Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin, and Ozzie Albies have each looked like the best player at their respective positions. Chris Sale is pitching like a man chasing another Cy Young, and it’s not out of the question that Bryce Elder finds himself back in the All-Star conversation.

Then there are the new faces — the ones nobody expected to matter this much. Mauricio Dubón has quickly become a fan favorite, Martín Pérez looks like he turned the clock back five years, and even Jorge Mateo has made a real impact despite just 12 starts.

At 25–10 — the best record in baseball and 8.5 games clear in the NL East — there’s very little to nitpick. The players deserve the bulk of the credit, but it’s impossible to ignore the imprint of first-year manager Walt Weiss and his staff.

“I think everything started with the coaching staff, to be honest with you,” Braves legend Andruw Jones recently said on 680 The Fan. “Not that they didn’t have a great coaching staff before — but this group Walt Weiss put together, it’s all new voices. The roster is largely the same, maybe one or two changes, but I give a lot of credit to the staff.”

The end of Brian Snitker’s tenure left a sour taste. Back-to-back steps in the wrong direction culminated in the club missing the postseason for the first time since 2017. But pinning it all on Snitker ignores the bigger picture — stars underperformed across the board, and the pitching staff was decimated by injuries. No manager was fixing that.

Still, what Weiss has brought feels different.

Weiss commands respect without demanding it, and more importantly, he gives it right back. He’s not interested in calling players out publicly — but he’ll go to bat for them every single time. That mentality traces back to his days under Bobby Cox, and it showed almost immediately this season when he physically stepped in to defend Reynaldo Lopez when Jorge Soler was trying to send him to the shadow realm with one punch.

But what’s really resonating is the way this team competes for nine innings.

Under Snitker, the Braves often felt passive late in games — especially when trailing. This group doesn’t. Weiss has managed aggressively, pushed the right buttons, and more importantly, instilled the belief that no game is out of reach. The result has been a string of comeback wins that have fueled this early surge and helped create real separation in the division.

That kind of approach isn’t sustainable over 162 games. But the cushion the Braves have already built — paired with the depth added this offseason — will give Weiss the flexibility to keep guys fresh, especially as key players work their way back from injury.

Weiss has aced just about every part of the job since the moment he was named manager of the Atlanta Braves. He’s assembled a strong staff, and the blend of his old-school backbone with a willingness to embrace modern philosophies has him pushing all the right buttons early.

In an organization like this, managers are ultimately judged by what happens in October. But through 35 games, it’s hard not to love identity this team is beginning to form under Walt Weiss.

—

(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

The #Braves today reinstated C Sean Murphy from the injured list after returning him from his rehabilitation assignment yesterday. The club designated C Jonah Heim for assignment.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 4, 2026

Sean Murphy is back in the lineup behind the plate, catching JR Ritchie, who will be making his third MLB start in his hometown of Seattle.

An All-Star in 2023, Murphy has been searching for that same level of consistency ever since. He’s hit below the Mendoza Line in each of the last two seasons and has appeared in just 166 games over that span. His defense still provides plenty of value, but the Braves didn’t hand him a six-year extension to be a glove-first backup who offers little at the plate.

The hope is that this extended time off allows him to reset. Murphy hasn’t appeared in a major-league game since undergoing hip surgery last September — an issue that had reportedly been lingering for quite some time.

As for Jonah Heim, the Braves would love for him to slip through waivers and remain in the organization, but there’s a strong chance another team takes a flier on a veteran catcher with a proven track record.

There was likely a brief window where Atlanta considered carrying three catchers, but with injuries beginning to pile up in the outfield, that quickly became a luxury they could no longer afford.

—

(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

He began his rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus, appearing in four games and hitting .333 with four walks. Now, he’s set to move up to Gwinnett after getting through back-to-back games over the weekend.

#Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Gwinnett this week in Norfolk, presented by @NorthsideHosp!

Read more: https://t.co/hLiK3ZeEOC pic.twitter.com/pHQEUd6Hlv

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) May 4, 2026

Ha-Seong Kim’s path back to the majors was always expected to be far less demanding than a pitcher’s — or even someone like Sean Murphy, who plays a more physically taxing position and was recovering from a more significant injury.

The final box for Kim to check this week is stacking full games in the field — going nine innings on back-to-back days. At the plate, he already looks comfortable, so it’s hard to imagine he’ll need too much time in Gwinnett.

A return next week, when the Atlanta Braves come back home, is starting to feel increasingly likely. Atlanta opens a series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday before hosting the Boston Red Sox over the weekend.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

The Braves likely hoped Heim would slip through waivers and remain in the organization. But a proven veteran at such a demanding position was always going to draw interest, and it didn’t take long. He was dealt to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations right before the first pitch last night.

The #Braves tonight acquired cash considerations from the Athletics in exchange for C Jonah Heim.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 5, 2026

For Sean Murphy, it was a rough return.

Within the first 11 pitches of the game, he burned through both of the Braves’ challenges. The first was understandable — a borderline pitch that determined whether it was a leadoff walk or a strikeout. The second, though, wasn’t particularly close, and in a one-run game, that’s the kind of decision that can come back to bite you.

At the plate, it didn’t get much better. Murphy grounded into a double play in his first at-bat, then struck out twice before eventually being pinch-hit for by Michael Harris II.

Given his struggles over the last couple of seasons, the noise is going to get loud if he doesn’t produce fairly quickly. But it’s also worth remembering — this was his first major-league game since September. He deserves at least a little runway.

The biggest storyline of the night, however, had nothing to do with the catching situation. It was JR Ritchie making his third MLB start in his hometown of Seattle.

“It’s been a dream of mine to pitch at T-Mobile, take the ferry back home and then sleep in my own bed. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Ritchie said ahead of Monday’s start.

For five and a half innings, it looked exactly like a dream come true. The command wasn’t perfect — similar to his outing against the Tigers, he had trouble getting ahead of hitters and issued a couple of early walks — but he managed traffic well and settled in as the game progressed.

Ritchie carried a scoreless outing into the fifth and recorded two quick ground-outs before things unraveled. A hit-by-pitch and two walks loaded the bases, giving Seattle its best chance of the night. Once again, though, the rookie worked out of it, getting Josh Naylor to ground-out and escape unscathed.

Then the offense gave him breathing room. Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley all went deep to open the sixth, turning a one-run lead into a four-run cushion.

That’s typically where a manager pats his starter on the back and turns it over to the bullpen. Walt Weiss went the other direction.

He sent Ritchie back out for the sixth — defensible on its own — but stuck with him after back-to-back walks to open the inning. That decision proved costly, as it led to a three-run homer before Weiss finally made the move.

The Seattle Mariners tacked on another two-run shot later in the inning off Tyler Kinley, and for one of the few times all season, the Braves’ offense didn’t have a response late, falling 5–4 in the opener.

It was easily the most questionable decision of Weiss’ first 36 games. Letting Ritchie start the inning made sense. Leaving him in after two straight walks didn’t, especially when it didn’t even buy the bullpen any rest, as he failed to record an out in the frame.

That said, over 162 games, everyone gets one wrong. And when a manager has been pushing the right buttons as consistently as Weiss has, a night like this feels more like a reminder than a concern.

—

(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

He initially missed just one game, then returned as the designated hitter for a couple of contests before moving back to center field. At that point, it seemed like a non-issue — especially given how well he was swinging the bat. But concerns started to surface when Walt Weiss mentioned Harris would primarily serve as a DH during the west coast trip and didn’t rule out a potential IL stint.

Now, four games into a nine-game road trip, Harris has essentially been sidelined for three of them — appearing twice as a pinch hitter and once as the DH. The production hasn’t dipped at all, as he’s collected two hits in six at-bats, but the usage tells a different story.

Something clearly isn’t progressing the way the Braves had hoped. Weiss reiterated before Monday’s game that this situation isn’t sustainable long-term, and an IL stint still very much appears to be on the table.

Michael Harris still day-to-day. Walt Weiss admited there will come a point Harris will go on IL if the quad injury doesn't improve.
"You pull the plug on it if it starts to get worse at any time. There's a tipping point right? We can't continue with this for anothet two weeks."

— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) May 5, 2026

The fact that Harris is even on the roster and participating in some capacity would suggest this is such a minor injury that there is absolutely nothing to be concerned about. There’s simply no way the Braves — with such a massive lead already in the division — would be taking chances this early in the season with one of their star players.

On the flip side, if it were such a minor problem, how come it’s lingered this long? And would the Braves have been better off just giving Harris 10 days off in the first place?

It’s certainly starting to seem that way. Hopefully, this doesn’t turn into a month long ordeal like the way it’s trending. With Ronald Acuña Jr. also sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Braves outfield situation is a complete mess at the moment.

—

(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

The Braves’ first baseman is hitting an even .300 through 36 games, leading the National League in home runs (12), doubles (15), and RBIs (32). He’s also arguably the best defensive first baseman in the game, coming off his second Gold Glove season.

All of that adds up to 2.1 fWAR, and if you prefer bWAR, Olson actually holds a more comfortable lead there.

MLB Leaders (bWAR)

Matt Olson — 2.5
Aaron Judge — 2.3
Jose Soriano — 2.3
Jordan Walker — 2.2
Kevin McGonigle — 2.2
Shohei Ohtani — 2.1

—

Olson was dealt a tough hand when he arrived in Atlanta, stepping in for a franchise icon that nobody wanted to see leave. To make matters worse, Freddie Freeman went on to thrive in Los Angeles, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers capture back-to-back World Series titles.

That’s clouded just how incredible Olson has been in his own right.

He’s played in quite literally every game, is tracking toward his third All-Star appearance in five years, and already owns the franchise’s single-season home run record. Since arriving in Atlanta, he’s racked up 158 home runs and 164 doubles — production that stacks up with anyone in the sport over that stretch, with no signs of slowing down.

This is exactly what Alex Anthopoulos envisioned when he made the difficult decision to move on from Freeman in favor of the younger Olson. The idea was always that the back half of those contracts would tilt the equation.

The early years may have made that bet uncomfortable, but these next four could potentially make up any ground lost and a whole lot more.

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(Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

That ceiling was on full display during Spring Training, when Fuentes struck out 17 batters — yes, 17 — over just nine innings without allowing a run. The performance earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster, and in his first appearance out of the bullpen, he delivered four innings of long relief, allowing just one run.

Despite that, the Atlanta Braves opted to send him to Triple-A Gwinnett to stretch him out as a starter. Three weeks later, after posting a 2.16 ERA across three starts, Fuentes was back in Atlanta for his first MLB start — an outing that lasted just three innings and resulted in four earned runs.

He was optioned shortly after, then recalled less than a week later — this time back to the bullpen, where he’s remained. And to his credit, the results have been outstanding: three scoreless appearances without allowing a hit.

For now, that role appears set. Walt Weiss was asked before Monday’s game whether he’d be comfortable using Fuentes or Reynaldo López on back-to-back days — both starters to begin the year — and didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Given the emergence of Bryce Elder and JR Ritchie, along with the return of Spencer Strider, someone was always going to get squeezed out of the rotation. López made sense because of his track record in relief and recent durability concerns. Fuentes’ raw stuff also plays in shorter bursts.

But is this the right move this early?

Fuentes didn’t look far off from putting it together as a starter. The spring results were dominant. The Triple-A numbers backed it up. Even his struggles in the majors came with a short leash. Moving a 20-year-old with that kind of upside into the bullpen after one start feels… aggressive.

And it raises a bigger question — how confident are the Braves in this rotation?

Outside of Chris Sale, there aren’t many sure things. Strider is still working his way back. Grant Holmes has been inconsistent. Ritchie is a rookie. Martín Pérez is nearing 40. And asking Elder to sustain this level for five months is a leap.

It’s a group with questions — one that Fuentes could realistically elevate if given time to develop.

Now, maybe the Braves believe he’s best served learning in shorter stints against major-league hitters. That’s not an unreasonable thought. But starting and relieving are two entirely different development paths. If Fuentes stays in the bullpen, stretching him back out later becomes a challenge, especially when he hasn’t thrown more than 22 pitches in an outing for two weeks.

This isn’t about whether Fuentes can help right now. He clearly can.

It’s about whether the Braves are comfortable reshaping the development of a 20-year-old with frontline potential this early in the process — and whether that’s a decision they might regret when the rotation inevitably needs him later on.

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Photo: Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire

The next obvious candidate in line — and potentially the most deserving of them all outside of Acuña — is Drake Baldwin.

Baldwin is coming off a season in which he hit .274 with 19 homers and an .810 OPS over 124 games on his way to NL Rookie of the Year honors. Superb numbers, especially for a catcher, but it felt like they still sold his offensive ceiling short. The start of the 2026 campaign is far more indicative of what he can be in a full-time role, as he’s hitting .316 with nine homers and a .923 OPS through his first 166 plate appearances.

Baldwin isn’t just one of the best hitting catchers in the sport — he’s one of the best offensive players in the game, ranking in the 94th percentile or better in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG. His Statcast page is a sea of red, but you don’t need advanced metrics to understand what kind of hitter he is.

The eye test tells you everything.

With barely a full season under his belt, Baldwin already has one of the most advanced approaches on the entire roster. He doesn’t strike out much, and he’s a nightmare with two strikes, posting an .811 OPS in those situations this season. He has power to all fields and is willing to take whatever the pitcher gives him. There’s nothing about what he’s doing that feels fluky — if anything, it feels like he’s just scratching the surface.

So, of course the Braves should be looking to extend him, right?

Not according to Ken Rosenthal — at least not yet.

“The Braves, however, have yet to seriously engage Baldwin in discussions on an extension, according to people briefed on the matter,” Rosenthal reports for The Athletic. “Their hesitance almost certainly stems from the reason catchers rarely get big money — the wear and tear of the position, even with days at designated hitter offering occasional relief.

“The last catcher the Braves extended, Sean Murphy at $73 million over six years, provided $39.6 million of value in his first year with the club according to FanGraphs’ dollars metric, which is WAR converted to a dollar scale based on what a player would earn in free agency. But injuries cost Murphy nearly half his team’s games the past two seasons and the first 35 of this one.”

You can understand why the Braves might have some hesitation following the Murphy trade and subsequent extension.

Murphy has had exactly one good half-season since coming to Atlanta, earning an All-Star nod in 2023. Since then, it’s been a string of injuries and underwhelming production, nowhere close to the player he was in Oakland — when he was arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball while consistently posting an OPS north of .800.

Now, the Braves owe him $45 million through 2028, and unless he turns things around, that’s a contract they’re likely stuck carrying.

But Murphy isn’t the only deal that might give the front office pause.

Strider looked like a future Cy Young winner when he signed his extension, and now there are questions about his future due to a litany of injuries. Riley hasn’t consistently matched the expectations that come with being the highest-paid player in franchise history, and even Michael Harris II has had his share of ups and downs as well.

Extending young players has never been a foolproof strategy. There’s a reason players are willing to sign those deals early — if everything were guaranteed, they’d all bet on themselves and become free agents as soon as possible.

The Braves’ recent track record makes it understandable that they’d be a little more cautious this time around. But if Baldwin keeps producing like this, caution eventually turns into hesitation… and hesitation turns into a much more expensive decision.

At some point, they’re going to have to decide whether they trust what they’re seeing, or risk watching another cornerstone price himself out of their comfort zone.

—

Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

The Atlanta Braves offense is the best in baseball, random guys are suddenly turning into stars, and the club owns the best record in the league while already threatening to run away with the NL East before the calendar even flips to June.

The two best examples of that might be Bryce Elder and Matt Olson.

Elder — seriously, take off the mask…

The 2023 All-Star spent the better part of two seasons bouncing between Gwinnett and Atlanta, getting shelled seemingly every time he put a Braves uniform on. He never once complained, but his time was undoubtedly running out. Now, he’s an All-Star again?

He entered yesterday with an ERA south of 2.00 — a number that actually rose despite six innings of two-run ball. That tells you everything you need to know about his performance through the first six weeks.

The Seattle Mariners scratched across two runs in the third on a homer from J. P. Crawford, and Atlanta answered immediately with two runs of its own thanks to a two-out double from Mauricio Dubón — another one of those unsung heroes that feels eerily reminiscent of the magic from 2023.

Then the game went silent.

Neither offense could generate anything meaningful until Olson stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth and uncorked a majestic opposite-field homer over the left-center field wall to give Atlanta the lead. Raisel Iglesias slammed the door in the ninth in his first appearance off the IL, and the Braves’ streak of not losing a series remains alive for at least another day.

At this point, all you can really do is sit back and marvel at what Atlanta has accomplished so far.

Bryce Elder has completely reinvented himself. Matt Olson has been the best player in baseball and has established himself as a legitimate MVP frontrunner. The Braves have been short-handed practically from Opening Day, and the injuries have only mounted as the wins continue piling up.

Series after series, they just keep finding ways. More than anything, though, this team feels familiar.

Every game carries that same electricity, that same expectation that something good is eventually going to happen — just like it did in 2023, when the Braves went on to tally 104 wins, clearing the rest of the division by 14 games.

—

(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)

Closer Raisel Iglesias has been reinstated from the Injured List. In a corresponding move, Carlos Carrasco has been designated for assignment. Additionally, Dylan Dodd‘s rehab assignment is set to begin in Triple-A Gwinnett, and Ha-Seong Kim‘s rehab assignment has officially been transferred from Columbus to Gwinnett.

The #Braves today reinstated RHP Raisel Iglesias from the injured list and designated RHP Carlos Carrasco for assignment. Additionally, LHP Dylan Dodd tonight begins a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. The club also transferred INF Ha-Seong Kim’s rehabilitation…

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 5, 2026

The addition of Iglesias to a bullpen that’s been depleted over the last week is massive news, but Dylan Dodd beginning his rehab assignment should not be overlooked. Atlanta’s still trying to figure out how all of the pieces fit in relief, and Dodd’s been an effective reliever from the left side over the last two years, recording a 3.46 ERA in 30 appearances.

Given the struggles of Aaron Bummer, Dodd could be the guy that unseats him whenever he’s deemed healthy enough to return to the majors.

—

(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

Johnston arrives from the Philadelphia Eagles, where he worked under Howie Roseman — widely regarded as one of the top front office minds in football. He joined Philadelphia back in 2016 and overlapped with Ian Cunningham from 2017-2021, before Cunningham moved on to Chicago. By 2024, Johnston had climbed the ladder into a Senior Vice President role within the Eagles organization.

Moves like this rarely generate major headlines, but they’re often just as important as anything that happens on the field. Johnston was extremely well-regarded in Philadelphia, and according to NFL insider Albert Breer, a couple of ex-Eagles executives believe Ian Cunningham and the Falcons “pulled off a coup” to get him to Atlanta.

I talked to a couple ex-Eagles folks who said Ian Cunningham pulled off a coup in getting Johnston out of Philly. Cunningham and Johnston worked together for five seasons (2017-21) under Howie Roseman. https://t.co/i4qyxZtbLL

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 29, 2026

It looks like Bryce Johnston will be taking over the role that was previously held by Chris Olsen, which heavily involves cap management and contract negotiations, areas he is very familiar with from his time with the Eagles.

When the injury first occurred, the Braves believed he’d be back around Mid-May, and that trajectory has stayed true to this point. He’s not a pitcher or catcher, so there aren’t nearly as many boxes he’ll need to check while on the farm. Once he plays in back-to-back games and looks comfortable at the plate, there’s no reason for the Braves to be hesitant in calling him up.

Speaking of catchers, Sean Murphy was also in action on the farm this afternoon, going 1-for-5 with an RBI and a couple of runs. Braves manager Walt Weiss said that the club would monitor his progression throughout the week. They’re comfortable with where he’s at defensively but want to give him some more at-bats in Gwinnett before he rejoins the major-league club.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

In his first season in Atlanta, Sale delivered a Cy Young campaign. The deal had already paid for itself at that point, but he followed it up with a 2.58 ERA in year two, signed an extension, and now looks like someone who will once again be firmly in the Cy Young conversation — health permitting.

You could argue he’s been the best pitcher in baseball since arriving in Atlanta. But what really adds another layer to this trade is the Vaughn Grissom side of it.

Grissom was a top-100 prospect when he went to Boston, viewed as a player with a promising offensive profile. Instead, he appeared in just 31 games over two seasons before being flipped this past offseason to the Los Angeles Angels for Isaiah Jackson, a 22-year-old still in High-A.

It didn’t make many headlines at the time, but Grissom is starting to show signs of life in Los Angeles, hitting .342 with a homer and a .939 OPS over his first 13 games.

The Red Sox effectively salary-dumped a fan favorite who has turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball, got minimal return from the prospect they acquired, and now that same prospect is beginning to find his footing elsewhere.

For a team sitting in last place, already having moved on from their manager Alex Cora, one can only imagine if things might have worked out differently had this deal never happened.

From the Braves perspective, though, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

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(Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Spencer Strider will make his season debut for the major-league club on Sunday at Coors Field.

Strider is slated to start Sunday at Coors Field

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 29, 2026

Coors Field isn’t necessarily an ideal spot for any pitcher to make his return after so much time off, but the Rockies offense currently ranks 23rd in runs scored, and there’s a lot of belief inside the organization that Spencer Strider’s improved life and movement on his heater will help him regain the form he showcased prior to undergoing InternalBrace surgery back in 2024.

Additionally, Walt Weiss said he doesn’t believe closer Raisel Iglesias will need a rehab assignment before returning. He’s eligible to be activated from the IL on May 5th, and Bowman hints he’s on track to return next week.

Raisel Iglesias could rejoin the Braves bullpen when he becomes eligible to be activated from the IL on May 5. Weiss says the closer likely won’t make a rehab appearance before being activated.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 29, 2026

The Braves took things extra cautiously with Iglesias when he started to feel some slight pain in his shoulder. Had this occurred in October, he might have pitched the next day. But with already such a large lead in the division and it being so early in the season, there was absolutely no reason to take any chances.

