The Atlanta Braves face some tough decisions this offseason. The most important one is whether Brian Snitker will return as manager. Snitker hasn’t given a definitive answer but may have hinted at his future recently.
“In response to a question about Hurston Waldrep, he talked about how he was glad that he pitched through the end of the season as it helps him understand what it will take going into next season as well as talking about how fun it has been seeing his growth. When asked about Tyler Kinley, he said, ‘I didn’t realize what we were getting anything like that, I tell you that. It’s a nice piece to have going into ’26, that’s for sure.’ Whenever given the opportunity to not place his perspective into the Braves' future, he declined to do so,” HTHB’s Eric Cole wrote.
Another key decision involves closer Raisel Iglesias, who played himself back into consideration with a strong late-season performance.
“Iglesias has actually pitched himself back into the conversation for sticking around. He might have gotten that chance due to poor performance putting a dent in his trade stock, but he showed, regardless, that he's as good as he's ever been,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.
If Iglesias isn’t re-signed, the Braves could turn to rival closer Edwin Diaz.
“The Atlanta Braves were one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this year, but they're likely going to hit the offseason hard to prevent it from happening again. With Raisel Iglesias likely departing in free agency, the Braves will need to look to free agency to add a replacement. Stealing Diaz from a hated division rival would be the best move Atlanta could make,” SI’s Zach Pressnell wrote.
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Diaz has the option to opt out of his contract, and he might lean that way. If so, the Braves should aggressively pursue him.
Adding Diaz would give the Braves a dominant bullpen arm—one that could arguably be even more effective than Iglesias.