Such drastic action is not justified under the circumstances. This return may not include players who produce the same amount per dollar. There’s no need to overreact after the offense has faltered in three consecutive postseason games. Especially if injuries to key pitchers become a major factor again at the wrong time.
The Padres eliminated the Braves on Wednesday in a best-of-three wild-card series. The Braves failed to score in Game 1 and lost 5-4 in Game 2. The lack of points shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the Braves scramble for points over 162 games. His offense should also improve in 2025 when he’s healthy.
The Braves won 89 games this season, despite struggling to score. If their health improves, they may be able to close the six-game gap with the Phillies in the National League East. Good hitters Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies have all missed significant minutes due to injuries this year.
“Even though we lost multiple All-Stars, we still managed to make the playoffs,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “Resilience”.
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It’s unlikely the Braves will be blessed with an injury this bad in 2025. Anthopoulos won’t add much to the lineup, and the Braves are still expected to make the playoffs again.
It’s true that this season, even though most of the key pieces were in place, the all-or-nothing offense didn’t operate at peak efficiency. Once the lineup is complete in a long-term game, the pendulum of power will likely swing in the opposite direction. Adding a more disciplined contact hitter sounds like a good thing, but how can Anthopoulos do it while getting comparable value through a trade?
You could argue that Acuña, Albies, and Michael Harris fit the injury warning Anthopoulos outlined. Albee missed nearly 100 games in 2022 and more than 50 games this season. A torn ACL ended Acuña’s seasons in 2021 and early 2024. A leg injury limited Harris to 138 games in 2023 and 110 this year.
But all of those players are on bargain contracts. Acuña was named the 2023 National League MVP. Harris finished the season strong and was the team’s best hitter in the Wild Card Series. Albies appears to be the most expendable of the three, but again, the Braves could replace him with an equally productive player with a $7 million annual salary and team control through 2027. Will they be able to bring back prepared players?
The Braves don’t need a major hitter trade, even if it seems that way after another player was ejected in early October. It also takes into account pitching injuries that hampered the Braves’ game against the Padres. National League Cy Young Award favorite Chris Sale was removed from the wild-card roster due to back spasms. Then Max Fried, the team’s best pitcher, suffered a freak injury that ruled him out for Game 2.
After the Braves’ lineup staked Fried for a 1-0 lead in the first inning, he escaped a base-loaded predicament in the bottom of the inning. However, San Diego’s No. 2 hitter, Fernando Tatis Jr., hit a line drive that hit Fried in the muscle in his left hip. Fried said his muscles tightened during the second inning, when the Padres turned a one-run deficit into a four-run lead after allowing six consecutive hits.
Fried said, “In the end, I felt depressed and frustrated because I thought I played enough to win, but I fell into a too big hole and lost.” “That’s certainly a hard thing to swallow.”
The Braves didn’t go away quietly. Just like on Tuesday, the bullpen kept them in the game even after their starting pitching went bad. Jorge Soler’s solo home run in the 5th inning and Harris’ 2-run run in the 8th brought the lead to one point.
But that was the only run the Braves could muster. After losing to the Phillies 3-1 in the NLDS series, they failed to win a single game this postseason.
Harris said: “I think it was a pretty positive season considering the team hasn’t been playing well and we haven’t played with the same lineup since day one. Winning 89 games is pretty good for this season and ( We even had a chance to go to the World Series (at that time). I’m really proud of this group and our connection. Even when we don’t have everyone together like we usually do, we come together and win games. I was able to do that.”
This situation will likely change next season. There’s no way the Braves will be hit with an injury this bad again. It’s hard to imagine so many good hitters being sluggish for so long at the same time.
The pitching staff will be strong again in 2025. Fried is scheduled to become a free agent, while Sale is under contract for next season. The same goes for right-hander Spencer Strider, who started just two games this season before undergoing elbow surgery. Spencer Schwellenbach is looking to build on a strong rookie season in which he started 21 games and finished with a 3.35 ERA.
What the Braves have lacked this season is a consistent offense. That’s the main reason they had to sneak into the wild card round with a Game 162 victory. That’s why their postseason stay was short for the third year in a row.
However, Anthopoulos shouldn’t need to make a big trade to revamp his lineup due to a lack of offensive power. It’s best to keep this group together and bet on improved health and productivity to make another run toward the 2025 postseason.