Iglesias has been lights out to begin the year, going a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, and he’s still yet to allow a run. However, the Braves didn’t really miss a beat with Robert Suarez in the fold. The two have been nothing short of dominant for the club at the end of games.

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(Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

The rollout came right up against Opening Day, leaving plenty of fans scrambling to figure out how they’d even watch the team. But a month into the season, things have stabilized, and Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller is already calling it a “defining moment” for the organization.

“The economics right now support our decision,” Schiller said, via Front Office Sports. “A month into this, we can safely say we have made the right decision, not just for the Atlanta Braves and the business of the Braves, but also our fans. … We believe we’re not only economically viable, but we’re maximizing that [opportunity], which we would equate to where we were previously, maybe even beating that. We’re also reaching more fans.”

The Braves are uniquely positioned to pull something like this off. Their reach across the Southeast — and really the entire country — stems back to the TBS era under Ted Turner, which built one of the largest and most loyal fanbases in baseball. Pair that with decades of consistent on-field success, and it creates a foundation most organizations would dream of.

“The Braves are different in so many ways from some of our peers,” Schiller continued. “We’ve always had a substantially different way in how we approach the marketplace, and we have television in our DNA. In many ways, we’re now returning to those roots.”

That pedigree is what makes this gamble feel more calculated than risky — and if BravesVision continues on this trajectory, the financial upside could be significant.

Of course, that’s where the conversation always circles back for fans. The Braves have built a financial powerhouse between on-field success, the growth of the Battery, and now BravesVision. The expectation is simple: that money needs to show up in the product on the field.

According to FanGraphs, Atlanta’s payroll currently sits sixth in MLB at roughly $252 million, a number that has steadily climbed. Braves Chairman Terry McGuirk has long suggested the club is aiming to break into the top five. If BravesVision delivers the way the organization believes it will, that jump could realistically happen as soon as next season.

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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

Murphy got off to a super slow start with the stick during his rehab assignment. That’s to be expected given he’s been out of baseball since September of last year after undergoing hip surgery. However, he’s begun to heat up over the last week with the Gwinnett Stripers.

The future of Murphy in Atlanta is very much cloudy. When they acquired him from the A’s and immediately handed him a long-term extension, the thought is he would be a mainstay behind the plate for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, injuries have really plagued him over the last several seasons. Combine that with the emergence of Drake Baldwin, and his starting job at catcher is never returning.

That’s not to say the two can’t coincide in Atlanta. The Braves love the aspect of having two starting caliber players at such an important position, and Murphy has proven to be an invaluable asset behind the plate defensively.

There’s a real chance the Braves keep him for the duration of his contract, which runs through 2028 with a team option in 2029. However, if his offense starts to show signs of consistency, he also might be the Braves most valuable trade chip come the trade deadline.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

That road swing — featuring the Rockies, Mariners, and Dodgers — made the decision understandable, even if it cost them a shot at the sweep.

Still, it’s another series win for Atlanta, which remarkably has yet to drop a series all season. There’s not much to nitpick — but there is one situation worth keeping an eye on.

Michael Harris II left a game earlier in the week with a quad injury. He’s played in four complete games since then, two of which came in centerfield. However, he got the day off on Wednesday, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggests an IL stint could be in his future. At the very least, he’ll DH during most of the Braves’ upcoming road trip.

Michael Harris II will DH most of this road trip if his quad doesn’t get any worse. But he could go on the IL, if there’s not any improvement

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 30, 2026

It doesn’t appear the quad issue is anything overly serious for Michael Harris II, but it’s clearly been bothersome enough to cost him time over the last week. That alone gives the Atlanta Braves a real reason to at least consider a short IL stint — even if Harris won’t be thrilled about potentially missing a marquee series in Los Angeles next weekend.

Through 29 games, Harris is hitting .320 with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and an .895 OPS, continuing the tear he closed last season on. This is as complete a version of Harris as we’ve seen at the major-league level.

Losing that bat for any stretch isn’t ideal, especially for a lineup that’s been rolling. But at the same time, this is the kind of situation where the long-term outlook matters much more. If there’s even a small risk of the injury lingering or getting worse, a brief shutdown now could prevent something far more costly later, given how important Harris is to everything this team wants to accomplish.

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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

Here is how it would look:

Here’s how the new lottery odds will look:

(h/t @LevAkabas ) pic.twitter.com/RlDzwc3Fz2

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2026

The proposal on the table would flatten lottery odds and introduce a “relegation zone” for the bottom three teams — giving them the same odds as a play-in loser.

That idea has sparked plenty of debate, especially around fairness. There’s a valid concern about truly bad teams getting stuck, with fewer pathways to climb out of the bottom. There’s also the fear that fringe playoff teams could decide it’s better to pivot late and chase lottery odds instead of pushing for the postseason.

Those points matter, and Adam Silver and the league office will have to weigh them carefully. But it’s hard to argue the current system is working after what just played out.

This past season saw widespread manipulation — teams resting starters nightly, pulling key players late in games, and in some cases barely pretending to compete. That’s not just bad optics, it undermines the product entirely. A flattened system with a relegation-style element would go a long way toward eliminating those incentives.

The relegation zone, in particular, adds something the NBA has never really had at the bottom: stakes. Suddenly, a late-April matchup between Brooklyn Nets vs. Washington Wizards carries as much weight as two teams facing off at the top of the standings. That’s a win for the league.

As for playoff-caliber teams intentionally tanking late? That feels overstated. Well-run organizations don’t operate that way, and karma always has a funny way of playing out.

For the Atlanta Hawks, this kind of change could quietly be beneficial. They don’t project as a team that’s going to bottom out anytime soon, but they do hold future draft capital — including the New Orleans/Milwaukee pick in 2027 (worst of the two, top-four protected).

Under a flattened system, the chances of both those teams landing in the top four — and keeping the pick — would drop significantly, even if they struggled. That makes it far more likely the pick conveys, potentially setting Atlanta up with back-to-back top-10 selections.

There is not going to be a perfect formula to combat tanking. Basketball is unlike any sport, where one player can change the trajectory of an entire franchise for the next 15-20 years. However, whether you like the NBA’s proposed solution or not, we can all agree what happened this past season was an absolute abomination, and changes must be made.

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(Photo by Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire)

Falcons Remaining Needs

• Cornerback
• Interior defensive line
• Offensive line
• Linebacker
• Wide receiver

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Cornerbacks are like pitchers — you can never have too many . The hope is Avieon Terrell can step in as a Day 1 starter, and if Billy Bowman Jr. returns healthy from his Achilles injury, that gives Atlanta a strong trio. After that, though, the drop-off is noticeable.

The interior defensive line stands out as the biggest concern. Atlanta lost production there this offseason, and even with the addition of Maason Smith, it’s a group that still lacks a clear, proven presence. It was arguably the top need entering the draft and wasn’t addressed — making it a position to watch moving forward.

Along the offensive line, at linebacker, and at wide receiver, the starters are serviceable, but depth is the issue. Kaleb McGary’s retirement opens up roughly $20 million in cap space, giving the Falcons some flexibility to add without having to overspend.

Falcons Extension candidates

• Kyle Pitts
• Drake London
• Bijan Robinson

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Pitts is the most immediate situation. He’s entering the final year of his deal, and while trade rumors were loud leading up to the draft, nothing materialized. That could still change, but if a move was going to happen, the draft felt like the natural window.

The Falcons could also let it play out under the franchise tag. His inconsistency and injury history are factors that cannot be ignored. However, if he delivers another big season, that price tag climbs fast.

London feels like the most straightforward extension. He’s proven he can be a true WR1 and brings value beyond just catching passes. Players like that don’t usually hit the open market, and waiting only drives up the cost.

Robinson is in a slightly different category. He’s an elite talent and a clear building block, but the timeline is longer. With a fifth-year option in 2027 and the franchise tag available after that, Atlanta has control. Given the nature of the position, there’s less urgency to act immediately — even if locking him in early could save money down the line.

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This one came with a few more bumps than his debut. Ritchie never quite found a rhythm with his command, issuing four walks and allowing five hits over 5.1 innings. He also had a pickoff error that led to a run — the kind of mistake that can snowball quickly for a young arm.

But the poise stood out. Even without his best stuff, he battled through it, surrendering just three runs (two earned) and keeping the Atlanta Braves within striking distance. That gave the offense a chance to rally late, culminating in Matt Olson’s walk-off two-run shot.

In a lot of ways, this type of outing says more than his dazzling debut. Talent is a given at this level — every young arm has nights where everything clicks. The real test is how they respond when it doesn’t.

Ritchie passed that test.

And because of it, he doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere. Walt Weiss said after the game he expects Ritchie to remain in the rotation, with his next start lined up in his hometown against the Seattle Mariners.

Walt Weiss says he expects Ritchie to stick around to make his next start. That next start will be back home in Seattle for Ritchie

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 30, 2026

The Atlanta Braves rotation has been one of the biggest surprises of the first month. This is a group missing four significant arms on the IL, yet it’s still produced a better ERA than anyone else in the league. That kind of performance is tough to sustain over a full season, but the outlook is getting brighter by the day.

The emergence of JR Ritchie has added another intriguing layer, and the return of Spencer Strider — currently slated for Sunday — could be a game-changer.

Even if some regression is inevitable, this is no longer just a feel-good story. The improved rotation has made the Braves incredibly dangerous.

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Most of the attention was on Strider. While the Braves’ rotation has been surprisingly among the best in baseball through the first three weeks, the sustainability of that production feels unlikely. This is still a team that desperately needs a frontline starter, and the hope is that Strider can become that guy again for the first time since undergoing InternalBrace surgery in April of 2024.

Strider was on a strict 50-pitch limit Thursday night, but he made the most of it, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. The first two frames were effortless, as he retired the first six batters he faced with three strikeouts. He issued a walk in the third but worked around it, then was pulled in the fourth after allowing a hit and another walk.

Overall, it was about as encouraging as you could hope for from a pitcher working his way back from an oblique injury — the type of injury that can be particularly tricky to manage. Strider’s command wasn’t where it needs to be to succeed at the major-league level, throwing just 27 strikes out of 50 pitches, but it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. He’ll likely need at least two more rehab outings to build up his pitch count, and at that point, the Braves can seriously evaluate whether he’s ready to return to Atlanta.

As for Sean Murphy, he went 0-for-2 with a pair of flyouts, though one came just inches from leaving the yard.

The plan is for Murphy to finish the week with the Rome Emperors before heading to Gwinnett, which is also likely where Strider will make his next start. The veteran catcher has yet to log a full nine innings behind the plate — something the Braves will likely want to see a couple of times before calling him back up. Still, it’s reasonable to expect he could reach that point sometime next week.

While most of the attention was on two former Braves All-Stars, the real star of Thursday night’s game was the organization’s top prospect — 19-year-old Cam Caminiti. Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft relieved Strider and delivered five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, earning his first win of the season. Through three appearances, he now owns a 3.07 ERA, 0.886 WHIP, and an impressive 11.7 K/9.

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On paper, they’re probably right. The Hawks don’t have many household names, and just a couple of months ago, they looked well on their way to another play-in tournament berth — a place that had become quite familiar over the last few seasons.

Then came the trade of Trae Young, a move that brought back a sparse return: an unwanted, aging CJ McCollum and backup sharpshooter Corey Kispert. Not exactly what most teams expect when dealing a four-time All-Star in the middle of his prime, especially one who led the league in assists as recently as last season. But Young’s smaller stature, combined with his inability to get the Hawks back into the playoff picture for three consecutive seasons, cooled his market considerably.

The trade felt like Atlanta was waving the white flag on the season. Instead, it’s catapulted them out of the play-in tournament for the first time since their magical Eastern Conference Finals run in 2020–21 — a run that began with a first-round matchup against these same New York Knicks.

How the Hawks Can Repeat History in New York

Since the departure of Trae Young, the Hawks have been one of the best teams in basketball on both ends of the floor, compiling a 20–6 record since the All-Star break, including a stretch where they won 18 of 20 games.

Jalen Johnson has blossomed into one of the league’s rising young stars and has a chance to follow in Young’s footsteps in several ways. At Madison Square Garden, Young became the most hated man in New York — and still is to this day. But if Johnson puts an early end to a Knicks playoff run — one their fans believe could end in a championship — he could quickly take over poll position.

Johnson’s efficient scoring ability, combined with his playmaking for a player of his size, is something that can only be topped by Nikola Jokic. He’s a triple-double machine, and Atlanta has managed to surround him with enough talent to make the Hawks a problem for anyone in the Eastern Conference.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award, averaging nearly 21 points while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. The last time these two teams met, he knocked down 7 of 11 threes and finished with a game-high 36 points. This is no longer a Sixth Man of the Year candidate averaging fewer than 10 points per game — if the game is on the line, he could very well be the guy the Hawks turn to.

Or it could be CJ McCollum, whose presence in the lineup since the Trae Young trade has been a breath of fresh air. He may not be the exact same player he was at his peak — when he was playing Robin to Damian Lillard’s Batman in Portland — but he’s not far off. His microwave scoring ability could ultimately swing the series in Atlanta’s favor. But more importantly, his veteran presence among a group of younger players who haven’t experienced moments like this could prove invaluable in an environment like Madison Square Garden.

However, the most vital player in this series for the Hawks might actually be the one least likely to impact the game offensively: Dyson Daniels — the best perimeter defender in the NBA and the player tasked with guarding Jalen Brunson.

Brunson isn’t going to go quietly. He’s proven to be a consistent 25–30 point scorer since arriving in New York, facing elite defenders on a nightly basis. He’ll get his, but the Hawks have the personnel to make things difficult. Between Daniels, Alexander-Walker, Jonathan Kuminga, and even Jalen Johnson, Atlanta is among the teams most well equipped to deal with a scorer of Brunson’s stature, capable of throwing a slew of bodies at the Knicks’ star guard.

The Hawks are young, inexperienced, and lacking established playoff superstars. Ultimately, that could be what dooms them in New York. But it’s also what makes them dangerous. This is a team peaking at the right time, featuring six or seven players capable of going for 20+ on any given night.

And on top of all of that, they’re playing with nothing to lose.

The last time that happened, Trae Young took a curtain call at Madison Square Garden.

How the Knicks Could Spell Trouble For The Hawks

When these two teams met on April 6th, it was one of the best games of the season — a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final tenth of a second, with time expiring just before CJ McCollum’s game-tying shot from beyond half court left his hand.

During the final five minutes of that game, the NBC broadcasters didn’t hesitate to remind everyone that the Knicks have a closer in Jalen Brunson, while the Hawks do not. On that particular night, they were right. Brunson took over in the fourth quarter, and despite Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s outstanding performance, Atlanta lacked offensive cohesion in the final possessions, which ultimately cost them the win.

There’s no question that’s a real storyline heading into a series expected to feature plenty of tight games. The Knicks know exactly where they’re going at the end of games. The Hawks, on the other hand, may not know until the moment arrives.

However, calling that the biggest issue Atlanta will face beginning Saturday would be greatly underestimating the problems the Knicks can create in the frontcourt.

Karl-Anthony Towns — while often criticized for his inconsistency in the postseason — has had his way against the Hawks this season, averaging 28.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two matchups he’s played. The Knicks are a good team even when Towns isn’t performing at his peak. But when he is, as he has been against Atlanta, they become almost unbeatable.

The frontcourt issues don’t end with Towns. Mitchell Robinson also presents a massive challenge for an undersized Hawks team that will be without its backup center, Jock Landale. The last time these teams met, Robinson posted eight points and 12 rebounds in under 20 minutes of action. He was the X-Factor, and he very well could be again in the first-round of the playoffs.

Without Landale, containing those two becomes that much more difficult over 48 minutes. Hawks head coach Quin Snyder — who should be in the Coach of the Year conversation for the job he’s done this season — must work up some magic to counter New York’s size. Otherwise, the experts over at ESPN could end up being right, with this series wrapping up in six games or fewer.

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And in a lot of ways, why would anyone want it to change?

This is an organization that has won 20 division titles in the last 35 seasons to go along with two World Series championships. The Braves have never been the biggest spenders, and likely never will be, but their culture has allowed them to reach a level of sustained success that only a handful of teams in baseball can rival.

So when Brian Snitker announced his retirement soon after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history — with the Braves missing the postseason for the first time since 2017 — should anyone have really expected them to go in any direction other than Walt Weiss?

Fans were ready for a new voice. Though Snitker’s tenure will be remembered for its long-term success, the failures at the end were still fresh in many minds. And admittedly, the team did seem to lose a bit of the mojo in the clubhouse that once propelled them to a World Series title in 2021. Maybe something different could provide the spark needed to get back to the top of the NL East — and eventually, the top of baseball.

However, the Braves — undeterred by the outside noise — went with who they knew. And that person might just be the “something different” they were looking for.

While Walt Weiss served as a coach under Snitker for eight years and played under Cox for three, it’s taken just 19 games to see that his approach is far different — and not just because he was willing to (and successfully) take down Jorge Soler, a 260-pound force, who was attempting to send his starting pitcher into the shadow realm.

The 62-year-old Weiss immediately surrounded himself with an All-Star coaching staff, featuring a number of younger, analytically driven minds to complement his more old-school style. So far, it’s clear he has a strong grasp of both, along with a sharp feel for when to pull his starting pitchers — and even more importantly, when to deploy his high-leverage relievers.

That balance has already been responsible for several Braves wins through the first 19 games. On multiple occasions, he’s shown a willingness to push for victory by using his best relievers while trailing, and the offense has responded with come-from-behind wins.

Walt Weiss has also shown a willingness to call on his closer for a five-out save — another move that paid off. And most recently, he resisted the urge to pinch-run for Dominic Smith in the seventh inning of a one-run game, trusting that Smith might get another opportunity later.

Braves fans should remember how that worked out. Smith delivered a two-out, bases-clearing double that led to yet another win.

If there’s a right string to pull, Walt Weiss has found it through 19 games. He’s proving to be more than just a respected voice in the clubhouse — he’s a damn good manager, and someone all of Braves Country has quickly embraced.

But things are about to take a sharp turn in the other direction, beginning with a three-game set in Philadelphia this weekend.

Braves Upcoming Schedule

• Phillies (x2)
• Nationals
• Dodgers
• Tigers
• Mariners
• Cubs
• Red Sox
• Rockies

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Over the next month, the Braves will meet twice with the team that has won the NL East in back-to-back seasons, the two-time defending champions in the Dodgers, along with four other playoff teams from a year ago in the Tigers, Mariners, Cubs, and Red Sox.

This is the stretch where we’ll really find out a lot about this grounp, and in particular, the starting rotation. Though the first three weeks, an argument could be made that they’ve had the best rotation in all of baseball. Grant Holmes has the current worst ERA of the entire starting five, and it’s sitting at a more than respectable 3.32-mark.

Bryce Elder has been nothing short of fantastic, recording a 0.77 ERA through his first four starts after most expected he could be on the chopping block at some point this season. Reynaldo Lopez has looked encouraging in his return from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss most of last year. Chris Sale has reminded people that he still has the ability to win another Cy Young award, and even Martin Perez has been serviceable through his first three appearances in a Braves uniform.

It’s been a frankly shocking development after all of the pitching injuries Atlanta suffered right before the start of the season, but the sustainability of that success will be put to the test in a big way over the next four weeks.

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The previous regime didn’t leave new GM Ian Cunningham and the front office in a great spot. Throughout the offseason, Cunningham has emphasized the need to build up draft capital — something the Bears did consistently while he served as assistant GM under Ryan Poles. That hasn’t materialized yet, but a lot can change in the days leading up to — and during — the draft.

Expect the Falcons to be active in moving down the board in exchange for additional picks, particularly later in the draft. For now, though, here’s who The Athletic’s draft expert Dane Brugler has Atlanta selecting with their current five picks.

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Brugler’s 2026 Falcons Draft Class

2 (48). Christen Miller, DT, Georgia
3 (79). Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State
4 (122). Jimmy Rolder, LB, Michigan
6 (215). Carver Willis, OL, Washington
7 (231). Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana

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Christen Miller

Under Terry Fontenot, the Falcons passed on countless star players out of Athens before finally selecting Jalon Walker in last year’s draft. Shockingly, it turned out to be a pretty good idea to draft a defensive player from Georgia — a program that has produced more NFL defensive stars over the last decade than any other.

Hopefully, it doesn’t take the new regime half a decade to fully buy into that, and if their massive presence at UGA’s Pro Day was any indication, they’re paying close attention to Kirby Smart’s group.

Miller is a 6-foot-4, 320-pound interior defensive lineman who would immediately fill one of Atlanta’s biggest needs. For all the improvements the defense showed last season, it still lacked impactful bodies on the interior and, as a result, struggled mightily against the run. With David Onyemata departing for greener pastures, defensive tackle may very well be the Falcons’ top priority heading into the draft.

Bryce Lance

If defensive tackle is the Falcons’ biggest need heading into the draft, wide receiver isn’t far behind. Atlanta did add Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, but neither profiles as a true No. 2 option or a long-term answer at the position. With Kyle Pitts’ future also uncertain, adding another pass catcher in this year’s draft feels like a non-negotiable.

Lance posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons at North Dakota State, but don’t let the small-school label fool you — he is one of the most athletic players in this draft class. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.98 ranks in the 99th percentile among wide receivers tested since 1987. Pair that with a 4.34 40-yard dash, strong ball-tracking ability, and a 6-foot-3 frame that allows him to go up and win contested catches, and you’ve got one of the more intriguing mid-round receiver prospects in the draft.

Jimmy Rolder

Rolder spent four years at Michigan, patiently waiting his turn to become a starter. That opportunity finally came during his senior season, and he made the most of it — earning Second-Team All-Conference honors after recording 73 tackles, 11 for loss, along with two sacks and a couple of pass breakups.

