TL;DR
- Atlanta Braves acquired Mauricio Dubon from Houston Astros for Nick Allen.
- The trade fills a shortstop need, improving the team's situation.
- Braves may prioritize starting pitching and relief corps depth next.
- Key players' health is crucial for the Braves' success in 2026.
The Atlanta Braves are following up a trade. They recently obtained Mauricio Dubon from the Houston Astros for Nick Allen.
This move enabled the team to secure a shortstop, a role they had to fill given Ha-Seong Kim's availability on the free agent market. Although it wasn't the most spectacular deal, it improves their situation compared to having Allen at shortstop.
The focus now shifts to addressing additional needs. They might seek more depth in their starting pitching staff and relief corps, which could become their main priority.
The Braves' anticipated Opening Day lineup places a significant burden on their key players to avoid injuries.
The offseason is still young, but we can still look at how certain teams are forming.
Following a particularly rough season, the Braves are expected to remain inactive in free agency this offseason, with the expectation being that they'll rely on their existing roster and hope for good health among their key players, according to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.
"Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr., Sean Murphy, and Jurickson Profar all missed significant time to injury and suspension in the case of Profar, the Braves have as much room for in-house improvement as any lineup in baseball."
Atlanta's struggles were largely due to their star players missing significant game time. They won't need to make many adjustments; their primary concern is keeping their key players healthy and active throughout the 2026 season.
According to Reuter, the Braves' projected Opening Day lineup could look like this:
- LF Jurickson Profar
- 1B Matt Olson
- RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
- 3B Austin Riley
- DH Drake Baldwin
- 2B Ozzie Albies
- C Sean Murphy
- SS Mauricio Dubon
- CF Michael Harris II
This is indeed a strong roster, capable of dominating the National League East. While they might not be overly active in the offseason, their existing talent pool means they won't have to be.
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- Padres projected to bolster lineup by adding this well-decorated slugger
- Giants projected to add former Gold Glove Award winner over the winter