saying that a team should include as many competitive players as possible on its postseason roster. However, the Braves did not assemble a 2024 roster that included every player who was competitive. Given his prior success in Atlanta, it may surprise you to learn that outfielder Adam Duvall was among the weakest players on the team.

Duvall, 36, had a season-long WAR of almost -2.0 and a.182/.245/.323 slash. He wasn’t doing much damage with the bat, and he wasn’t a danger to get on base. In terms of defense, Duvall had one of the lowest arm values in baseball with a negative FRV. There isn’t much evidence to support his return to Atlanta in 2025.

 

However, the Braves will let Duvall walk when he enters unrestricted free agency this winter. At the very least, it would be unwise for Atlanta to bring him back. Atlanta cannot afford to have a net-negative back on the roster in 2025 after he was a net-negative player this season.

1. OF Jorge Soler might be dealt right now.

Jorge Soler was purchased by the Atlanta Braves in 2024 as a temporary solution to one of their deficiencies. It’s not because Soler wasn’t good enough, but it’s not sustainable to have him on the roster for more than the second half of last season. He was actually very effective offensively for the Braves.

 

Soler participated in 49 Atlanta games.233/.356/.493 with 24 RBIs, 11 doubles, and 9 home runs. It doesn’t make much sense to keep him on the roster, even though he delivered a legitimate power bat to the Atlanta outfield. Let me clarify.

Last season, Soler was terrible on defense. Although he didn’t play defense in enough games to even qualify, Baseball Savant estimates that he was worth -7 FRV and -7 OAA, which puts him in the bottom 20 percent of the league. His numbers would be significantly worse if he played defense for the whole season.

Soler cannot be slotted in as DH because Atlanta already has Marcell Ozuna as their DH. Playing him in the outfield on a regular basis is also not an option. He has to sign a contract that will allow him to play as the everyday DH instead of an outfielder and pay his high salary.