The Falcons’ linebacker play was elite last season when Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo were on the field, but Elliss is now back in New Orleans and Deablo is entering the final year of his contract. Troy Andersen is still in the mix, but injuries have continued to hold him back, and Atlanta also added veteran Christian Harris on a one-year deal this offseason.

It’s not a glaring need in the short term, but it’s definitely a position the Falcons need to start thinking about long term.

Carver Willis

Once you get into the final rounds, teams are really just looking for guys they believe can carve out a role and potentially stick as reserves.

Willis spent the last three seasons starting at both right and left tackle for the Washington Huskies. Ironically enough, the last tackle the Falcons drafted out of Washington just retired, so it’s another long-term need for the organization.

That said, Willis is undersized for a tackle at the pro level and could very well have to kick inside to the interior if he’s going to carve out a role in the NFL.

Riley Nowakowski

Nowakowski spent the first five years of his collegiate career at Wisconsin, but he’s best known for his final season at Indiana, where he played a pivotal role in the Hoosiers’ National Championship run.

He’s not some dynamic receiving threat at the tight end position — though he’s capable enough — but that’s not why teams will be interested. He’s the kind of player who will hear his name called in the later rounds because he’s tough, physical, and willing to do whatever is asked to help his team win.

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From Anthony Swarzak and Matt Joyce early on to guys like Jesse Chavez, Pablo Sandoval, Jorge Soler, Orlando Arcia, and Adam Duvall, the list of names Anthopoulos acquired for pennies — who ended up playing key roles in six straight division titles and a World Series — is extensive. Some played 162 games, some platooned, others were lightning in a bottle, but all of them mattered.

You could argue that, of everything Anthopoulos did well during that stretch, this was the most important piece of the puzzle.

But the last few years haven’t been nearly as fruitful. Jarred Kelenic was a colossal failure. Jorge Soler’s return was a swing and a miss. Alex Verdugo, Bryan De La Cruz, and Stuart Fairchild all flopped. It was back to the drawing board this offseason, and while the Braves didn’t take any big swings offensively, their two under-the-radar additions are a major reason they’re sitting at 12–7, three games clear of the Marlins for first place.

Dominic Smith has been the most pleasant surprise, already directly responsible for two Braves wins thanks to a pair of game-winning knocks. He’s hitting damn near .400 through his first 15 games with a tomahawk across his chest, along with three home runs, an OPS north of 1.000, and — perhaps most importantly — 15 RBIs. Through 19 games, Smith has been the MVP of the Braves, and that’s no slight to Drake Baldwin, who is quickly proving he belongs in the conversation for the best offensive catcher in baseball.

Right behind them is Mauricio Dubón, whom the Braves acquired early this offseason in a trade with the Astros for Nick Allen. Why Houston was willing to move such a valuable utility piece for the worst offensive player in baseball is something few can explain. Maybe former Braves executive Dana Brown was doing his old boss a favor. Either way, Atlanta is cashing in. Dubón is hitting .333 with an .887 OPS while playing elite defense at the most important position on the field in place of the injured Ha-Seong Kim.

History suggests both Smith and Dubón will come back down to earth. And frankly, how they fit once everyone gets healthy is still up in the air. But none of that really matters right now. These two are making a combined $7.35 million this season. In just 19 games, they’ve already outperformed that value, helping steady the Braves through the early stretch with so many key players sidelined.

At the end of the season, when division races are decided, the games in March and April count just as much as the ones in September. Over a 162-game grind, every team deals with injuries, making depth an undervalued asset that can swing a season.

When the Braves were stacking division titles, nobody in the NL East could match their depth. The past two seasons, everybody could. That’s something Alex Anthopoulos clearly emphasized this offseason — and just three weeks in, the Braves are already seeing the payoff.

Ruke Orhorhoro played sparingly for the Falcons in his rookie season, appearing in just eight games and totaling 11 tackles. However, he was much more productive under Jeff Ulbrich, recording 25 tackles, four for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

With David Onyemata signing with the New York Jets in free agency, Orhorhoro looked poised to take on a much larger role in Atlanta’s defense. But those snaps could now be heading to Maason Smith, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound interior presence who was selected just 13 picks after Orhorhoro.

In 24 games over the last two seasons, Smith has recorded 35 total tackles, five for loss, and three sacks — similar production on paper, though most of it came during his rookie year.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher on the surface, but this new front office had nothing to do with the previous regime’s draft picks, and they’ve made it pretty clear they weren’t overly impressed with how the roster was constructed under former GM Terry Fontenot.

We’ll see how it plays out, but what I can tell you about Smith — as someone who attended LSU and watched every snap of his college career — is that he has all the physical tools to be a disruptive force on the interior. If not for the injuries he suffered in college, he likely would’ve been a top-half-of-the-first-round pick. Clearly, the Falcons see that upside in the 23-year-old.

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The first quarter was the Brunson show. He simply could not miss, even with the Hawks playing about as good of defense as you can ask for, pouring in 19 points. Despite that, Atlanta hung around, trailing by just six, with CJ McCollum leading the way. He was easily the Hawks’ best offensive presence in Game 1, finishing with 26 points. Without him, this one probably gets out of hand early.

Jalen Johnson added 23 points and seven rebounds, while Onyeka Okongwu chipped in an efficient 19 points on just nine shots, knocking down four of his six attempts from deep.

The second half belonged to Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 19 of his 25 points after the break, quieting — at least temporarily — some of the postseason criticism that’s followed him. Towns has been a problem for the Hawks all season, averaging nearly 30 points and 13 rebounds in his matchups against Atlanta. The lack of size and depth in the frontcourt — especially without Jock Landale — was evident in Game 1 and figures to remain a major issue throughout the series.

But the concerns don’t stop there. Atlanta’s depth, as a whole, was a problem. The Hawks managed just 13 points off the bench, and outside of Jonathan Kuminga, the second unit was essentially nonexistent. There’s simply no path to winning a seven-game series if that continues, and the solutions might not be conventional. It’ll be interesting to see if Quin Snyder shakes things up in Game 2, possibly turning to players who didn’t even see the floor in the opener.

Atlanta also has to get something offensively from Dyson Daniels. He finished with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting, missing both of his attempts from beyond the arc. He’s going to be on the floor regardless because he’s the Hawks’ best defensive option against Brunson, but he doesn’t need to score 20. If he can give them 10–15 points, that could be the difference in these tight games.

It’s never ideal to drop Game 1, especially after the long buildup, but the Hawks didn’t play particularly well in any phase and still had a chance to win in the fourth quarter. In a seven-game series, the goal is simple: steal one on the road and handle business at home. That opportunity is still very much alive heading into Game 2.

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The starting rotation has been the best in baseball — yes, the best in baseball — after not one, not two, but three key arms went down with significant injuries in Spring Training. And offensively, much of the production has come from a couple of new faces that made most fans shrug when they were acquired. Dominic Smith has arguably been the MVP of the first three weeks, and right behind him is Mauricio Dubón, who has filled in brilliantly at shortstop both offensively and defensively.

Several of those trends continued in Friday’s 9–0 thrashing of the Phillies. Veteran Martin Pérez spun six shutout innings just days after being designated for assignment, and Dominic Smith launched his fourth home run of the season, pushing his OPS to 1.140.

But if the Braves are going to get where they ultimately want to go, the stars are going to have to start playing like stars. To this point, Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson have carried much of the load at the top of the lineup, but it looks like Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II — and perhaps most importantly, Austin Riley — are starting to find their rhythm.

Riley entered Wednesday’s game without a home run and carrying a .645 OPS. In just two games, he’s raised that number by nearly 100 points, launching his first three homers of the season.

Harris is heating up as well, recording seven hits over his last five games, including a laser over the right-field fence for his first home run as a new father. And Acuña? He’s quietly hitting .344 with an OPS north of 1.000 over his last eight games.

The Braves have found a way to win 13 of their first 20 games while battling injuries and getting limited production from several key players. That’s the mark of a championship-caliber team — one capable of absorbing the blows that come with a 162-game grind.

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One could argue the biggest surprise so far hasn’t even been Atlanta — it’s been the rest of the division. The Phillies look like a shell of the team that’s controlled the NL East the last two seasons, and the Mets — along with their gaudy payroll — are in the middle of a 10-game losing streak and already sit seven games back. It’s far too early to draw firm conclusions, but the Braves found themselves in a similar spot a year ago and never recovered. It may be April, but it’s not nothing.

Atlanta’s hot start, frankly, is shocking in a lot of ways. This is a team that lost three legitimate top-flight starters to the IL right before the season began. Spencer Schwellenbach is one of the best young pitchers in the game, Hurston Waldrep was excellent last year, and Spencer Strider — fortunately — should be back soon.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jurickson Profar was hit with a PED suspension for the second time in as many years. One-year ban, and it came too close to the season for the Braves to do anything to replace him.

Heading into Opening Day, the rotation looked like Chris Sale and four massive question marks. At least, that’s how it looked on paper. Instead, it’s been the best rotation in baseball.

Sale has been Sale, turning in another dominant outing Saturday against the Phillies, but Grant Holmes, Reynaldo López, and even Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez have more than held their own.

If the Cy Young were handed out today, you could make a real case for Elder, whose refined approach — along with the help of Greg Maddux — has him sitting on a 0.77 ERA through four starts. That might be the biggest surprise of the season, though it’s rivaled closely by Pérez, who’s coming off six shutout innings against Philadelphia and owns a 2.21 ERA.

You could single out individuals, but at this point, it makes more sense to credit the entire group. Holmes currently has the highest ERA in the rotation — and it’s still just 3.32. That tells you everything you need to know.

And you can’t talk about surprises without mentioning Dominic Smith. He signed a minor-league deal worth just $1.25 million if he made the roster. He did — and through 21 games, he might be the team’s MVP, hitting .362 with four home runs and already delivering two game-winning hits.

There’s almost no chance this level of production is sustainable. There’s a very real possibility Pérez and Elder aren’t even in the rotation in a couple of months, and who knows how Smith fits once Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim return. It’s probably more likely than not that at least one — if not all three — aren’t around by season’s end.

But none of that matters right now. The Braves needed guys to step up, and these three have carried the load. When the season ends and the division race is decided, they’ll be remembered fondly as integral pieces to the story.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

For starters, the Falcons will be releasing Kirk Cousins on the first day of the new league year. That was a foregone conclusion when the team signed him to a restructured contract earlier this offseason. However, Cunningham also added that the team will not be re-signing the veteran quarterback. Someone else will be joining Michael Penix Jr. in the quarterback room, and it might not just be a guy there to hold the clipboard.

Additionally, Cunningham was prodded with questions regarding Kaden Elliss and Darnell Mooney — two players who experienced very different seasons.

On Elliss, who is set to become a free agent and has been a critical piece of the Falcons’ defense for the past three years, Cunningham didn’t want to commit to going all out to re-sign him, citing Atlanta’s cap situation and the number of quality linebackers who will be available.

Elliss might be the most underrated linebacker in football. He did not miss a game in three seasons with the Falcons, racking up 380 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, 12 passes defended, and two interceptions over 51 games. Losing him would be a massive blow to the Falcons’ defense. However, Atlanta’s cap situation isn’t great, and they are likely going to have to spend quite a bit of money on a quarterback, even if it’s just a quality backup. Additionally, Elliss is no spring chicken — he’s set to turn 31 years old this offseason.

On Darnell Mooney, who is an obvious cut candidate, Cunningham said the team has had internal discussions and will definitely be evaluating the wide receiver room this offseason.

After a career year in his first season with Atlanta, Mooney’s 2025 campaign was a disaster from the jump. It started with a training camp collarbone injury that forced him to miss Week 1, and he never seemed to find a groove with Michael Penix Jr. or Kirk Cousins, finishing the season with just 33 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown.

Mooney is set to make north of $18 million in 2026 in the final year of his deal. There’s simply zero chance the Falcons choose to pay him that. By cutting him, they can save more than $7 million. If they designate him as a post-June 1 cut, they’ll save more than $11 million. Unless Mooney is willing to agree to a significantly restructured contract, that seems like the most likely avenue.

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Photographer: John Adams/Icon Sportswire

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“As part of the restructure, there is now a guarantee in the amount of $67.9 million for the 2027 season that vests on March 13,” Yates reports.“Given the highly unlikely nature that the Falcons or any team that would acquire Cousins via a trade prior to March 13 would want to be on the hook for that $67.9 million, a decision on Cousins’ future could come prior to that date.”

Though it hasn’t been made official yet, new Falcons GM Ian Cunningham revealed the obvious today, saying Cousins will be released on the first day of the new league year.

#Falcons GM Ian Cunningham confirmed on @929TheGame that Kirk Cousins will be released in March on the first day of the new league year, making him a free agent.

Cousins earned $100M during his two seasons with Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/gFKAXXBl8p

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 24, 2026

Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean Kirk Cousins’ time with the Falcons is finished. Atlanta could theoretically bring him back via free agency if the price is right. Although, I’m not sure either party is going to be too eager to continue this relationship.

The Falcons’ sole focus should be figuring out the future of the quarterback position. Kirk Cousins is not that, and holding out hope that he could maybe help the team win 10 games in the twilight of his career does nothing toward reaching their ultimate goal.

From Cousins’ perspective, why would he have any interest in returning to the organization that drafted his successor before he even played a game? Some might point to his prior relationship with Kevin Stefanski and the fact that this is an entirely new regime that had nothing to do with that process, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is the same situation — one where Penix is going to receive the benefit of the doubt over Cousins every day of the week.

Unless Cousins simply cannot find another suitor — which would be telling in and of itself — there’s probably not a world where he returns to Atlanta. It is best for both parties to just move on.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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“This endeavor will bring the most vital link to our fanbase – our television broadcast – back under the control of our ballclub,” said Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller. “Generations of Braves fans were raised watching games on a network that shared ownership with the baseball team. With BravesVision, we believe that we can present Braves baseball in new and innovative ways allowing us to expand and elevate our storytelling capabilities across all of our platforms.”

BravesVision is set to produce more than 140 games this year, along with extensive pre- and postgame content, and there will be multiple avenues for fans across Braves Country to watch.

While the team is still working out the exact details with distributors as the season approaches, BravesVision will be coming to satellite and cable. The team announced they will release updates as deals are finalized, but the hope is this new channel will be easily available no matter how you choose to watch TV — cable/satellite, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Fubo, etc. That’s something FanDuel really missed the mark on during its short time covering the Braves.

However, in the event BravesVision isn’t available on your TV provider, there will be a streaming option through MLB’s platform, Braves.TV. With a subscription, all non-nationally exclusive Braves games will be available everywhere without blackouts — a massive win for fans outside the region.

The Braves also noted that a number of games will still be broadcast over the air through Gray Media for the second consecutive season.

Overall, this feels like a win for Braves fans everywhere. Obviously, there are still plenty of details that need to be ironed out and finalized, but it appears watching games without blackouts will be much easier for Braves fans across the country than ever before. Additionally, with the team taking control of its own network — essentially cutting out the middleman — this should be a much more lucrative venture for the Braves. And if they make more money, that’s a positive for the club’s long-term outlook from a competitive standpoint.

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BREAKING: Nine-time All-Star Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a one-year, $27 million contract extension that includes a club option for $30 million in 2028, sources tell ESPN. Sale, 36, was set to hit free agency after this season but will remain in Atlanta.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 24, 2026

I’ve been pounding the table for this to get done since the beginning of the offseason, so to see it happen after all of the bad news to start Spring Training is a pleasant surprise.

This is a very similar path the Braves took with Charlie Morton at the end of his career, handing him mini one-year extensions with club options until they finally felt he was out of gas. The only difference is Chris Sale is getting a slightly higher pay bump at $27 million for 2027, which is more than fair given his production in his two seasons with the Braves.

Of course, there is risk. Even though Sale has stayed mostly healthy in Atlanta, he’s still dealt with multiple issues and missed time. Sale hasn’t made 30+ starts since the 2017 season. Plus, he’s set to enter his age-37 season, so it’s not as if he’s getting any younger.

That said, the Braves really didn’t have a choice here. Their pitching depth, both now and in the future, is razor thin. To potentially get a top-five pitcher in baseball under contract on a one-year, $27 million deal with a team option for 2028 is a no-brainer. Had Sale hit free agency following another stellar campaign — even at 38 years old — he likely would have garnered multiple short-term offers in the $40–50 million AAV range.

This is a big win for the Braves. Now, it’s time to get that Ronald Acuña Jr. situation ironed out and make him a Brave for life.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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Sources: The #Falcons informed former Pro Bowl special-teamer KhaDarel Hodge that he will be released.

Hodge spent four years in Atlanta, including that Pro Bowl season in 2024. pic.twitter.com/qVEfOvaSnT

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 25, 2026

The move will create nearly $2.7 million in cap space for the team.

Hodge joined the Falcons in 2022 and has been the team’s best special teams player ever since, receiving Pro Bowl honors in 2024. He was also a half-decent fourth or fifth receiver, recording 37 catches for 596 yards and two touchdowns over his four seasons in Atlanta.

In 2025, the Falcons might have featured the worst special teams unit in league history. Seemingly every game, there was a game-changing play allowed in the return game, and the team’s kicking woes also directly resulted in a few losses that should have been wins. There’s no question that, with just an average performance in the third phase, they would have broken their postseason drought, so it will certainly be an area of focus for Kevin Stefanski and this new staff.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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“The club, meanwhile, posted an 11% increase in total revenue in 2025 to $732.5 million, and a 172% surge in adjusted operating income to $107.8 million,” Eric Fisher reports for Front Office Sports. “The Braves’ revenue from The Battery, the mixed-use development that has influenced dozens of other pro teams, grew 45% during the year to $97.4 million—a figure that by itself is more than the 2026 luxury-tax player payrolls of the Marlins and Guardians.”

“Compared to just four years ago, the Braves have added nearly $150 million to their annual revenue.”

Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal Constitution also added that the club’s OIBDA increased by 172% year over year.

“Among the numbers shared Wednesday was Braves Holdings’ 172% year-over-year growth in adjusted OIBDA — for those more familiar with WHIP and WAR, it’s a key measure of a company’s financial performance — from $39.7 million to $107.8 million.”

It’s no secret the Braves development of Truist Park and the surrounding Battery area has been a home run. The organization is printing money with no signs of slowing down, and now, they are taking control of their own broadcasting rights with BravesVision, a venture that should be another incredibly lucrative one for the organization.

“We are fortunate to have much of this expertise in-house at the Braves … and we have one of the largest [local] television territories in baseball, which affords us the opportunity to optimize our financial outcome and is a factor that provides us an advantage that no other Main Street team has,” McGuirk said.

Combine all of this, and the Braves are undoubtedly one of the most successful and well-run organizations in Major League Baseball. Yet, another offseason has come and gone, and Atlanta has failed to address the rotation concerns that plagued the team a year ago.

Oftentimes, when it comes to assigning blame, nuanced conversations are thrown out the window. It’s either Anthopoulos is the worst general manager in the sport, or he has no help because of the greedy executives who truly control the Braves.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. The Braves are not a cheap organization. According to Spotrac, their 2026 payroll is sitting at about $247 million — eighth in the league and the highest it’s ever been in franchise history. Cheap ball clubs do not operate at that level. But could the Braves be spending more? Without a doubt, and these numbers confirm that. There are unequivocally other business priorities being considered outside of just building a World Series contender, which is unfortunate when looking at Atlanta’s competition like the Mets and Dodgers.

However, just because the Braves could — and probably should — be spending more, it doesn’t absolve Alex Anthopoulos of his role in all of this. His hesitation to do whatever it takes to acquire or retain top-flight starting pitchers has existed since he took the job in Atlanta. Not once has he handed out a multi-year contract to a free-agent starting pitcher, almost always opting for short-term deals with limited risk and potentially high reward.

In some instances, it’s worked marvelously, with Chris Sale being the perfect example. But more often than not, the Braves’ lack of proven pitching depth has cost the team chances at championships.

At this point, it’s fair to call it Anthopoulos’ blind spot. He spent plenty of money this offseason — enough to sign a frontline starter to a multi-year contract. But with the going rate for starting pitchers being what it is, he can’t seem to find a single one worth the value they’re receiving on the open market.

Until that changes, I’m not sure it matters what the Braves’ payroll is moving forward.

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https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/2026488484052029663

The Hawks acquired Kuminga in a deal that was essentially a swap of salaries, sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Warriors. Porzingis was a highly productive player in Atlanta when he was healthy. The only problem is he absolutely could not stay on the floor. As they say, the best ability is availability, meaning the Hawks essentially got to take a flier on Kuminga’s upside for nothing. If it works, Atlanta has added another young piece to its core — with Kuminga being just 23 years old. If it doesn’t, the Hawks can wipe their hands clean at season’s end.

It wasn’t long ago that the Warriors viewed Kuminga as a vital piece of their future. Disputes over a number of matters, many of which were trivial, led to their divorce. But it’s possible a change of scenery could be exactly what he needed. Kuminga comes with a club option for the 2026–27 season worth $24.3 million. If yesterday was any indication, it won’t be much of a decision for the Hawks to pick that up and begin extension talks in the offseason.

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Photographer: Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire

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Whether recent reports surrounding Michael Penix Jr. are true or not — suggesting the Falcons are not sold on the former eighth overall pick as a franchise quarterback — they have to come away with someone at the position this offseason. New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham already said the team will release Cousins on the first day of the new league year, and they will not attempt to re-sign him once he becomes a free agent.

So, at the very least, the Falcons need a competent backup. But with Penix’s status for the early part of the season up in the air following the third ACL injury of his career, Atlanta targeting a starting-caliber option is a very real possibility.

Mac Jones

I’ve been pounding the table for Mac Jones since he was a possibility in the draft, and I’m not going to stop now. He was given an incredibly raw deal in New England, playing behind a horrendous offensive line with little talent at wide receiver and a defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia calling plays. Absolutely no young quarterback was going to thrive in that situation.

In a much better situation with the 49ers this past season, Jones was very good in his eight starts, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions, finishing with a quarterback rating just shy of 100. In Atlanta’s system, with an offensive-minded head coach and quality skill-position talent, it’s reasonable to assume he could have a lot of success — perhaps following in the footsteps of guys like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, former first-round picks who found success after leaving the teams that drafted them.

Jones’ contract situation also makes him an attractive trade candidate, as he’s set to count just $3 million against the cap next season. However, that also makes him an extraordinarily valuable commodity around the league. Sources say the 49ers are currently looking for a first-round pick in return — something the Falcons don’t have — and they aren’t eager to move him at all.

Kyler Murray

Given Murray is set to count for over $50 million against the cap in 2026, it’s probably more likely that he’s released than traded. But because he’s still currently on the Cardinals’ roster, we’ll include him.

Murray’s upside makes him tantalizing. When he’s healthy and locked in, he has played like a top-10 quarterback in the league, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and making multiple Pro Bowls. But the injuries are a legitimate concern. He has missed at least five games in three of the last four seasons and is coming off a year in which he played in just five games due to a foot sprain. There are also questions about his dedication to the game, but depending on the length and structure of the deal, both of those concerns could be overlooked.

A healthy Kyler Murray would easily be the best quarterback the Falcons have had since Matt Ryan was throwing touchdowns to Julio Jones. He would instantly make Atlanta the favorite to win the NFC South.

Tua Tagovailoa

Tagovailoa is in a similar situation to Murray. The Dolphins are reportedly shopping him, but it would be pretty shocking if anyone were willing to take on his contract, meaning he’ll likely be released and become a free agent.

Tagovailoa is an incredibly accurate passer, completing 68% of his throws for his career. And until this past season, he had typically been a quarterback who took care of the football. He has the talent to thrive in a system like Kevin Stefanski’s, where he would be aided by one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the league.

The big question here is the concussions. Tagovailoa has had four documented concussions over his football career, and the reality is it’s likely been more than that. There is reason to be genuinely concerned about his long-term health. But if the price is right, he’s another quarterback who would instantly boost the Falcons toward the top of the NFC South.

Anthony Richardson

Richardson entered the league as an incredibly talented athlete who needed a lot of development as a quarterback, and after three seasons, it’s fair to say not much has changed. He has made just 15 starts, thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, and completed only 50% of his passes.

The Colts have given Richardson permission to seek a trade, and they likely won’t be asking for much in return. He’s not like the other candidates in that he probably wouldn’t make the Falcons better immediately. However, at just 23 years old, his long-term upside will likely earn him another opportunity somewhere in the league.

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Photo: Photographer: Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

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The NFL has informed its clubs in a memo that the salary cap number for the 2026 season is $301.2 million per club, up $22 million. pic.twitter.com/bwx9IFulyt

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2026

Atlanta Falcons Salary Cap Situation

Top 51: $291 million

Cap Space: $10 million

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The Falcons had about $22 million in cap space a couple of weeks ago, but that changed after a few significant moves. Most notably, the team placed the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts, which will pay him just over $15 million for the 2026 season if he does not sign an extension. The team also released veteran special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge, which saved about $2.6 million against the cap.

That doesn’t leave the Falcons with a lot of money to work with this offseason, but they can create additional space through a few cuts and restructures.

Notable Cut Candidates

• Kirk Cousins
• Darnell Mooney

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New Falcons GM Ian Cunningham has already said the Falcons will release Kirk Cousins on the first day of the new league year. That will presumably be a post–June 1 cut, which will save the team about $2 million. However, Cousins’ contract contains offset language tied to the $10 million roster bonus guarantee he received for 2026. Because the Falcons do not plan to re-sign him, they could clear up to $10 million in cap space depending on what Cousins signs for elsewhere this offseason.

Outside of Cousins, Darnell Mooney is the only obvious cut candidate who would save the Falcons a significant amount of money. He’s set to count for over $18 million against the cap in 2026, and Atlanta can save close to $12 million by designating him as a post–June 1 cut.

Total Potential Salary Cap Savings: $24 million

Restructure Candidates

• A.J. Terrell ($10.3 million)
• Jake Matthews ($9.8 million)
• Chris Lindstrom ($11 million)
• Jessie Bates III ($9.5 million)

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Restructuring contracts is essentially kicking the financial can down the road, and teams generally only want to restructure the deals of players they plan on keeping around for the foreseeable future. Chris Lindstrom and A.J. Terrell fit that mold best, so the Falcons would probably be willing to agree to max restructures on both of their contracts.

Jake Matthews and Jessie Bates III fall into a different category. Matthews has been a stalwart at left tackle for over a decade and is under contract for two more seasons, but he’ll be 35 years old in 2027, so there might be some hesitancy to guaranteeing him more money in the future.

Bates’ contract is up at the end of the season, so while a restructure is a possibility, the Falcons would probably prefer to work out some sort of extension if they want to keep him in Atlanta beyond this year.

Total Potential Cap Savings: $40.6 million

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With a few simple transactions, the Falcons can go from roughly $10 million in cap space to north of $50 million in the blink of an eye. There are also smaller cuts and restructures that are possible, and extensions can help alleviate cap concerns in the short term if they want to be more aggressive in free agency this offseason. The means are there for them to push hard and build a playoff-caliber roster for the 2026 season if they so choose.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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Let’s start with the positives. Ownership received an A, something that shouldn’t be much of a surprise with Arthur Blank running the team. He treats this organization like a family, which oftentimes isn’t a good thing when it comes to winning games. Those close interpersonal relationships have bitten the Falcons a handful of times during contract negotiations. But strictly as a person, you’d be hard-pressed to find an owner who is more well-liked by his employees than Arthur Blank.

On the coaching side, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich — the one significant holdover from the previous staff — received an A. Again, not much of a surprise after the Falcons’ defense turned things around under his watch. Atlanta also received high marks for its training room, training staff, strength coaches, nutritionist, and weight room — areas that were previously poorly regarded before the team spent $45 million a couple of years ago upgrading its facilities.

Things get a lot more interesting when discussing where the Falcons graded poorly. Former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson received a C-, which was tied for the lowest mark of any area of the team. That fits the public narrative about the job he did over his two years in Atlanta. But the next grades are a reminder that player report cards should be taken with a grain of salt.

Raheem Morris, special teams coach Marquice Williams, and Terry Fontenot each received a B+ for their work. Despite that, none of them are with the organization any longer. The reason is similar to why Arthur Blank received an A. These are likable guys whom people enjoy working with. But being likable does not equal success in the National Football League.

Raheem Morris didn’t have a single redeemable quality as a head coach. Terry Fontenot didn’t produce a single winning season in five years as the team’s general manager, and Marquice Williams led one of the most uninspiring special teams units in NFL history. None of them are deserving of higher than a D for their work this past season.

Comparatively, Kevin Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees both received poor marks from Browns players, with Stefanski receiving a C- and Rees getting a D+. Stefanski’s grade was the lowest among head coaches in the league.

That’s not exactly what you want to see from your new head coach and offensive coordinator. But if you’re trying to spin it positively, the Falcons have leaned toward rah-rah, player-friendly coaches in recent years. They had some early success with Dan Quinn before it turned into a disaster, and Raheem Morris never even got the plane off the ground before he was ultimately fired.

I don’t think anyone is confusing Kevin Stefanski with a player’s coach. His personality couldn’t be more different from his predecessor’s, but he is a two-time Coach of the Year who led the Cleveland Browns to the postseason twice. Perhaps that kind of uncomfortable personality shake-up is exactly what the Falcons need to break a playoff drought that has existed since 2017.

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Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

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According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Schwellenbach underwent surgery today, and Waldrep will undergo the same procedure on Monday. As of now, there is no timeline for their return. Both will begin the season on the 60-day IL, but the Braves continue to maintain that they could return at some point this season.

Looking at it from a glass-half-full perspective, that could feasibly happen around the All-Star break. However, if this recent stretch of injuries over the last several years has taught us anything, banking on pitchers to return from major surgeries and immediately pick up where they left off almost never works out. It’s far more likely that both Waldrep and Schwellenbach never throw a pitch for the Braves in 2026 than it is that they have a significant impact.

That leaves Atlanta with an extraordinarily short-handed rotation for at least the first several months of the season. Bryce Elder enters Spring Training as the clear frontrunner for the final spot, with veteran Martin Perez and prospects JR Ritchie and Didier Fuentes behind him.

Even after these two devastating injuries, there’s still a chance the Braves make it work with their starting pitching. But they are going to need a lot of things to break their way, and after everything that’s transpired over the last 18 months, it’s becoming harder by the day to view things through a positive lens.

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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire

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The news has many fans up in arms about the Braves’ decision not to add a starting pitcher during the offseason. They knew they had a slew of pitchers entering the season with injury concerns, so the fact this has happened shouldn’t have been the least bit surprising.

Throughout the offseason, Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos called starting pitching the club’s top priority. He’s since reiterated his quest for a “playoff-caliber” starter. Yet, as the season approaches, it looks as if the Braves are going to roll with what they have, which potentially means a lot of opportunities for 2023 All-Star Bryce Elder.

“Bryce Elder, he’s an interesting guy,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “His velo jumped about two miles in September. He was better in September. He’s not a hard thrower, but they feel perhaps he can hold this down in a way that at least buys them some time.”

Bryce Elder has had success at the major-league level. In the first 40 starts of his career, he posted a 3.66 ERA with a 14-8 record, earning All-Star honors in 2023. But since about the second half of that 2023 campaign, he’s been nothing short of a disaster, making 38 starts since the beginning of the 2024 campaign and recording a gaudy 5.59 ERA.

There have been moments, but there’s also a large enough body of work to determine he is what he is. He’s not going to strike many guys out, there are going to be a lot of baserunners when he’s on the mound, and he has a tendency to throw a meatball right over the heart of the plate that hitters at this level simply do not miss.

Could he potentially hold things down enough until reinforcements arrive? Absolutely. But there’s also a strong chance this experience is a short-lived disaster, leaving the Braves scrambling for answers by the time late April arrives.

Which is why signing another starting pitcher — even if it’s not a “playoff-caliber” arm — should not be off the table.

“The question I have, frankly,” Rosenthal continued, “is why don’t the Braves just go sign Lucas Giolito, or Zack Littell, or even Max Scherzer? Obviously, that still can happen, and maybe that is something they will look at. But with the exception of Scherzer — at least in his past — those are not top-of-the-rotation options. The Braves might argue that, for a certain price, they are not worth more than Bryce Elder would be at a minimum salary.”

If the entire Braves rotation can stay healthy, they’ll probably be fine riding with guys like Elder, Martin Perez, or perhaps even a prospect arm like JR Ritchie. The pitchers Rosenthal mentions all come with warts of their own and don’t exactly raise the team’s ceiling.

However, the argument for signing one of them becomes much stronger when considering the possibility of another injury. Chris Sale has had plenty over the course of his career. Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes are also coming off season-ending injuries of their own. If one of those guys goes down, it becomes a dire issue that may not be resolvable with the current in-house options.

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Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire

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At this point, everyone is well aware of the concerns in Atlanta’s rotation. The injuries to Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach — both of whom will undergo elbow surgery — have completely depleted any semblance of depth. If the Braves are to survive the first several months of the season until potential reinforcements arrive, they’ll likely need a prospect arm to step up. The one everyone should have a close eye on this Spring Training is the No. 2-ranked prospect, JR Ritchie.

“Unfortunately, last year we had a lot of injuries,” Ritchie said. “Realistically, I hope that never happens again. A lot of these guys are my friends, and I wouldn’t wish that upon anybody. But at the end of the day, this organization has given chances to younger guys. I’m not really too concerned about that. For me, it’s about my development and making sure I’m staying on track, continuing to throw the ball well, and staying on me.”

Ritchie might only be 22 years old, but he’s already speaking to the media like a 10-year veteran. When the Braves call on him is out of his control, and ideally, it would be nice if he could spend more time working on his craft in Gwinnett. He’s only made 19 starts above the High-A level, after all.

Unfortunately, that might not be a luxury the Braves have following this recent run of injuries. They could find themselves in a position rather quickly where they need to take a chance on one of their talented young arms in hopes of stabilizing the rotation. As Ritchie mentioned, that’s not something the organization has been hesitant to do in the past.

The other name turning heads early in Spring Training might be the most intriguing positional prospect in the Braves system — shortstop John Gil, who is receiving comparisons to Wilson Betemit and Rafael Furcal.

Gil wasn’t the most highly touted international prospect when the Braves signed him in 2023, but at just 19 years old, he’s flashed the kind of potential that could quickly put him in the conversation as the top prospect in the organization.

His most impressive tool right now is his athleticism. Gil has plus-plus speed, swiping 54 bags in just 107 games last season. However, the hit tool is coming along nicely as well for a prospect his age, flashing above-average contact ability with power that appears to be improving at a rapid rate.

The fact that Gil made his Double-A debut last season soon after turning 19 and is already a non-roster invite to Spring Training says a lot about what the Braves think of him. With Ha-Seong Kim signed for this season, an MLB debut in 2026 feels highly unlikely unless something drastic happens. But after 2026, shortstop will once again be a blank canvas, and Gil could insert himself into that conversation with a big season on the farm.

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Because of their financial commitment to Kirk Cousins, the Falcons don’t have a ton of money to spend in free agency. They also don’t own their own first-round pick because of the draft-night trade involving James Pearce Jr. last year. It won’t be easy to significantly improve the roster, but some cap space can be created with a few notable offseason releases.

Kirk Cousins

The Falcons already restructured Kirk Cousins’ contract earlier this offseason, which is the only reason they currently have $26 million in cap space. The way it was restructured essentially guarantees Atlanta will have to release the veteran quarterback before the new league year, but they won’t save much by doing so. Even with a post-June 1 designation, cutting Cousins would result in just $2.1 million in additional savings for the 2026 season.

Additionally, just because they cut Cousins doesn’t mean the Falcons won’t revisit contract negotiations later this offseason. If the market is cooler than expected, it’s possible he could return as insurance for Michael Penix Jr. on a cheap deal.

Darnell Mooney

After a fantastic season in 2025 — one in which Mooney finished just eight yards short of 1,000 receiving yards — 2026 was an abject disaster. Mooney missed all of training camp and the preseason with a broken collarbone, and he never seemed to find his footing once he returned, hauling in just 32 catches for 443 yards and one touchdown.

Outside of Cousins, Mooney is the most obvious cut candidate on the Falcons’ roster. He’s set to make $18 million in 2026, and the Falcons can save $7.4 million by releasing him. They can also save close to $11.5 million by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation. That seems like the most obvious route. However, if Mooney were to agree to a restructured deal at a reduced figure, perhaps the Falcons would consider keeping him, given their lack of depth at wide receiver.

Jessie Bates III

It’s hard to imagine the Falcons cutting Jessie Bates III after he earned his second All-Pro nod in three years with the team, but he’ll be 29 years old next season, doesn’t play a premium position, and carries a cap number of nearly $25 million. That’s significant for a safety, and the Falcons could save more than $14 million by designating him a post-June 1 cut.

It’s far more likely Atlanta attempts to reduce that figure and keep Bates around. If not, perhaps they dangle him on the trade market in exchange for additional draft capital. There would surely be plenty of interested suitors around the league, but it would be surprising if the Falcons left his contract untouched.

Clark Phillips III

Drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Clark Phillips III has struggled to carve out a consistent role on the Falcons’ defense, despite cornerback being a weak spot. He appeared in just one game last season, logging a few special teams snaps against the Commanders before being placed on IR with a triceps injury. With a new regime in place, the Falcons could take the $3.6 million in savings they would gain by cutting him and move on as they attempt to overhaul the secondary with fresh blood this offseason.

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Braves 2026 Opening Day Roster Predictions

Catchers

Drake Baldwin
Jonah Heim

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With Sean Murphy sidelined for at least the first month of the season as he continues to recover from hip surgery, the Braves signed catcher Jonah Heim. He’s a competent major-league caliber catcher that’s more than capable of filling in as a starter when Drake Baldwin needs rest. It’s possible he even sticks around on the roster once Murphy returns as well.

Infielders

Matt Olson
Mauricio Dubon
Ozzie Albies
Austin Riley
Jorge Mateo
Kyle Farmer

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The injury to Ha-Seong Kim will force Mauricio Dubon to take over as the everyday shortstop, and it also creates opportunities for guys like Jorge Mateo and Kyle Farmer to make the Opening Day roster. If Kim were healthy, neither of them likely would have much of a shot. Now, the Braves would probably prefer to have a couple of versatile infield options for different situations, particularly at the end of games.

Outfielders

Ronald Acuña Jr.
Michael Harris II
Mike Yastrzemski
Jurickson Profar
Eli White

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No surprises here. All of these guys feel like locks to make the Opening Day roster unless the Braves make some drastic changes in the weeks leading up to the season. The first four players on this list will be everyday regulars, and Eli White could see quite a bit of playing time early in the season because of the injury to Ha-Seong Kim.

Starting Pitchers

Chris Sale
Spencer Strider
Reynaldo Lopez
Grant Holmes
Bryce Elder

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This is where things have gotten really sketchy because of the injuries to Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach. Bryce Elder now becomes the frontrunner for the final rotation spot, and the other four are already locked in, according to Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos.

Because Elder is out of options, it makes sense for Atlanta to give him one final opportunity before designating him for assignment. Perhaps he thrives under that kind of pressure and sticks in the rotation for the entire season, but if he starts to flounder, veteran Martin Perez could get a look. Top prospect JR Ritchie is also now on the short list of guys behind him, but it’s unlikely he’ll start the year in the majors.

Additionally, Walt Weiss hinted the Braves could begin the season with a six-man rotation due to the fact that they start the campaign with 13 games in 13 days. In that case, keeping a guy like Joe Wentz around could make some sense.

Bullpen

Raisel Iglesias
Robert Suarez
Dylan Lee
Tyler Kinley
Aaron Bummer
Joel Payamps
Joey Wentz
Dylan Dodd

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This is one of the stronger aspects of the Braves, but there are still a few spots up for grabs. I’m giving Wentz the nod because of his ability to also serve as an opener, and for now, Dylan Dodd earns the final spot. He made the transition to the bullpen full-time last year and experienced some really solid results in Atlanta, posting a 3.60 ERA with a 0.943 WHIP over 35 innings.

This would be a really solid group with a good mix of righties and lefties, but by season’s end, it could look a lot scarier. The Braves have several intriguing relief prospects on the cusp of being deemed major-league ready.

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In 2023, the Braves’ offense broke a slew of franchise and MLB records. They had an .845 OPS as a team, became the first team ever to slug over .500, and tied the MLB record for home runs in a season with 307 on their way to 104 wins. Even after a disappointing exit in the postseason, it felt like this young core had all of the ability to do something incredibly special over the next 5–10 years.

The group, however, has hardly been recognizable in the two seasons since. The Braves’ team OPS dropped by more than 120 points in 2024 and fell even further in 2025, with the team hitting just 190 total home runs — 117 fewer than they did in 2023. Atlanta, despite all of the talent, has been a middling offensive team for two straight years.

The injuries are undoubtedly a significant factor. Pretty much every player in the Braves lineup, outside of the ironman Matt Olson, has dealt with a substantial injury, if not multiple. And those issues, even when guys have played, have clearly affected them — Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley being two of the most notable examples.

At this point, there might not be a bone in Albies’ wrist/hand area that hasn’t suffered some type of fracture, and it’s resulted in a rather steep offensive decline. In 256 games over the last two seasons, he’s hit just .245 with 26 home runs and a .685 OPS. Compare that to 2023, when he hit 33 home runs in just 148 games with an OPS of .849.

Albies did show some signs of life toward the end of the 2025 campaign as he got further removed from the wrist injury he suffered in 2024. In the second half of last season, he hit .272 with nine homers and a .769 OPS. Unfortunately, his season ended with yet another wrist/hand injury, and while he’s had plenty of time to recover, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. Is it possible we’ve already seen the best of Albies’ career?

Riley has followed a similar path. From 2021–2023, he was arguably the best third baseman in the National League — a mortal lock to hit 30+ homers with 100 RBIs in the middle of the Braves lineup. In each of those years, he was a top-seven finisher in the NL MVP race. But over the past two seasons, he’s been plagued by one injury after another, forcing him to miss time and causing a significant offensive dip. Since the beginning of the 2024 campaign, Riley has just 36 home runs with a .760 OPS in 212 games.

Of course, that’s not necessarily bad production. But for the man the Braves made the highest-paid player in franchise history, the expectations are certainly much higher than they are for just about anyone else on the roster.

With bounce-back campaigns from Albies and Riley, Atlanta immediately becomes a top-10 offense again, and they are far from the only candidates who can improve their production.

Michael Harris II is coming off a career-worst offensive campaign, hitting .249 with 20 home runs and a .678 OPS. Harris’ defense is always going to make him a valuable commodity, and he still has stretches where he looks like he could be one of the best five-tool players in the sport. But at this point, the streakiness from an offensive perspective has been far too prevalent to overlook. He’s never going to be the MVP candidate some believed he could be following his masterful rookie campaign, but he’s definitely capable of being more productive than he was a year ago.

These are three All-Star caliber players who haven’t performed like it over the last two seasons for one reason or another. If they do — combined with full seasons from Ronald Acuña Jr. and Jurickson Profar — the Braves’ offense can be the juggernaut it once was. And that could be enough to carry the club while they scramble to fix things on the starting pitching front following the injuries to Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach.

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It’s very possible Michael Penix Jr. is that guy. At times, he looked the part in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback, flashing one of the most impressive arms in the sport with incredible accuracy down the field. Then there were times when he looked like a guy with fewer than 10 starts under his belt, unable to get through his progressions and missing the layups that allow the offense to get into rhythm.

Penix has plenty he needs to work on. His accuracy on short to intermediate throws was horrendous. He seemed to lack the willingness to throw over the middle of the field, likely because he didn’t trust his accuracy, and he must learn to feel comfortable playing from under center. None of that is necessarily uncommon for an inexperienced quarterback in the National Football League, but the one issue Atlanta might not be able to overlook — even this early in his career — is his injury history.

Penix was a walking red flag coming into the draft in that department, suffering multiple ACL and shoulder injuries in college. Now, he’s coming off yet another ACL injury in just his second season, and his availability for Week 1 is in serious jeopardy.

With Cousins set to be released in the coming weeks, the Falcons were going to be in the quarterback market regardless. The question is what level of quarterback they would target. Are they looking for a guy who can hold the clipboard behind Penix, or perhaps someone who could push for the job and take the team to the next level?

According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, it’s going to be someone they believe can help them win games immediately.

“It’s not just going to be a warm body, veteran-minimum type guy, I can promise you that,” said one source.

“There are some definite concerns there about Penix taking the next step on several levels. It’s been a lot worse there than people really know.”

This is the first time someone has really come out and reported that the Falcons have serious concerns about Penix’s future, and La Canfora didn’t stop there with his sources.

“Atlanta is looking for a starting quarterback, I know that much,” a general manager of a team also in the market for a quarterback said. “We are definitely looking at them as competition. I think they’re going to be in on everything. It’s not good there with Penix.”

Now, whether you believe La Canfora’s sources is up to your discretion. However, the facts are this: Penix is currently a bottom-ten quarterback in the NFL, he might not be ready for Week 1, has serious injury concerns moving forward, and this new regime had nothing to do with drafting him.

It’s possible the Falcons roll with Michael Penix Jr. in 2026 because they don’t love any of the options available to them. It’s not like there are a bunch of franchise quarterbacks available on the open market each offseason, and Atlanta doesn’t even own a first-round pick. But it makes a lot of sense for them to evaluate every single option at the position until they get it right.

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Sale started the game and was sitting in the mid-90s with his heater, topping out at 96 mph. That’s midseason form in February, and the veteran Cy Young Award winner punched out three batters while allowing no runs in two innings of work.

Ritchie relieved Sale and also tossed two scoreless innings, striking out one while allowing no hits and one walk. He flashed a major-league-ready repertoire, featuring a wide array of pitches that consistently keep hitters off balance. The Braves probably aren’t seriously considering starting Ritchie in the majors to begin the season, but they aren’t the kind of organization that will hold a guy back if he keeps ascending. At some point in the first half of 2026, I expect he’ll make his MLB debut.

From an offensive perspective, the Braves featured a lineup very similar to the one they will field on Opening Day. The group may not have scored many runs, but each of the first five batters had a hit while playing about half the game, with reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin recording two of them, including a home run.

The Braves’ rotation woes have rightfully dominated storylines through the early part of Spring Training. There are serious concerns about this group’s ability to make it through a 162-game season. However, the offense has just as much to prove heading into 2026.

This was a group that made MLB history in multiple categories back in 2023, but they haven’t been able to approach those numbers since. Some of that is due to injuries, but even when healthy, they haven’t come close to living up to their potential in recent years. This can be one of the best offenses in baseball, and they’ll need to be with so many concerns scattered throughout the rotation.

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This is a club that came in with legitimate aspirations to compete in the Eastern Conference following the offseason acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. But of those three, only Alexander-Walker remains with the team. Porzingis was constantly hampered by illness and injuries, while Kennard never really seemed to find any consistency in Atlanta despite being the team’s top three-point shooter.

The Hawks will likely find themselves in the play-in tournament once again, with no real shot at advancing out of the first round. That said, there’s still a lot of hope for the future thanks to a few developments.

Jalen Johnson has taken that next step. He recently represented the Hawks in the All-Star Game and should receive All-NBA consideration at season’s end. The floor is now his with Trae Young in Washington. Then there’s the ultra-valuable draft pick the Hawks received in their draft-night trade with the Pelicans. It is an unprotected first-rounder, most favorable of New Orleans or Milwaukee — two teams that are both currently in the lottery.

Atlanta Hawks Lottery Odds

• Pelicans — 4th worst record — 12.5% chance at #1, 48.1% chance at Top 4
• Bucks — 10th worst record — 3% chance at #1, 9% chance at Top 4

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Through some simple addition, the Hawks currently have a 15.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and a 57.1% chance of landing a top-four selection. Both marks are the highest of any team, and they didn’t even have to tank to get into this position.

Speaking of tanking, there is one caveat that must be discussed as we enter the final stretch of the season. It’s no secret that teams currently in the lottery are trying their hardest to lose in order to improve their chances of securing a top pick in this loaded draft class. The Pelicans, who do not own their lottery pick, have no incentive to tank. So they are one of the few teams at the bottom of the standings actually trying to win.

To this point, that approach has resulted in a 16–42 record, but there’s still a strong chance they finish a few spots higher in the standings by season’s end simply by continuing to compete.

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The #Falcons are planning to franchise tag standout TE Kyle Pitts, sources say, keeping their playmaker in the fold on a 1-year, fully guaranteed deal worth more than $15M.

The hope is to work out a long-term deal rather than the tag. The two sides have until July to do it. pic.twitter.com/dwtlUbKxz7

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2026

As Rapoport notes, the hope for both parties is that a long-term extension can still be worked out this offseason, keeping the 25-year-old in Atlanta for several more years.

What that might look like is something I recently discussed. Spotrac puts Kyle Pitts’ market value at four years for around $43 million total. Based on the totality of his production over his five seasons with the team, that’s probably a fair evaluation.

However, from Pitts’ perspective, it’s easy to see why his agent would push for something much more lucrative. His upside is up there with the best tight ends in the league, and while he’s struggled with injuries and inconsistency, his 2025 season was a reminder that he can be a 1,000-yard pass catcher and a deadly red-zone threat when healthy. It’s also not as if Pitts has dealt with pristine quarterback play since his rookie season, with the Falcons essentially playing musical chairs under center in each of the last four seasons.

By franchise tagging Pitts, Atlanta does gain a little leverage at the negotiating table. But it’s still probably going to take something in the four-year, $50+ million range for him to sign on the dotted line — which, at some point this offseason, I expect to get done now that the Falcons have made the franchise tag official.

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Yet Another Devastating Injury

The immediate announcement of Spencer Schwellenbach‘s elbow injury on the first day of Spring Training felt like a horror movie Braves fans have now seen a thousand times. He’ll begin the season on the 60-day IL, and while the club is hoping he won’t need season-ending surgery, nobody can say it is off the table at this point.

The short-term effects are massive. Spencer Schwellenbach is among the top young pitchers in baseball, and a healthy version of him was a legitimate dark-horse Cy Young candidate — right there along with Chris Sale. Losing him severely hinders the Braves’ chances of competing for a World Series.

The long-term effects are perhaps even more concerning. This is now Spencer Schwellenbach’s third elbow injury since he was drafted. He underwent Tommy John surgery before throwing his first professional pitch, and his 2025 campaign ended prematurely due to a fractured elbow. At this moment, there’s no reason to say Schwellenbach can’t go on to have a Hall of Fame career, but after what Braves fans have endured in recent years with young stars like Michael Soroka, Kyle Wright, and most recently Spencer Strider, it’s difficult not to ponder the worst-case scenarios.

Nacho Alvarez… The Catcher??

On the first day of Spring Training, former top prospect Nacho Alvarez was seen doing catching drills, and apparently, he wasn’t just playing around. The Braves want to give him some work behind the plate to see if he can add yet another tool to his already versatile tool belt. The club believes Alvarez’s bat can stick at the major-league level long term. The bigger question is whether they can find him a place to play. With the organizational depth behind the plate being so weak, learning how to catch only improves his odds of finding more opportunities in Atlanta.

Ronald Acuña Jr. Feels 200%

Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn’t been shy about his excitement arriving at Spring Training, telling the media that he feels 200% with regard to his health leading up to Opening Day. The former NL MVP has been staying active this offseason, dominating the Venezuelan Winter League and will soon compete for Venezuela in next month’s World Baseball Classic.

Oh, and if you thought Acuña might consider slowing things down after a couple of catastrophic knee injuries, think again. He said he’ll be running a lot this season, and if his performance in the Venezuelan Winter League is any indication — 11 steals in just 16 games — we can all take his word for it.

Braves Add Sean Murphy Insurance

Sean Murphy is another key Braves player who will miss a large portion to begin the season after undergoing major hip surgery in September of last year. The hope is that he will be back sometime in the middle of May, but the Braves decided not to roll the dice and added some insurance in the form of Jonah Heim.

Heim is not going to challenge Drake Baldwin for playing time, but he’s a legitimate starting-caliber catcher who has accrued 6.9 WAR over 513 games in the last four seasons for the Texas Rangers. His best season came in 2023 — when Tim Hyers was his hitting coach — as he hit .258 with 18 home runs while also winning his first Gold Glove Award. This is a solid pickup for the Braves that could end up paying major dividends this season.

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As for why the Braves went in this direction, there could be a number of reasons, most notably the serious hip injury that plagued him all of last season. Ozuna managed to play through the pain, but his numbers took a significant dip, as he hit just 21 homers with a .756 OPS. Over the two years prior, the Big Bear averaged 40 homers, 102 RBIs, and a .916 OPS.

There’s a chance Ozuna bounces back in 2026, but $12 million for a 35-year-old with injury concerns and no ability to play defensively at all is a risky proposition. All of those reasons likely went into the Braves’ calculations, but in a meeting with the media on Friday, Anthopoulos referred to new manager Walt Weiss and his desire to have more defensive versatility, keeping that DH spot open so that more players can take glorified off days.

This was a very clear priority for the Braves this offseason. It might have even been the top priority based on the moves they made, which began by trading for super-utility man Mauricio Dubon, who can quite literally play any position on the diamond. They then added Yastrzemski, who is another versatile outfielder that can also serve as the designated hitter.

Unfortunately, a lot of that depth and versatility won’t be available for the Braves early in the season due to the injuries to Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim. Dubon and Yastrzemski will now have to play much more prevalent roles for at least the first month, with Dubon taking over as the everyday shortstop. The Braves hope both players can return sometime in May, but they have also acknowledged that it’s too early to tell when they will be cleared.

The decision to go with versatility over pop is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s something the Braves really lacked a year ago, but if Ozuna goes on to slug 30–40 homers with the Pirates, Atlanta’s offense is going to miss a bat like that.

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“Holmes, Lopez, Strider and Sale, those guys are set.”#Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos says Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez will be starters this year coming off injuries
AA likes in-house options for 5th starter, but still looking at outside options pic.twitter.com/vY7SGN4zWp

— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5) February 13, 2026

At least on the outside, there were some questions about Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes. Both are coming off season-ending injuries, with López making just one start last year after dealing with fatigue-related injuries the year prior.

Given that and López’s past success as a reliever, there had to be at least some thought about moving him to the bullpen. But after the Spencer Schwellenbach news, that idea probably went out the window pretty fast. The same can be said for Grant Holmes, who has also had success out of the bullpen in the past.

The final spot is an open competition in camp as of now. There’s still a chance the Braves add a starting arm before the season begins, but if not, there appear to be three pitchers competing for one spot — Bryce Elder, Hurston Waldrep, and recently signed veteran Martín Pérez.

Many will point to the fact that Bryce Elder is out of options. That has to be taken into consideration, as Atlanta would like to keep as much depth in-house as possible, but so does his 5.59 ERA over the last two seasons. He shouldn’t be penciled in for anything. In fact, there’s a very real chance he’s designated for assignment with a poor Spring Training.

Martin Pérez could certainly see action at some point in 2026. He’s posted a respectable 4.24 ERA over the last two seasons and was an All-Star for the Rangers as recently as 2022, boasting a 2.89 ERA over 196.1 innings. At the very least, he’s a competent innings eater if another injury arises.

However, by far the most intriguing arm of the group is Hurston Waldrep, who enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign, recording a 2.88 ERA over 56.1 innings in Atlanta. If the decision came strictly down to talent and winning games in April, there would be no debate — Waldrep would get the nod.

But championships are not won in April. The Braves are already severely lacking depth in their rotation, so prioritizing depth early on does make some sense. Still, Bryce Elder is going to have to show something in camp if he wants that spot to start the season.

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Every single pitcher from the Braves’ Opening Day roster went down with a significant injury last season, and that doesn’t even include Spencer Strider, who missed six weeks while recovering from InternalBrace surgery. To say there were concerns about the rotation entering the offseason would be an understatement. Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos acknowledged as much, stating that it was the team’s top priority.

Yet Spring Training has arrived, the Braves haven’t added one significant piece to their rotation, and now their second-best arm is in danger of missing the rest of the season. Whether Atlanta adds one of the last remaining free agents or has a trade in the works remains unknown, but Anthopoulos continues to say their lack of action in the market is not about money, as the club continues to look for a “playoff starter.”

I’m well aware there is a large sector of Braves fans that enjoys shouting from the rooftops that the Braves are cheap. There’s no question the team could conceivably spend more money, and there’s still a chance they do. But this Braves payroll is not cheap. They are set to spend north of $260 million next season and have already committed significant money to the future.

Anthopoulos has been given plenty of resources to build a consistent championship contender, especially since he was essentially handed an All-Star young core when he took the job. The fact is, he just doesn’t view long-term contracts for starting pitchers as wise investments.

He’s had no issue handing out $100+ million long-term contracts to a slew of players, from Ronald Acuña Jr. to Austin Riley. Yet when it comes to starting pitchers, he has rarely committed to one in free agency for more than a year.

At this point, this is an established strategy. Not one that has been very effective in recent years, but given the resources spent elsewhere, it’s evident Anthopoulos would rather do just about anything other than spend the money required to invest long-term in a proven starting pitcher

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But there are also looming contract extensions for two other top-10 selections on the offensive side — Drake London and Bijan Robinson. London is set to enter his fifth and final season on his rookie contract, making an extension a top priority of the offseason.

Two years ago, the former USC Trojan caught 100 balls for 1,279 yards and nine touchdowns. In terms of production, he was a top-five wide receiver in the league, even though he was not recognized with Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors.

The 2025 campaign was much of the same until injuries struck. Through Week 11 (nine games), Drake London had 810 receiving yards with six touchdowns, putting him on a 17-game pace for more than 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. Unfortunately, a PCL injury forced him to miss Weeks 12–15, and when he returned, it was evident he wasn’t quite 100%. But he still ended the season with nearly 1,000 receiving yards in just 12 games, continuing to prove he belongs in the conversation with the top wideouts in the game.

That’s a fun discussion for fans to have in support of London. Not many people outside of Atlanta probably recognize how dominant he’s become as a wide receiver until their team has to line up across from the Falcons on Sunday. However, that discussion isn’t nearly as fun for new general manager Ian Cunningham, who’s going to have to negotiate a healthy extension for Michael Penix Jr.’s top target.

The previous regime didn’t appear to grit its teeth much in the negotiating room with its marquee stars. Both A.J. Terrell and Chris Lindstrom were up for contract extensions under Terry Fontenot, and both received record-breaking deals at the time.

That’s not the worst way to approach things with franchise cornerstones. The more important aspect is timing. The sooner these deals get done, the more team-friendly they will appear in the future. There is always another star at the same position waiting to get paid, and when they do, the next guy is going to want more money. Things have operated like that in the NFL for a long time, and acting as if that’s going to change anytime soon would be foolish.

Both London and Robinson will receive top-of-market deals. Robinson has every right to demand a contract that makes him the highest-paid running back in the game. London might not be able to demand $40 million per season like Ja’Marr Chase received last offseason, but his agent certainly has every reason to bargain for at least $33 million AAV, which is what D.K. Metcalf received from the Steelers.

London is firmly a better wide receiver than D.K. Metcalf, and he’s done nothing but represent this organization well both on and off the field. Those are the types of players you don’t worry about pinching pennies with at the negotiating table.

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Fortunately, this is not an issue that is going to force Profar to the IL, as he’s set to compete for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic alongside his teammates Ozzie Albies and Chadwick Tromp.

However, it may have played a part in the Braves’ decision to target Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón this offseason — two guys who can play the outfield much better defensively, relegating Profar primarily to DH duties. That’s not something he’s exactly thrilled about, but Braves manager Walt Weiss is pleased with how Profar is handling it.

“To be honest, I don’t think any player is raising their hand, unless they’re a full-time DH, to say, ‘Yeah, I mean, that’s what I want to do,'” Weiss said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “He’s a great teammate. We’ve had this conversation. [Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos] even called him before he signed [outfielder Mike] Yastrzemski to clear it with him.”

Profar wasn’t Marcell Ozuna-bad in the outfield last season, but he wasn’t far off either, ranking in the 8th percentile in Outs Above Average and the 13th percentile for Arm Value. He’s been a subpar defensive player his entire career, isn’t getting any younger as he enters his age-32 season, and is now coming off offseason groin surgery.

That makes him the most obvious choice to serve as the DH, but this isn’t a Marcell Ozuna situation. Profar is at least capable of playing the outfield when needed, and Walt Weiss has already made it clear he hopes to give regulars glorified off days by allowing them to DH from time to time to keep guys fresh throughout the grind of a 162-game season.

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On the non-injury front, Chris Sale had a couple of intriguing comments during his first session with the media over the weekend. Most notably, he discussed his future, saying he would love to retire as a member of the Braves.

“I would like to,” Sale said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I really like being here. These guys obviously gave me a shot and kind of picked me up from off the ground after I exited 2023 kind of limping into the offseason. Everyone’s been great to me here and I have really enjoyed being here.”

The Braves took a shot on Sale when his own team in Boston, whom he helped to a World Series in 2018, was literally willing to pay $17 million for him to go elsewhere because of his injury history. The move has since turned into one of the most fruitful in Braves franchise history, with Sale winning the 2024 NL Cy Young Award — the first of his career — and following it up with another stellar campaign in 2025, despite missing a couple of months with a fractured rib cage.

Entering his age-37 season, there’s no question Sale’s days are numbered. Father Time rests for nobody, but he’s proven he can still get it done at an incredibly high level, and Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t mince words about his desire to keep Sale in Atlanta as long as he’s still effective.

“I’m hoping Chris Sale is here as long as he wants to go and that would be our goal,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve had as a GM. I’m grateful I’ve had a chance to be part of his career and be a part of a team that has had him. Those guys are so hard to find and the value beyond what they do on the field is just immense. So, the hope is that he plays as long as he wants to, and it’s going to be with the Braves.”

Anthopoulos hasn’t hesitated in handing out contract extensions, whether it be to young rising stars or aging veterans. We saw it with Charlie Morton at the end of his career, and even with Chris Sale, whom the Braves actually extended before he even threw a pitch with a tomahawk across his chest.

If Anthopoulos was willing to immediately hand Sale a mini-extension after all of the injuries he suffered while playing in Boston, it’s difficult to imagine he would be against it after what’s transpired over the last two seasons. It’s also not like the Braves can afford to get rid of a starting pitcher of Sale’s caliber, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep.

I’ve discussed it on multiple occasions this offseason: Chris Sale should be right at the top of the list of Braves extension candidates. There are injury concerns with every pitcher, but if Sale stays healthy and produces another Cy Young–caliber campaign, he’ll have every right to demand a multi-year contract in the $40–50 million range next winter.

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BREAKING: After Hurston Waldrep threw live BP the other day he had some pain. MRI revealed loose bodies in his elbow. It’s likely he will need some type of a procedure to clean things up. Waldrep is meeting with doctors in the next couple days to decide next steps. pic.twitter.com/wH4Sxa3EYU

— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) February 15, 2026

A final decision on what’s next for the second-year pitcher out of Florida has yet to be determined, but like Spencer Schwellenbach, there’s a chance we don’t see Waldrep until 2027.

To say Atlanta’s rotation concerns are now dire would be an understatement. The club’s pitching depth was already a gray area coming into the season, and now they are set to be without two of their best arms for at least the first half of the season.

Waldrep was expected to compete for the final spot in the rotation out of Spring Training. With him out of the picture, Bryce Elder and Martin Perez become the frontrunners, but the real question is whether the Braves try to add another starting pitcher.

Alex Anthopoulos said earlier in the week that the club has been trying to add a “playoff starter” all offseason. That may no longer be possible with so few options remaining, but at this point, just a competent veteran innings eater would suffice. We’re still over a month away from the season starting, yet the Braves find themselves in a horrendous spot — a very familiar feeling after what happened in 2025.

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Rutenberg’s first real crack in the NFL came as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was named a pass game specialist for San Francisco in 2020 before heading to New York to be the Jets’ linebackers coach. He then followed Ulbrich to Atlanta to become the defensive pass game coordinator.

The Falcons finished 13th in passing yards allowed per game, limiting quarterbacks to just 200.4 yards per game through the air — a vast improvement from the 224.5 yards they allowed in 2024. The Falcons also set a franchise record for sacks in a season with 57 — 26 more than they had in 2024.

Ulbrich has referred to Rutenberg — a Cornell graduate — as someone with PhD-level knowledge of coverage schemes, according to 92.9 The Game’s Falcons reporter Joe Patrick.

Tough blow for the Falcons. Jeff Ulbrich says Rutenberg has “PhD knowledge” of coverage schemes https://t.co/Fl5ll7aiVy

— Joe Patrick (@JoePatrick) February 16, 2026

This is undoubtedly a pretty significant blow to the Falcons’ defensive staff. However, attrition is what happens to the staffs of successful units, something we haven’t said about Atlanta’s defense very often over the last two decades. I’ll take losing coaches to promotions over guys getting fired every day of the week.

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Kennard appeared in 46 games for the Hawks after signing a one-year, $11 million contract in the offseason. He averaged just 7.9 points per game, but did so on ridiculous 54/50/91 shooting splits. The biggest issue for the Hawks was convincing him to shoot more, which makes this a solid pickup for the Lakers considering they didn’t give up much.

Atlanta is receiving a 2032 second-round pick along with backup point guard Gabe Vincent, who is averaging just 4.8 points on 34.6% shooting from the field and 36.9% from three-point range. Like Kennard, Vincent is on an expiring contract, and the two have nearly identical salaries this season.

The Hawks had a logjam on the wing following Wednesday night’s trade that netted them Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. They also have a desperate need for guard help with Trae Young now in Washington. However, Vincent hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire since signing a three-year, $33 million deal with the Lakers. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s ultimately waived as the Hawks continue to tweak their roster.

Another thing to consider, the Hawks can use their $13.1 million trade player exception on Vincent, which was set to expire tomorrow. And by moving Kennard, they now create a new $11 million trade player exception they can use in the future.

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• Two counts aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
• Aggravated stalking
• Fleeing/Eluding the police

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NEW: NFL first-round pick James Pearce Jr. arrested for battery and stalking of his WNBA star girlfriend after police chase and crash

NFL rookie James Pearce Jr., 22, was arrested in Miami after a dispute with his WNBA player girlfriend Rickea Jackson

Police say he fled the… pic.twitter.com/prNlI0gR6V

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) February 8, 2026

The video does not look good for Pearce, and the entire story is just as damning based on the reports so far.

It reportedly began with a domestic dispute involving an ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. Jackson is said to have ended their three-year relationship and blocked Pearce’s number. According to reports, Pearce then continued trying to contact her from another phone despite multiple attempts by Jackson to cut off communication.

That allegedly led to Saturday’s incident, when Pearce is reported to have followed Jackson in his vehicle and attempted to break into her car. When Jackson fled to a police station, Pearce allegedly crashed his car into hers.

To make matters worse, Pearce then allegedly tried to flee the scene and reportedly struck a police officer with his car while attempting to avoid arrest. Police pursued him until he crashed at an intersection, where he was ultimately arrested, though reports say he continued to resist.

“We look forward to working with the State Attorney’s Office in fully investigating this case and uncovering the truth,” Pearce’s legal team Jacob Nunez, Yale Sanford and Joshua Cohen said in a statement, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “Mr. Pearce maintains his innocence and urges the public to understand that while allegations have the power to shape a narrative, that it is hardly the full, complete story. We look forward to vigorously defending our Client and remain confident that he will continue contributing positively to both his team and the community he serves so well.”

The Falcons also released a statement saying they are gathering more information about the situation before making any further comments.

James Pearce Jr. did not enter the league without his fair share of red flags. In fact, he was off a lot of teams’ draft boards despite his immense talent, which at one point had him pegged as a top-five pick during the draft process.

The Falcons, led by Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot, decided to look past those red flags. They felt the homework they had done on Pearce was enough to justify trading a 2026 first-round pick to move back into the first round and select the former Tennessee Volunteer.

From an on-field perspective, they were right. Pearce has all the tools to become one of the best pass rushers in the league. His 10.5 sacks as a rookie were the most by a first-year player since Micah Parsons, and he only got stronger as the season went on, with 10 of those sacks coming over the final nine games.

Atlanta finally thought it had found the answer to the single biggest issue the organization has faced over the last two decades, and now there are serious questions about whether he will ever put on a Falcons uniform again.

There are countless examples where teams — and even the league — have allowed talent to outweigh character concerns. Pearce has a skill set every team covets, so acting as if him playing again is impossible would be unrealistic. But based on what has been reported so far, he will have a lot of hurdles to clear to get back in the good graces of both the Falcons and the league.

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Spencer Schwellenbach is dealing with right elbow inflammation. The Braves are hoping he’s just dealing with bone spurs. But he’ll miss significant time. He’ll begin the year on the 60-day IL

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 10, 2026

This comes after Schwellenbach’s 2025 campaign ended prematurely when he suffered a fractured elbow. It doesn’t sound like the Braves have a clear timetable yet, but the fact they’ve already ruled him out for at least the first two months is far from encouraging.

Schwellenbach has been unbelievable to start his major-league career, racking up 5.0 WAR over 38 starts with a 3.23 ERA and 3.27 FIP. He already looks like a legitimate frontline starter who was showing signs of becoming a potential ace before going down with the elbow injury last season. Now there have to be serious questions about not only what he can provide this year, but his long-term outlook as well.

Unfortunately, the Braves have seen this story play out the wrong way time and time again in recent years — most notably with Michael Soroka, Kyle Wright, and Spencer Strider, all of whom have dealt with multiple major injuries that derailed their careers.

Speaking of Strider, all eyes will now be on him to have a massive bounce-back campaign in 2026. Prior to the UCL injury he suffered in 2024, he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. However, he struggled at times during his return last season, pitching to a 4.45 ERA while experiencing a noticeable dip in velocity. For the Braves to get back to the playoffs, they’ll need the pre-injury version of Strider to step up in Schwellenbach’s absence.

Even that might not be enough to fully ease Atlanta’s rotation concerns. Adding another starter was already a need even with a healthy Schwellenbach. Now it feels non-negotiable. Most of the top arms are off the market, but signing a veteran innings-eater with some upside — like Lucas Giolito or Chris Bassitt — has become a much bigger priority.

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Nacho Alvarez … catcher? pic.twitter.com/J0qrHnJAPu

— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) February 10, 2026

Now, this could be nothing. This is the time of year when teams try different things and see what sticks, but it will be interesting to see if Alvarez gets opportunities behind the plate once Spring Training games begin. If he proves he can handle the position defensively, it simply gives him more versatility to find his way back onto the major-league roster.

One of the biggest issues Alvarez faces is finding a place to play. He hasn’t shown quite enough to stick at shortstop to this point, and the rest of the Braves infield is not going to be replaced unless injuries strike.

At catcher, however, there’s more uncertainty in Atlanta behind Drake Baldwin. Sean Murphy is coming off major hip surgery and is expected to miss the first 4–6 weeks of the season, creating an open competition for one of the final roster spots that Alvarez could potentially work his way into.

Injuries have also been a constant for Murphy since the Braves acquired him in a trade with the Athletics. So even though he’s expected to be cleared at some point in May, there’s no guarantee he’ll stay healthy, making it wise for the Braves to experiment as they try to build more organizational depth at catcher.

Again, it’s the first day of Spring Training. These kinds of moves are often a means to an end, but it does appear the Braves are trying something new with Alvarez, and his willingness to switch positions is something that could help him find a more permanent role with the organization.

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Between now and then, most Braves fans are still hoping for at least one more significant addition. They’ve been rumored to be in on a number of starting pitchers still remaining on the free agent market, and another bat to add some juice to the lineup would be welcomed. However, one of the most underrated positions to watch this Spring Training will be catcher.

With Sean Murphy expected to miss significant time to begin the season after undergoing hip surgery last year, there will be an open competition behind the plate. Veterans Chadwick Tromp and Sandy León will be involved, but the favorite for that spot might have just been added to the roster in the form of Jonah Heim.

Heim has been a legitimate starting-caliber catcher for the last four seasons. He’s coming off a down year in which he hit just .213 with a .602 OPS, but just a few years ago he hit .258 with 18 homers and a .752 OPS while winning a Gold Glove and earning an All-Star nod for the Texas Rangers, who went on to win the World Series in 2023.

That kind of production is unlikely in Atlanta with Drake Baldwin in the fold, but Heim is more than capable of handling the backup catcher role until Murphy is cleared, and there is some upside here. During his career year in 2023, current Braves hitting coach Tim Hyers held the same role with the Rangers. Perhaps that reunion could help Atlanta find some lightning in a bottle for the first six weeks or so while Murphy is sidelined.

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Per @JonHeyman , The Chicago #Cubs are signing RHP Kyle Wright. It’s a minor league deal with a camp invite.

The 6’4, 215lb pitcher was the MLB’s last 20+ game single season winner back, which happened back in ‘24. pic.twitter.com/osj4rAIOcf

— Just Another Year Chicago: Cubs (@JAYChi_Cubs) February 11, 2026

Kyle Wright’s story is an all-too-familiar one for Braves fans, and it’s one that feels eerily relevant given the recent development with Spencer Schwellenbach heading to the 60-day IL with another elbow issue.

With Wright, though, it was his shoulder that ultimately derailed his career. Just one season after winning 20 games for the Braves and finishing 10th in the NL Cy Young voting, he underwent surgery, and the club felt a full recovery was unlikely, ultimately trading him for a sack of potatoes in November of 2023.

So far, the Braves’ assessment has proven accurate. He has yet to make an MLB appearance since 2023 and has pitched in only eight games total since that season — a brutal turn for a young pitcher who looked to be on the cusp of stardom.

Wright will have a lot to prove to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster out of camp, and at 30 years old, his opportunities are clearly dwindling. That said, baseball is full of reclamation stories that somehow work out. It would be awesome to see Wright find a second act somewhere after everything he’s been through.

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2026 is off to a similar start. Former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy is still recovering from hip surgery and doesn’t have a clear timetable for a return. The Braves are hoping he can come back sometime in May, but he plays an extremely demanding position and doesn’t have the best injury track record. One would expect the Braves to be cautious, especially with Drake Baldwin in the fold and the recent addition of Jonah Heim, who inked a one-year contract with Atlanta yesterday.

Ha-Seong Kim — who slipped on ice in Korea and tore a ligament in his finger — appears to be on a similar timeline to Murphy. The Braves are targeting a mid-May return, but Kim has spent much of the last two years dealing with various injuries as well, and the club does have a competent backup in Mauricio Dubón.

The biggest gut punch came when the Braves announced Spencer Schwellenbach would begin the season on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation. As of now, the club does not believe he needs surgery, but it’s another elbow issue for the young starter, giving him three in his short career. Schwellenbach previously underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after college, and his 2025 season ended prematurely due to a fractured elbow.

Walt Weiss said in a press conference that he does not believe this year’s injury is related to the fractured elbow, and the team hopes to get him back at some point this season.

Even if that’s the case, it’s tough to expect Schwellenbach to return after so much time off and immediately be the same pitcher he was in the middle of last year, when he looked like a young arm who could quickly become one of the most feared starters in the Braves’ rotation. Atlanta was already thin there, and now its depth will be tested before the team can even get its footing following an extraordinarily disappointing 2025 season.

If that wasn’t enough, the Braves also made a small trade for infield depth, acquiring Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays, and announced that reliever Joe Jiménez is headed to the 60-day IL.

The #Braves today acquired INF Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations and placed RHP Joe Jiménez on the 60-day injured list with a left articular cartilage injury.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 11, 2026

Jiménez underwent knee surgery immediately following the 2024 season. The expected recovery time was 8–12 months, and he was seen throwing bullpens around the All-Star break last year. However, a setback occurred toward the end of the season, and he’s been shut down ever since.

At this point, it’s more likely Jiménez never throws a meaningful pitch again for the Braves, but at least the club invested in the bullpen this offseason — unlike the rotation, which already feels on life support before the season even begins.

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Understandably, the news has sparked widespread conversation — to put it mildly — across Braves Country, with several pointing the finger at Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves GM made it clear since the end of last season that adding starting pitching would be a priority. Yet here we are, just over a month away from Opening Day, with not a single addition to the major-league roster, and now one of the Braves’ best pitchers could potentially be out for the season.

Atlanta will have to find a way to navigate without Spencer Schwellenbach, and unfortunately, he’s just the start of their concerns.

Chris Sale, as great as he’s been over his two seasons with the Braves, hasn’t stayed fully healthy for a 162-game season in about a decade. Spencer Strider hasn’t looked like the same pitcher since undergoing InternalBrace surgery in April of 2024, posting a 4.45 ERA in 2025. Reynaldo López is coming off shoulder surgery and made just one start last year. He’s probably better suited for the bullpen given the fatigue issues he’s dealt with, but the Braves don’t have much of a choice but to stretch him out as a starter at this point. Additionally, Grant Holmes is coming off a UCL injury that ended his season a year ago.

There currently isn’t a starting pitcher on the Braves’ roster who feels 100% reliable, and that was true even before Schwellenbach went down. His 2025 campaign also ended prematurely following a fractured elbow. All of this has been known since the end of last season, and still, no additions have been made.

That’s a tough look for the Braves and specifically Anthopoulos, whose blind spot when it comes to acquiring starting pitching may be catching up to him.

Not once during Anthopoulos’ tenure has he taken a big swing on a starting pitcher in the offseason. There have been success stories — most notably Chris Sale — but he was attainable largely because of his injury history, with the Red Sox literally willing to pay teams to move off of him. Those are the types of gambles Anthopoulos prefers over long-term risks, a strategy that has begun to derail the organization.

Last season was somewhat of an anomaly. Nobody could have predicted that nearly every starting pitcher in the rotation would suffer a significant injury. Still, even when the Braves were winning, their lack of starting depth has cost them chances at a World Series.

The 2020 season is a good example. The Braves entered short-handed after opting for a low-cost signing in Cole Hamels, who made just one start. They then declined to add help at the trade deadline, even after Michael Soroka’s season-ending injury, and had to rely on unproven rookies like Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson in the postseason. A.J. Minter even started a game in the NLCS.

The Braves ultimately fell one game short of the World Series after leading that series three games to one.

They broke through in 2021, which in hindsight was nothing short of miraculous. Ian Anderson had a postseason for the ages, and they somehow manage to navigate the World Series with Kyle Wright, Tucker Davidson, and Dylan Lee starting games at various points.

Atlanta had no business beating the Astros with that pitching staff, and perhaps that result is where the downfall of the organization began — creating a false sense of confidence that a team can win without investing heavily into their rotation.

Since then, the Braves starting pitching has repeatedly entered October with question marks. In 2022, Max Fried was battling illness and Spencer Strider had an oblique injury. In 2023, Charlie Morton went down before the postseason. The following year, injuries to Reynaldo López and Chris Sale hurt the staff late. Then last season, things unraveled from the start and never recovered.

The Braves enter 2026 with a payroll north of $260 million, the highest in franchise history, yet they don’t have a starting pitcher making more than $20 million. As of now, the projected rotation is set to make about $55 million combined. Bad luck has certainly played a role, but if the rotation struggles again in 2026, resource allocation and abysmal preparation will be to blame.

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Pearce was issued nine traffic citations as a result of the arrest and has been charged with multiple felonies, including:

• Two counts aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
• Aggravated stalking
• Fleeing/Eluding the police

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The latest wrinkle in the story, as reported by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, is another discouraging sign for Pearce, as Jackson and her legal team have stated that the WNBA star is willing to testify against him if the case goes to trial.

“The victims’ rights notice points out that Jackson has the rights under Florida law to be notified of updates in the case and be present at all public proceedings, as well as a “right to be heard in any public proceeding.” In addition, it notes that Jackson has the right to confer with prosecutors about any plea deal and provide information about the impact the defendant has had on her and her family.

Jackson “remains cooperative and willing to testify at trial, if one is necessary,” the attorneys wrote. Jackson is being represented by Gary F. Celetti and Wendy A.L. Beswick.”

The Falcons released an initial statement saying they have no further comment at this time. On Wednesday, new head coach Kevin Stefanski and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich echoed those same sentiments when meeting with the media.

In his first season, James Pearce Jr. became the first rookie to record 10+ sacks since Micah Parsons, with 10 of those sacks coming in the Falcons’ final nine games. He looked like the answer to Atlanta’s longest-running problem, but some things are bigger than football. And the evidence — even dating back to the pre-draft process, when many teams removed him from their boards due to off-field concerns — continues to pile up.

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This is now Schwellenbach’s third significant elbow injury since turning professional. He underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after he was drafted, and his most recent season ended after he suffered a fractured elbow.

The Braves are hopeful this won’t be season-ending, but the hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander acknowledged he might need arthroscopic surgery and that he and the team are still working to determine the best path forward.

Schwellenbach says he may need to have arthroscopic surgery to have bone spurs removed. Asked if he fears he could miss the entire season, he said he doesn’t know what the recovery time would be

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 11, 2026

While we can certainly hope Schwellenbach not only returns in 2026 but also pitches like the guy he was before suffering a fractured elbow last year, the reality is likely more grim. There’s a real chance his season is already over, and even if he does return, it’s hard for the Braves to view him as someone who can sit next to Chris Sale at the top of the rotation.

The best fans can realistically hope for is that he avoids Tommy John or InternalBrace surgery, can start throwing normally by season’s end, and is 100% healthy for the 2027 campaign. Anything beyond that should be viewed as icing on the cake.

That means the Braves are already in deep water, and the season hasn’t even begun. They desperately need an arm like Spencer Strider to look like his old self, but what would help more than anything is if the offense performs like the juggernaut it was a couple of seasons ago.

The talent is still there for that to happen, but it will require several bounce-back campaigns from key contributors along with some luck on the health front — something that hasn’t gone Atlanta’s way the last few seasons, with Schwellenbach being the latest example.

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Not long ago, an ACL tear essentially guaranteed a year-long absence. Advances in modern medicine have changed that dramatically, and in Penix’s case, his recovery appears to be well ahead of schedule. He told Zach Klein that he’s already progressed to doing squats and believes he’ll be ready to go by Week 1

That’s extremely encouraging news for the Falcons, who would love the opportunity to evaluate Penix over a full season with an offensive-minded head coach before making any long-term decisions. It also takes some pressure off the quarterback search this offseason. Atlanta will still need to add depth with Kirk Cousins almost certainly headed out the door, but if Penix is expected to be ready before Week 1, the focus can shift toward affordable backup options rather than chasing a quarterback who’s expected to start and carry the team.

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Everything the Hawks could offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Draft Picks 

• 2026 first-round pick (more favorable Milwaukee/New Orleans)
• 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected, least favorable Milwaukee/New Orleans)
• 2026 first-round swap (least favorable between Cleveland and Utah)
• 2028 first-round swap (least favorable between Cleveland and Utah)
• 2029 to 2032 first-round picks

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The 2026 first-round pick (more favorable Milwaukee/New Orleans) is the golden ticket. It is the most valuable draft pick in the entire NBA because both Milwaukee and New Orleans are likely to finish with two of the worst records in the NBA, meaning that pick has the best odds of landing #1 overall in an absolutely loaded draft class.

The 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected, least favorable Milwaukee/New Orleans) is extremely valuable as well, and then the Hawks can also offer up a slew of future first-rounders.

Young Players

• Jalen Johnson
• Dyson Daniels
• Onyeka Okongwu
• Zaccharie Risacher
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker

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The Hawks have a wide array of young talent, and about all of it would be on the table for Giannis Antetokounmpo except for Jalen Johnson. He’s probably the only player or pick that would absolutely be off limits in negotiations.

Expiring Contracts

• Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7 million)
• Luke Kennard (Luke Kennard ($11 million)
• Mouhamed Gueye ($2.2 million)

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These players might not carry a lot of value around the league, but expiring contracts are crucial to getting a blockbuster trade like this done. For starters, they make it possible for the salaries to work. However, they are also very valuable for a team like the Bucks. At the end of the season, they all become free agents, which would give Milwaukee a fresh cap sheet to work with in the offseason.

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There isn’t a soul who would argue the Falcons lack the talent to do so. Bijan Robinson is in the conversation as the best offensive player in football. Drake London is a true WR1. The offensive line has performed well above average for the better part of the last half decade. And the defense just finished second in the league in sacks, led almost entirely by players still on their rookie contracts.

With the right coaching, this roster is capable of winning a weak NFC South as currently constructed. But if the Falcons want to get where they really want to go, there are several critical questions the new regime must answer.

The future of Kyle Pitts

The fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft — and the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history — is headed for unrestricted free agency. There’s no denying Pitts hasn’t lived up to his draft status, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player. He’s a top-10 tight end, coming off the second-best season of his career, and he’s still just 25 years old.

With so few reliable pass catchers on the roster, it would make sense for Atlanta to do what it can to retain him. That said, there will be a lot of competition for his services this offseason.

Is Michael Penix Jr. the guy?

Michael Penix Jr. said earlier this week that he believes he’ll be ready for Week 1. If the Falcons believe that as well, this may be a question they punt to next offseason, when they’ll have a clearer picture of what they have in him.

However, this regime had nothing to do with selecting Penix eighth overall. Because of that, it wouldn’t be surprising if they aggressively pursued competition at the position.

An offensive line reshuffle?

The offensive line had another solid season, but some changes could still be coming. Ryan Neuzil was fine in his first year as a starter, but upgrading the position wouldn’t hurt. Jake Matthews has been a fixture at left tackle for more than a decade, but he’ll be 34 next season, and at some point the Falcons will need to start thinking about the future there.

Right tackle is an even bigger concern, especially with a left-handed quarterback under center. Kaleb McGary is under contract, but he’s coming off an injury that cost him all of last season. More stability at the position should absolutely be on the table.

A roadblock in the middle of the defensive line

There was a lot to like about the strides Atlanta’s defensive line made in 2025, particularly as a pass-rushing unit. However, the run defense was an issue, as the Falcons allowed 126.2 rushing yards per game. Finding interior defenders who can eat space and hold up against the run should be a major priority in both the draft and free agency.

Wide receiver, wide receiver, and more wide receivers

For all the talk about the Falcons’ skill-position talent, the group is extremely top-heavy. Drake London is the only proven wide receiver on the roster, especially if Darnell Mooney is released, which feels likely after such a porous 2025 campaign. Atlanta needs a legitimate option opposite London and several additional pass catchers who can fill complementary roles.

Which key free agents will be retained?

Beyond Kyle Pitts, several important contributors are set to hit free agency. The Falcons can’t keep everyone, but a few defensive players deserve strong consideration.

Kaden Elliss has been the heartbeat of Atlanta’s defense since arriving three years ago, recording over 100 tackles in each season to go along with 12.5 sacks and multiple interceptions. He should be a priority to bring back. Dee Alford also deserves a long look after his bounce-back season under Jeff Ulbrich.

On special teams, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons letting Zane Gonzalez walk after he stabilized the kicker position down the stretch, converting 19 of his 22 field-goal attempts over the final nine weeks.

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#53 Cam Caminiti

Caminiti is universally regarded as the top prospect in the Braves organization and one of the top 100 prospects in baseball. The Braves selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft, and he was widely viewed as the best prep arm in his class. Early returns have only reinforced that belief.

Caminiti posted a 2.08 ERA for the Low-A Augusta GreenJackets in 2025, flashing the kind of stuff that gives him legitimate frontline starter potential. If his development continues on its current trajectory, there’s a real chance he’s viewed as one of the premier left-handed pitching prospects in the game by the end of the season.

“Caminiti’s scouting report — 92-95, touching 97 mph with solid shape, an improving but roughly average sweepy slider, and a roughly average changeup — isn’t overwhelming at the moment, but he’s the right kind of prospect with the right markers for future growth and scouts are expecting a breakthrough in the next few years,” McDaniel writes. “Caminiti (cousin of former NL MVP Ken) reclassified into the 2024 draft class, so he didn’t turn 18 years old until after he was the 24th pick, a key marker for future success.”

Given his age, Caminiti isn’t likely to make his MLB debut for at least a couple of years, but it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Braves are with him. They are not typically an organization that shies away from testing their most talented pitchers, which brings us to the next guy on this list.

#88 Didier Fuentes

It’s nice to see this level of respect for Didier Fuentes, especially since he’s a young arm some Braves fans may have already written off based on what they saw last season. In a moment of desperation caused by injuries, Atlanta turned to a relatively unknown prospect who had just turned 20 years old.

The results over four starts were gaudy. Fuentes posted a 13.05 ERA, surrendering six home runs in just 13 innings. Still, the raw stuff is undeniably promising, and the fact that the Braves were willing to call on him after just one Triple-A start speaks volumes about how they view his makeup and long-term potential.

“Fuentes’ release profile is similar to Bryan Woo and his stuff is similar to Joe Ryan, so this somewhat unusual profile is one that sleeper prospects have used to become standout starters; Fuentes could be next,” McDaniel writes.

Fuentes would go on to finish with a 3.63 ERA in five starts for the Gwinnett Stripers. He’s still got a ways to go before he’s on the mound every five days for the Braves, but when it all clicks, he could become a staple in Atlanta for a long time.

#89 JR Ritchie

JR Ritchie comes in right behind Fuentes at #89 — well deserved after his spectacular 2025 campaign in which he posted a 2.64 ERA across 26 starts (A+-AAA).

“Six-pitch righty with starter traits fully back from elbow surgery and ready to join the big league rotation,” McDaniel writes.

Ritchie has done just about everything necessary to prove he’s ready for his MLB debut. Atlanta has a lot of rotation options entering the season, but if we learned anything from last year, they’ll be plenty of opportunities when injuries inevitably arise. He feels like the most likely candidate to be this year’s Spencer Schwellenbach or Hurston Waldrep.

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Two names to monitor, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, are Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt.

“The Braves I heard are in on Giolito as well,” Heyman said. “I would look at the Tigers, Orioles, or Braves. The Braves are also in on (Chris) Bassitt. They are looking in that area for a starter. Both excellent starters.”

This is familiar territory for Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos when it comes to evaluating starting pitching on the free-agent market. While he’s occasionally flirted with bigger names, he’s never been willing to go all-in. Instead, he’s typically targeted veteran starters with proven track records who are open to shorter-term deals — a category both Giolito and Bassitt fit squarely into.

At times, that strategy has paid off. Charlie Morton was a workhorse for Atlanta and played a key role in the Braves’ 2021 World Series title. Other times, it’s backfired, as it did with the Cole Hamels signing in 2020.

Of the two options, Giolito offers considerably more upside. He’s just 31 years old and finished the 2025 season on a high note, posting a 2.51 ERA over his final 19 starts after missing all of 2024 with a UCL injury. Had his elbow not flared up late in the year, his market likely would have been much more robust.

Bassitt, meanwhile, will turn 37 in a few weeks, but his durability throughout his 30s is hard to ignore. He’s thrown at least 170 innings in each of the last four seasons and owns a combined 3.77 ERA over that span.

Neither pitcher is a true frontline option at this stage of their careers, but either would significantly ease the burden on the current rotation and be fully capable of starting a postseason game if needed.

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https://twitter.com/MLB/status/2016903705916817894

Acuña has not hidden his intentions since the start of the offseason. He played in the Venezuelan Winter League — where he dominated, hitting .358 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases in just 16 games — and he always planned on representing his home country in the World Baseball Classic.

Because of Acuña’s injury history, there’s always pushback when it comes to him playing baseball year-round. But as I’ve said before, this is a player who only knows one speed: all systems go. Trying to rein him in would be a mistake. And for anyone concerned, it’s worth remembering that the last time Acuña participated in both the Venezuelan Winter League and the World Baseball Classic was ahead of the 2023 season. That year, he hit 41 home runs, stole 73 bases, and made history on his way to the National League MVP award.

The World Baseball Classic runs from March 5 through March 17. Venezuela will compete in Pool D alongside a loaded Dominican Republic roster, as well as the Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua.

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Michael Penix Jr. said earlier this week that he expects to be ready for Week 1, but it’s far too early to lock that in. And even if he is ready, there’s no guarantee Matt Ryan, Kevin Stefanski, and whoever is hired as the next general manager are fully sold on the former No. 8 overall pick. They had no role in drafting Penix, and while Ryan and Stefanski have said all the right things publicly, they’ve yet to sit down and explore every option available to them this offseason.

“I think we have to hire a general manager first, before I can give you a great answer there,” Stefanski said. “Once we do that I’ll sit with the general manager, sit with Matt Ryan, we’ll put our heads together on all roster decisions.”

The only thing we really know right now is that Michael Penix Jr. will be involved in the conversation, with the hope being that Kevin Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees can do a better job than the previous regime at accentuating his strengths.

“Michael is a young player that I think very highly of, he is rehabbing off his injury, he’s doing great, he’s doing everything he’s supposed to be doing right now, which is the number one thing for him, is to get healthy,” Stefanski said. “He’s obviously played good football in his first two seasons. I’m excited to have the ability to develop him.”

The bigger unknown is who will be in the quarterback room alongside Penix competing with him. The first name that comes to mind is Kirk Cousins, who has a relationship with Stefanski dating back to their days in Minnesota.

“Kirk, obviously, a relationship there, he’s somebody that I think very highly of on and off the field. But all those types of decisions will come after we have a general manager,” Stefanski said.

That relationship certainly makes a Cousins return more plausible than it was before, but it’s still an incredibly complicated situation, and one where it’s probably best for all parties to move on.

The Falcons and Cousins agreed to a restructured contract that essentially guarantees the veteran quarterback will hit free agency. That gives him the freedom to survey the market and choose his next destination. Cousins has made it abundantly clear he still views himself as a starting quarterback, and there are likely a handful of teams that agree. In Atlanta, he’d be guaranteed nothing. In fact, he’d essentially be re-signing to serve as a backup to Michael Penix Jr. once Penix is healthy.

That’s not a scenario Cousins is likely to embrace. Unless his options completely dry up, a reunion with the Falcons feels unlikely. Of course, things can change. If Penix were to suffer a setback during the offseason, prioritizing a quarterback like Cousins could suddenly become necessary.

For now, though, the idea of Cousins returning to Atlanta feels far-fetched.

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Depending on the outlet, the Braves have anywhere from one to three players ranked inside the Top 100. That’s not bad, but the overall depth of the farm system still leaves a lot to be desired — something reflected in the rankings from ESPN and The Athletic.

#26 Atlanta Braves (ESPN)

From Kiley McDaniel:

“The Braves continue to graduate good players who were only in the top 100 for a limited time, with Drake Baldwin the most recent and Hurston Waldrep graduated as he was turning the corner to move up in these rankings.

Caminiti could debut as soon as 2027 while the two other top 100 prospects, J.R. Ritchieand Didier Fuentes, will likely pitch in the big league rotation at some point in 2026. The position-player depth isn’t great, but recent first-rounder SS Tate Southisene and international signee CF Diego Tornes are the best of the group.”

The Braves have hovered in the 25–30 range of farm system rankings for several years now, and frankly, a big part of the reason is that their top talent graduates to the majors quickly. Dating back to 2022, Michael Harris II and Drake Baldwin have each won NL Rookie of the Year. Spencer Strider finished second in the voting, and Spencer Schwellenbach was firmly in the mix as well, even if his rookie campaign was overshadowed by Paul Skenes’ historic season. On top of that, Hurston Waldrep just enjoyed a breakout rookie campaign, and AJ Smith-Shawver was the early favorite to win Rookie of the Year last season before suffering a UCL injury.

Of course, none of this is a bad thing for the Braves. If anything, it’s proof that their ability to develop talent and prepare players for the major leagues is second to none. That’s why the farm system’s low ranking entering the 2026 season shouldn’t be as discouraging.

#27 Atlanta Braves (The Athletic)

From Keith Law:

“No surprise here — Atlanta is so aggressive in promoting prospects that they often see players lose eligibility before they’re ready for full-time jobs, and they haven’t drafted all that well in recent years, contributing to the thinning of the system pretty much top to bottom. Scouts who saw their High-A club said it was one of the worst teams they saw all year.”

After giving the Braves some deserved praise, it’s also important to acknowledge the downside: this is an extremely top-heavy farm system. Atlanta hasn’t performed particularly well in either the draft or on the international market in recent years, and that’s an area that needs real improvement.

If the Braves don’t start hitting more consistently in both of those pipelines, the well is eventually going to run dry. And when that happens, it’s often the first sign that a rebuild is looming.

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The Braves and LHP Martin Perez have agreed to a Minor League deal, sources tell @JustBB_Media.

Perez, 35 in April, pitched to a 3.54 ERA in 56 IP with the White Sox in 2025. Owns a career 4.41 ERA over 14 seasons. Was an All Star with the Rangers in 2022.

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) January 30, 2026

During his All-Star campaign, Pérez recorded 5.1 WAR with a 2.89 ERA across 32 starts for the Texas Rangers. That performance earned him a qualifying offer the following offseason worth nearly $20 million, which he accepted. Since then, however, he hasn’t been able to replicate that level of production, posting a 4.45 ERA in 2023 and a 4.53 ERA in 2024.

That’s obviously not ideal, but it’s also respectable production for a pitcher likely to serve as organizational depth and spot-start when injuries arise. His numbers have also been better of late. Over the second half of the 2024 season, Pérez posted a 3.46 ERA across 10 starts with the Padres. He then logged 56 innings with the White Sox last season, pitching to a 3.54 ERA.

Assuming this move doesn’t take the Braves out of the market for another starting pitcher, there’s little not to like here. Pérez is a legitimate major-league arm with some upside, and Atlanta is bringing him in on a minor-league deal — a low-risk move with the potential for meaningful reward.

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ESPN sources: Falcons are hiring Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham as their general manager. pic.twitter.com/cpKHPlxotg

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 30, 2026

Cunningham was viewed as the favorite from the moment the position came open, in part because of his ties to Matt Ryan, who was named the Falcons’ President of Football earlier in the offseason. Cunningham served under Bears GM Ryan Poles, a close friend of Ryan’s dating back to their college days as teammates at Boston College.

That said, Cunningham didn’t land this job simply because of those connections. He’s widely regarded as one of the top up-and-coming executives in the league, with a strong résumé that speaks for itself. His career began in Baltimore, where he worked as an assistant and area scout from 2008–2016 and helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl. He later won another Super Bowl with the Eagles before joining Chicago as assistant general manager, playing a key role alongside Poles in overseeing a massive — and successful — rebuild.

“It was evident through our rigorous interview process Ian was the right choice for our general manager position,” Matt Ryan said. “His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level. Throughout Ian’s career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games. We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he’s learned from some of the best in the league. Pairing him with Coach Stefanski is exciting for us, and we can’t wait to see them bring our shared vision to life in everything we do starting right now.”

Another interesting fact about Cunningham: he’s from Roswell, Georgia, as his dad was the VP of Marketing for the 1996 summer Olympics.

“It’s truly an honor to be the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons and I couldn’t be more thankful to Arthur Blank, Matt Ryan, Greg Beadles, Josh Blank and the entire search committee for believing in me,” Cunningham said. “As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can’t wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city. It’s been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin. I can’t wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it’s time to work.”

The Falcons have now put three major pillars in place, all of whom are held in extremely high regard around the league. Coaches and executives were eager to work alongside Matt Ryan. Kevin Stefanski arrives in Atlanta with multiple Coach of the Year awards on his résumé, and Ian Cunningham has found success in every role he’s held at the NFL level.

The future remains uncertain, but at the very least, the process that brought the Falcons to this point has been far cleaner and more deliberate than anything the organization experienced over the past half-decade under Arthur Smith, Raheem Morris, and Terry Fontenot.

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Tayler Scott was abysmal in 2025, appearing in 24 games with the Astros and Diamondbacks and posting a 7.90 ERA. However, he was very effective for Houston in 2024, recording a 2.23 ERA over 62 appearances. His 4.13 FIP suggests he benefited from some good fortune that season, and it’s really the only year he’s enjoyed much success at the big-league level. Still, if you squint hard enough, there’s at least a chance he could provide some productive innings for the Braves in a pinch.

English is a 28-year-old who has appeared in just seven MLB games, but he owns a strong track record in Triple-A, hitting .292 with an .835 OPS over 288 games. Given his ability to play multiple positions — first base, third base, and the outfield — he profiles as solid organizational depth who could see time if injuries pile up.

The most intriguing of the trio, however, is Sean Reid-Foley. He’s a high-strikeout arm with a mid-90s fastball who appeared in 23 games for the Mets last season, posting a 1.66 ERA, 2.80 FIP, and 10.3 K/9. Control has always been the issue — he’s averaged 5.7 walks per nine innings over his big-league career — but if the Braves can help him rein that in, he could wind up providing some meaningful innings in 2026.

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The Robert acquisition is a gamble. At his peak, he’s a top-10 outfielder in baseball, but injuries and inconsistency have kept him from playing at that level for several seasons. The Peralta deal, however, is much easier to endorse.

The Mets desperately needed a frontline starting pitcher, and they landed one Wednesday night, giving them one of the most complete rosters in the NL East. That’s never something you want to say about a division rival, but what’s perhaps even more discouraging for the Braves is the package New York had to give up to get him.

Mets/Brewers Trade

Mets get: Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers
Brewers get: Jett Williams (No. 30 overall prospect), Brandon Sproat
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This is essentially a trade package the Braves couldn’t match, despite being rumored as a suitor. Atlanta doesn’t have a position-player prospect like Jett Williams in the system — not even close — and Brandon Sproat was a top-50 prospect in baseball entering the 2025 season.

If this is the asking price for a pitcher like Peralta, who’s a rental set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, it’s not a great sign for the Braves’ chances of pulling off a blockbuster deal for a true frontline starter this offseason — something they should be aggressively pursuing.

More likely, if the Braves are going to add a starting pitcher before Opening Day, they’ll have to settle for an innings-eater type on a short-term deal. Someone like Chris Bassitt fits that mold, and Lucas Giolito is another arm worth monitoring as Spring Training approaches. Both would provide much-needed depth to the rotation and come with at least some upside.

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It started on Tuesday, when Baker Mayfield took a shot at Kevin Stefanski for never reaching out after Cleveland acquired Deshaun Watson and ultimately shipped Mayfield off to the Panthers.

“Failed is quite the reach pal. Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage,” Mayfield said on Twitter/X. “Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”

Then came another interesting twist Thursday morning, when Adam Schefter reported that former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is now set to take over the offense in Tampa Bay.

Staying in the NFC South: Buccaneers are finalizing a deal to hire Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson as their offensive coordinator, per sources. pic.twitter.com/Hljnyl9vGE

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2026

Now, this has a chance to be hilarious, or just another painfully on-brand moment in Falcons franchise history. There’s no in between.

Zac Robinson was heavily scrutinized for his work in Atlanta, and while that criticism was fair given the results, it’s also worth noting the Falcons never had consistent quarterback play under his watch. When they did — during Kirk Cousins’ first year through the opening nine weeks — nobody was talking about Robinson’s shortcomings. That all changed once Cousins went down, which jump-started the Michael Penix Jr. era, and he simply didn’t look ready to be a starting NFL quarterback.

How much of that was actually Robinson’s fault? We’re about to find out, because he’ll have everything he needs to succeed in Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback, the offensive line is talented, the wide receiver room is the best in football, and Bucky Irving is a rising star at running back.

If Zac Robinson is even a competent play-caller, the Buccaneers could look like a well-oiled machine again, and that would be a nightmare for Falcons fans in more ways than one.

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The #Falcons are expected to hire former #Browns OC Tommy Rees as the new OC for coach Kevin Stefanski, sources say.

The favorite all along, Rees now lands in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/06VrkKGxGJ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2026

As Rapoport notes, Rees was the favorite all along to land the job, even though the Falcons did evaluate some alternative options.

Rees played quarterback at Notre Dame from 2010–2013 before quickly jumping into the coaching ranks. He began as a graduate assistant at Northwestern and earned his first offensive coordinator opportunity at his alma mater from 2020–2022. After Notre Dame, Rees headed to Tuscaloosa to serve under Nick Saban as Alabama’s offensive coordinator before eventually joining Kevin Stefanski’s staff in Cleveland in 2024.

Initially, Rees served as the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach, but he was promoted to offensive coordinator and handed play-calling duties this past season.

It’s hard to put too much weight into what the Browns did offensively this year when the quarterback room consisted of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — two players who had no business starting NFL games. No coach was going to find consistent success with what was happening under center in Cleveland. While it’s fair to give Stefanski and Rees some grace for the offense’s struggles, it’s also not something they can point to as a positive on their résumés.

Both have plenty to prove in Atlanta. Stefanski posted an 8–26 record over his final two seasons in Cleveland, and Rees has coordinated only a handful of games at the NFL level. It’s clear Stefanski got the final say on who would lead his offense, which is exactly how a well-run organization should operate. However, if this pairing fails, there will ultimately be only one man to blame.

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That said, nobody loves playing the victim card more than Baker Mayfield. He’s been doing it dating back to his college days, so his comments should be taken with a grain of salt, especially considering he was the one who requested a trade out of Cleveland. It’s also worth noting that several players who suited up under Stefanski with the Browns have had nothing but positive things to say about him, including Falcons cornerback Mike Ford, who previously played for Stefanski in Cleveland.

“I think it’s his leadership,” Ford told Fox 5’s Justin Felder. “He knows how to get a group of guys behind him. He was the head coach of a historically not-so-great team, and he got them to the playoffs twice and won Coach of the Year twice. He knows what it takes to get the best out of a player.

“He’s not really running around cracking jokes or playing around. He’s locked in on his job and trying to get it done.

“You can’t just look at the overall record when he’s had a multitude of different starting quarterbacks. He’s never had any real stability, and he’s still found ways to win.”

It’s a bit rich for Browns fans to be dragging a coach on his way out who led them to their only two playoff appearances since 2002 and their first playoff win since 1994. Stefanski made something out of nothing in Cleveland for years, and then the Deshaun Watson deal happened, a move that tanked the franchise and made it nearly impossible to build a roster capable of contending.

The Falcons have taken plenty of deserved criticism for how they’ve operated over the past several seasons. This time, though, the process was thorough and led by Matt Ryan. There are voices in the building — like Mike Ford and Kirk Cousins — who have firsthand experience playing under Stefanski, and you can be sure their opinions carried real weight in the decision-making process.

Atlanta is betting on the idea that sustained winning in Cleveland is borderline impossible, and that’s a far safer gamble than the ones they’ve made in previous hiring cycles.

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At defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich has been retained, something most fans were hoping for despite the firing of Raheem Morris. Ulbrich worked wonders with Atlanta’s defense, turning it into a formidable unit after being one of the league’s worst in 2024. Most notably — and the reason there’s so much excitement about his return — was his impact on the pass rush. The Falcons finished second-to-last in sacks in 2024. In 2025, they shattered the franchise record with 57 sacks, the second-most in the NFL.

On Wednesday, Tommy Rees was officially named the team’s next offensive coordinator, replacing Zac Robinson, who is headed to Tampa Bay. Rees doesn’t have the résumé that immediately wows you, but he worked closely with Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, and it’s clear this is Stefanski’s guy. If things go south offensively, Stefanski will rightfully shoulder the blame.

Staying on the offensive side of the ball, the legendary Bill Callahan will take over as offensive line coach, replacing Dwayne Ledford. Ledford was one of the few holdovers from Arthur Smith’s staff and did outstanding work with the offensive line during his tenure. That’s not an easy act to follow, but Callahan brings nearly 50 years of coaching experience, including 30 in the NFL. The Falcons should feel very good about how this hire came together.

Assistant offensive line coach Nick Jones will also be retained to work alongside Callahan. Michael Pitre is returning as running backs coach, while Dave Huxtable remains on the defensive staff as a defensive assistant. Jacqueline Roberts is also following Stefanski from Cleveland and will take over as the Falcons’ manager of coaching operations.

There are still several vacancies to fill, two of which Falcons fans should be monitoring closely. Special teams was a disaster last season and played a major role in Raheem Morris losing his job. That hire may not grab headlines, but it could be the difference between the Falcons making the postseason or staying home again.

The other key situation to watch is defensive line coach Nate Ollie. While Ulbrich will receive much of the credit for Atlanta’s pass-rush success, Ollie’s work cannot be overlooked. He played a significant role in the development of James Pearce Jr., Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, and Jalon Walker. Losing him would be a massive blow, but it’s also possible he earns a promotion elsewhere. Based on his work with the Colts, Texans, and now the Falcons, he would certainly deserve it.

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The Falcons will kick off GM interviews tomorrow, sitting down with Texans assistant GM James Liipfert and Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl, per sources. Those interviews will happen over Zoom. In-person round likely next week.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 22, 2026

According to Ian Rapoport, Chiefs assistant GM Mike Bradway has also received an interview request from the Falcons. That said, the favorites for the position since the start of the offseason have been Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and 49ers director of scouting Josh Williams, both of whom are also interviewing for the job.

Cunningham has ties to Matt Ryan through Ryan Poles, the current Bears general manager. Poles and Ryan were teammates at Boston College and have remained close friends, with Poles helping Ryan as he transitions into the front office. That connection made Cunningham the early favorite in the eyes of many. However, the buzz surrounding Josh Williams has picked up significant steam over the past week, with multiple reports suggesting he may now be the frontrunner.

If I had to guess, the hire will come down to Cunningham or Williams — unless someone blows Matt Ryan and company away during the interview process. It’s also worth noting that both Cunningham and Williams were part of the Falcons’ President of Football search, the role Ryan now holds, meaning the organization has already spent considerable time evaluating each candidate.

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As I already wrote earlier today, that deal shouldn’t inspire much confidence for Braves Country. Peralta was a rental, and the Mets still had to give up a top-30 overall prospect along with an MLB-ready pitcher. The Braves couldn’t have matched that offer even if they wanted to, and other teams — particularly those shopping frontline pitchers with multiple years of control — are going to use that trade as the baseline in negotiations.

That has to be taken into account when discussing the remaining trade targets. Unless the Braves are willing to part with at least three top prospects, it’s difficult to imagine them landing a true frontline starter with multiple years of control.

MacKenzie Gore

Gore fits the description of a frontline starter with multiple years of control. Add in the fact that it would be an interdivisional trade, and the asking price would likely be even higher. Still, the upside combined with that level of control has to be extremely appealing to Alex Anthopoulos.

Gore feels like an arm on the cusp of a special breakout, one that could insert him into the conversation alongside the league’s best pitchers. The Braves have long believed in their ability to unlock the best version of pitchers, and if they were able to do that with Gore, he could wind up being the ace of the staff for the foreseeable future.

José Berríos

With Gore likely costing too much in prospect capital, it’s best to look at more realistic trade targets. José Berríos has become somewhat expendable in Toronto and is coming off an underwhelming season, posting a 4.17 ERA over 166 innings. He’s also owed $19 million and has a player option that would pay him $24 million in both 2027 and 2028.

That’s a hefty contract for a starting pitcher who appears to be on the decline. However, Berríos owns a combined 3.79 ERA over the last three seasons and has made at least 30 starts in each of them. If the Blue Jays were willing to eat some money, there’s a scenario where this move could make sense.

Luis Severino

The Athletics shocked the league when they handed Luis Severino a three-year, $67 million contract last offseason, but it’s one they may already be regretting after he posted a 4.54 ERA in his first year with the club.

You might be asking why the Braves would have interest, especially with a $22 million player option on the table for 2027.

There are two reasons. First, the Athletics play in what amounts to a glorified high school ballpark, where Severino struggled badly, posting a 6.01 ERA in 15 starts. Away from home, however, he was excellent, recording a 3.02 ERA across 14 starts. Second, there’s a connection between Severino and new Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. The two worked together with the Mets in 2024, when Severino revived his career and positioned himself to land that lucrative multi-year deal.

Once again, this would likely require Atlanta to ask the Athletics to pay down some salary, but Severino is a legitimate candidate to be moved before Spring Training, and the existing connection makes him a name to watch.

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That said, there are still a few intriguing starting pitchers available on the free-agent market, including what some would consider the top option entering the offseason in Framber Valdez.

Framber Valdez

There hasn’t been much chatter surrounding Framber Valdez’s market so far, which is surprising given his consistent track record in both the regular season and postseason. Valdez has made at least 28 starts in each of the last four seasons and hasn’t posted an ERA higher than 3.66 during that stretch, compiling a 3.21 ERA overall. He should be in line for a contract approaching — or exceeding — $200 million, but as the days pass, it’s fair to wonder if the midseason incident where he intentionally crossed up his catcher is giving teams pause.

Valdez is still going to get paid, and it’s likely a number that puts him out of the Braves’ range. Players have done far worse and still been rewarded because of elite talent. It’s hard to believe one moment he’d surely like back is enough to dramatically change how teams view him.

Zac Gallen

Gallen is another starter who hasn’t generated much buzz this offseason, though in his case it may be because the market is much cooler than expected. Had Gallen reached free agency a year earlier, he likely would have fielded multiple offers well north of nine figures. Instead, a career-worst 4.83 ERA in the final season of his twenties may have scared off more than a few teams.

There’s a legitimate concern that Gallen is beginning to decline and may never return to the Cy Young-caliber pitcher he was a few years ago. There’s also a scenario where 2025 was simply a blip on the radar. Someone will roll the dice — the only real question is how much that gamble is going to cost.

Chris Bassitt

Bassitt is a name that’s come up frequently in Braves circles, and for good reason. He fits the prototypical Alex Anthopoulos mold. The Braves’ GM has never spent big on starting pitching, often opting instead for aging veterans with proven track records who are willing to sign short-term deals.

Sometimes that approach works beautifully, as it did with Charlie Morton. Other times, it backfires, with Cole Hamels being the obvious example.

Lucas Giolito

InternalBrace surgery cost Giolito all of the 2024 season, much like it did Spencer Strider, but he managed to bounce back in 2025. Giolito posted a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts with the Red Sox before elbow soreness sidelined him for the postseason. Thankfully, surgery wasn’t required, and he’s expected to be ready for Opening Day.

The injury risk is obvious, but if Giolito can stay healthy, the upside could make him one of the better bargains on the market this offseason.

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The Falcons have requested permission to interview former Jets GM Joe Douglas for their vacant general manager position, sources tell @NFLonCBS. Douglas has been a senior personnel director with the Eagles since re-joining the organization last year.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) January 22, 2026

Joe Douglas got his start with the Ravens in 2000 as a scout, where he remained until 2014. In 2015, he was named Chicago’s director of college scouting before joining the Philadelphia Eagles as vice president of player personnel from 2016–2019.

If you stopped right there, that’s a damn good résumé. Unfortunately, Douglas is best remembered for his stint as general manager of the Jets, where he ran the franchise from 2019–2024. During that stretch, New York never posted a winning season, and while there were some legitimate hits on the defensive side of the ball, Douglas’ tenure was largely defined by dysfunction. It’s a period he’d probably like the rest of the NFL world to forget.

Now, the Falcons were willing to overlook similar circumstances with Kevin Stefanski, betting that his 8–26 record over his final two seasons in Cleveland had more to do with the Browns’ incompetence than his own shortcomings. There’s a chance Douglas could have a much better second act as a general manager, and working alongside Howie Roseman in Philadelphia — where he’s been since the Jets let him go — certainly doesn’t hurt his résumé.

That said, it would be surprising if the Falcons, coming off eight straight losing seasons, decided Joe Douglas was the right person to lead the next chapter as their general manager.

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The injury luck over the last two seasons has been a nonstop nightmare for the Braves, and this one stings even more because it finally felt like they had done enough to address a position that has been a black hole since Dansby Swanson left for Chicago. Instead, they find themselves back in a familiar position, with little time to solve one of the roster’s most glaring issues.

Two factors make the shortstop situation particularly difficult to navigate. First, the Braves’ payroll already sits north of $260 million, already the highest in franchise history. While it’s possible they could still add another free agent, most expected any remaining financial flexibility to be used on the rotation.

The second issue is the lack of available options. There were very few starting-caliber shortstops on the free agent market this offseason, and nearly all of them have already signed elsewhere. If the Braves want to upgrade externally, it would almost certainly have to come via trade, and there simply aren’t many teams eager to move a starting shortstop a month before Spring Training.

If there is a name worth monitoring, it’s Nico Hoerner of the Cubs. He’s entering the final year of his contract, and after Chicago’s addition of Alex Bregman, they suddenly have a surplus of infielders. Hoerner is a two-time Gold Glove winner who has averaged nearly 5.0 WAR over the last four seasons. At 28 years old, he could theoretically solve the Braves’ shortstop problem both now and long term.

That said, the trade package required to acquire Hoerner would be significant, and Alex Anthopoulos would need to feel confident about extending him. That’s a gamble Atlanta might be more willing to take if there were no viable internal options, but with Mauricio Dubón already on the roster, the Braves can reasonably trust him to hold down the position until Kim returns.

That is the most likely path forward. After enduring two injury-riddled seasons, the Braves made a clear emphasis this offseason on improving depth and versatility. They certainly didn’t plan on leaning on those depth pieces as starters before Spring Training even begins, but Dubón’s presence makes the situation far less dire than it would have been a year ago.

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We have retained Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinatorhttps://t.co/fTV4eOUuOM pic.twitter.com/uUJ9gpkjdG

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 19, 2026

Since the end of the season, the Falcons had been denying teams permission to interview Jeff Ulbrich for vacant defensive coordinator positions, with owner Arthur Blank speaking very highly of his work.

“Jeff Ulbrich, in my view, he did a really fine job for us this year,” Blank said. “Certainly look at the record of sacks. And just the overall performance of defense was definitely better than it’s been in the past.”

The pass rush was a complete revelation under Jeff Ulbrich, as the Falcons finished second in the entire league in sacks, trailing only the Denver Broncos. Even more encouraging, most of that production came from players still on rookie contracts. Ulbrich maximized the impact of Atlanta’s two 2025 first-round picks, James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, while also helping players like Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, and Ruke Orhorhoro take significant steps forward.

Overall, the Falcons went from one of the worst defenses in football to a league-average unit under Ulbrich’s watch. There were flashes of dominance against some of the league’s best teams, but also some head-scratchers, including surrendering 440 passing yards to Bryce Young, 230 rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor, and 27 points to a Tyrod Taylor–led New York Jets offense.

The hope is that with another year under Ulbrich and an infusion of additional talent, this defense can take the next step and become one of the most feared units in the league. They appear to be just one strong draft class away from something special on that side of the ball.

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Jorge Mateo is 30 years old and has six years of MLB experience under his belt, most of which came with the Baltimore Orioles. He’s coming off a down year, recording -0.6 WAR in 42 games last season while hitting .177 with a .483 OPS. However, he has been a useful reserve utility piece for most of his career, with his best season coming in 2022, when he swiped 35 bases and posted 3.7 WAR over 150 games.

Speed and defense are Mateo’s calling cards. He’s not going to provide much offensively, boasting a career .221 batting average with a .629 OPS, but he can play multiple positions and deliver a critical stolen base late in games. That will likely be his role with the Atlanta Braves until Ha-Seong Kim returns from injury, which should be sometime around May or June.

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When the Falcons hired Ollie prior to this season, the move was met with overwhelming praise. He did wonders adding juice to the pass rush at his previous stops in Indianapolis and Houston, and that success carried over to Atlanta. After finishing as the second-worst team in the league at generating pressure in 2024, the Falcons recorded a franchise-record 57 sacks this season, the second-most in the NFL.

But beyond the raw numbers, Ollie worked wonders with the Falcons’ young talent. James Pearce Jr. was among the best pass rushers in the league down the stretch, finishing with 10.5 sacks and becoming the first rookie to reach double digit sacks since Micah Parsons. Jalon Walker also enjoyed a strong rookie campaign, while other young players like Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, and Ruke Orhorhoro all posted career-best seasons under Ollie’s guidance.

He’s someone the Falcons would love to retain in 2026, but understandably, there could be opportunities for promotion as coaching staffs continue to fill out across the league.

The expectation is that Jeff Ulbrich will retain most of his staff from last year, but some have garnered outside interest including DL coach Nate Ollie, who, in his first year, saw the team record 57 sacks, second most in the NFL.

The year prior, he was in Houston, where the… https://t.co/vJYLP3a3E4 pic.twitter.com/DWLb0wN6aM

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 19, 2026

Ollie’s work is deserving of a promotion. If he gets an opportunity to coordinate a defense elsewhere, all the Falcons can really do is tip their cap. He’s proven himself to be one of the most effective defensive line coaches in the NFL, but selfishly, the Atlanta Falcons have to hope that promotion for Nate Ollie can wait at least one more year.

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It’s a gut punch for an organization that has dealt with relentless injury issues over the last two seasons, and the fact that it happened to a newly signed free agent makes it even more frustrating. This comes just a year after Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games shortly after the Braves signed him to a $42 million contract. Still, Ken Rosenthal believes Atlanta’s shortstop situation should not be considered dire.

“Ha-Seong Kim, the whole idea was that he was going to stabilize shortstop for them, enable them to use Mauricio Dubónin in more of a utility role,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “That is not going to happen, at least not right away. The expectation among Braves people is that Ha-Seong Kim is going to be out until about mid-May, could be a little bit longer than that — these things you never quite know.

“But if they get him back in mid-May, they’ll go with Dubón for six weeks or so, and they’ll probably find some external option to give them a backup if Dubón needs a day off here or there. They’re okay. They’re not in a horrible spot because they acquired Dubón before signing Kim.”

It feels highly unlikely the Braves allocate any more of their remaining resources toward further addressing the infield. They acquired Dubón for this exact scenario — a player capable of filling in virtually anywhere on the diamond — and they also signed Jorge Mateo to a one-year deal to cover for Dubón when needed. The timing is discouraging, but Dubón is fully capable of playing quality baseball and helping Atlanta weather this injury over the first 6–8 weeks of the season.

If the Braves do make another significant move, it’s still expected to come on the pitching side. They’ve been linked to Freddy Peralta, and there’s still plenty of time between now and Opening Day for something to materialize.

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Falcons named legendary assistant coach Bill Callahan their offensive line coach. pic.twitter.com/0Gkfas26el

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2026

As Adam Schefter notes, Bill Callahan is a legend in coaching circles. He’s been coaching football since 1978, dating back to his time as an assistant at Oak Lawn Community School, before eventually working his way to the NFL and joining the Philadelphia Eagles as their offensive line coach in 1995.

For the better part of the last 30 years, Callahan has worked with offensive lines across the league, including alongside Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland from 2020–2023. Over that four-season stretch, the Cleveland Browns finished inside the top five in rushing three different times. Callahan eventually left Cleveland in 2024 to join his son’s staff in Tennessee, where he spent the last two seasons.

Dwayne Ledford was one of the few remaining holdovers from Arthur Smith’s staff. Under his guidance, the Falcons consistently fielded one of the better offensive lines in the league. He shouldn’t have any trouble quickly finding another job, but fans should be very excited about the future of Atlanta’s rushing attack with Bijan Robinson, Stefanski, and now Callahan in the fold.

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Stefanski comes from Cleveland, where he did a lot of things right over his six years with the Browns, leading them to the postseason twice and winning two Coach of the Year awards. However, the ending to his tenure was rather bleak, as the Browns won just eight games over his final two seasons compared to 26 losses.

How much of that was his fault? Anybody painting him as the primary culprit just wasn’t paying attention. The Browns committed $230 million guaranteed to Deshaun Watson, who has played in just 19 games over the last three seasons since signing that deal. Because of that, Stefanski had to turn to the likes of Jameis Winston, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel to start the bulk of the games over the last two years. No coach is going to have much success in that situation, especially when the Browns were committing so much of their cap space to Watson.

While Harbaugh may have been alongside Stefanski at the top of the Falcons’ wish list, it makes the most sense for Atlanta to go the offensive route. They need someone that can help develop a young quarterback, whether that be Michael Penix Jr. or the next guy. The position has been a turnstile ever since Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts a half decade ago, and no team has ever found consistent success without quality play from under center.

That will ultimately determine the fate of Stefanski in Atlanta. He did help Baker Mayfield throw for 26 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions in their first season together after Mayfield struggled through his first two NFL campaigns.

“The past few seasons were tough for Stefanski, as the Browns cycled through quarterbacks,” Daniel Oyefusi wrote for ESPN. “But there was a time when Stefanski helped develop Baker Mayfield as a young quarterback. In Mayfield’s first season with Stefanski, he threw 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions with a 95.9 passer rating, the second-best single-season mark of his career.”

The task with Penix, who is also entering his third NFL season, will likely be more difficult considering he’s coming off a third ACL injury, but Stefanski’s vision begins and ends with the running game. The Browns ranked inside the top five in rushing yards per game three times under his watch, and he’s never had a running back as talented as Bijan Robinson in the backfield, which should have fantasy owners salivating over the potential of this pairing.

In a cycle where there were a shocking 10 head coach openings around the league and not a lot of elite candidates to fill them, the hiring of Kevin Stefanski should be viewed as a positive. This is a coach that made the Cleveland Browns a relevant franchise over his first four years. And just as important, the process under Matt Ryan’s watch — compared to two years ago when the Bill Belichick fiasco transpired — was far smoother. Add in another plus with the Falcons being able to retain Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, and it’s hard to find a lot to dislike.

Grade: B

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The #Falcons will not be retaining OL coach Dwayne Ledford, per a source. Ledford, highly regarded for his work in Atlanta, is expected to have multiple suitors for his services.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 19, 2026

Ledford was one of the few remaining holdovers from Arthur Smith’s staff. He was hired in 2021, and of all the position groups over the last five seasons, the offensive line has been by far the most consistent for the Atlanta Falcons.

Ledford said after the season that he hoped to stay on in Atlanta, but as Raimondi notes, it shouldn’t take him very long to find a new home. His work with the Falcons has made him a highly coveted commodity around the league.

It’s expected that Ledford will be replaced by Bill Callahan, who served as the offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns under Kevin Stefanski from 2020–2023 before joining his son’s staff with the Tennessee Titans for the past two seasons.

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Photographer: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire

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Together, those three will be tasked with answering the offseason’s most glaring issue — what are the Falcons going to do at quarterback?

The Michael Penix Dilemma

The situation surrounding Michael Penix Jr. is a difficult one to figure out. He was the 8th overall pick just two years ago and was handed the full-time starting job this season. But his play left a lot to be desired, throwing for just 1,982 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games. He did have only three interceptions, but a deeper look at the tape would suggest he got very lucky that number wasn’t at least double — and perhaps even more worrisome is the injury history.

Penix is not likely to be ready for Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL. It’s already the third ACL tear of his career dating back to his college days, to go along with two significant shoulder injuries. Add in the fact that this new regime played no part in drafting him, and it’s reasonable to expect the Falcons to consider all of their options this offseason.

Could Kirk Cousins Return?

If you listen to the national media talk about the Falcons, you’d think Kirk Cousins is a slam dunk to be on the roster in 2026. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. The two sides already renegotiated his deal this offseason in a way that essentially guarantees Cousins will be a free agent in a couple of months.

Now, theoretically, the Falcons could re-sign Cousins. He does have a relationship with Kevin Stefanski dating back to their time with the Vikings, but does Cousins really want to return to a quarterback room where he’s going to be asked to compete with Penix again? It’s possible, but it’s probably best for all parties to move on.

Potential Free Agents

This list of quarterbacks set to hit free agency is — well, uninspiring, to say the least.

• Daniel Jones
• Aaron Rodgers
• Russell Wilson
• Marcus Mariota
• Joe Flacco
• Russell Wilson
• Malik Willis

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Daniel Jones is coming off a late-season Achilles injury, so he’s not really an option for a team looking for a Week 1 starter, and Aaron Rodgers very well could retire. Those are really the only proven starting-caliber quarterbacks available in free agency, but one name to watch could be Malik Willis.

His performance in reserve work behind Jordan Love has been very impressive over the last two seasons. In three starts, he’s led the Packers to a 2–1 record, averaging over 300 passing yards per game with six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Mac Jones

Given this year’s free-agent class and the Falcons’ lack of a first-round pick due to the James Pearce Jr. trade, the most logical solution to their quarterback dilemma is Mac Jones — and I’m not sure it’s particularly close.

Jones signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers last offseason to back up Brock Purdy. The plan was never for him to see much of the field, but Purdy’s health forced Jones into eight starts. In those games, he led San Francisco to a 5–3 record, throwing for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns against six interceptions. He finished the season completing 69.6% of his passes with a 97.2 passer rating and a 62.9 QBR. Jones was a very good NFL quarterback, and he did it while the 49ers were without most of their top offensive weapons.

In Kevin Stefanski’s offense, Jones could experience a similar revival to what we’ve seen recently from Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and even Daniel Jones earlier this season before his injury. The contract is also extremely attractive, as he carries a cap hit of less than $4 million in 2026. That would allow the Falcons to bring him in, let him compete with Penix, and then make a decision on the two at the end of next season.

The only real negative in this scenario is the draft capital it would require to acquire Jones in a trade. There will likely be several interested teams, and the 49ers won’t be eager to part ways with a backup of his caliber given Purdy’s injury history. It’s probably going to take at least a mid-round pick, which is reasonable for a team with a full allotment of draft picks. Unfortunately, the Falcons do not have that luxury, holding just five picks in the upcoming draft.

Still, without stability at quarterback, this organization will continue to spin its tires. Jones offers a competent option capable of leading the Falcons to an NFC South title, with some upside of potentially being the team’s long-term answer at the position.

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Benitez signed with the Braves back in 2022 out of Venezuela for a massive $2.5 million signing bonus — roughly half of the club’s entire international bonus pool at the time — and quickly became one of the more hyped signings in the organization’s system, even drawing early comparisons to Manny Machado.

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