Atlanta Braves Off season Needs

2019 Season Review

The 2019 season for the Atlanta Braves was a successful one even though they fell short of their ultimate goal to win a World Series. They defended their National League Eastern division title from 2018 by winning it again this past season. With fellow division rival, The Washington Nationals, winning the World Series, the Braves will be motivated to make their club better this off season. There are a few key areas that the Braves need to focus on this off season if they want to make it back to the post season next year.

Off-season needs

1. Starting Pitching: This has been a need for the team for many seasons now. This is the number one need now that Julio Teheran isn't being brought back. The team is also most likely going to lose Dallas Keuchel. Both of these pitchers were critical to the success of the team during the 2019 season. There are talks of the braves closing in on making a deal with free agent pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Signing Madison would be a great first step towards a good off-season. Ongoing training of the pitchers the Braves have in the minor leagues will be crucial as well.

2. Bullpen: The bullpen was a bit of a weakness during the 2019 season. The relief pitching last season was very streaky. There were times when the team would lose several games because of the bullpen collapsing and then win a few because they were pitching really well. Part of that was because the team didn't have a go to closer to close out games. The Braves might have just fixed this issue because they signed a free agent relief pitcher named Will Smith. Smith was the closer for the Giants last season. He converted 34 saves last season with a 2.76 ERA. This signing has certainly added much needed depth and late inning reliability to the bullpen. With this signing, I believe that the bullpen will be a strength next season instead of a weakness.

3. Third Base: Josh Donaldson was a huge pickup last off-season. He was an integral part of the success that the Braves had in 2019. The Braves only signed him for one season since he was coming off of an injury season in 2018. Now that he has proved that he is healthy and has returned to his MVP type play, he would be a good pickup for the Braves in 2020. If the Braves cant resign him, then they will most likely look at another free agent such as Mike Moustakas. If they don't decide to look at free agent players, then they will most likely go forward with Austin Riley as their third baseman going forward.

4. Catcher: With Brian McCann retiring at the end of this past season, the Braves need to search for their next cornerstone catcher. They have Tyler Flowers returning, but he struggled last season. The team needs a reliable catcher with good defense and at least average offense to step up. Having a good catcher is key to having good pitching performances from your starting and relief pitchers.

Conclusion

This team is very good, and should be able to compete for the a World Series title again next season. It is made up of very good players including Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna, Dansby Swanson, and many others. This team needs just a few tweaks to make it to the next level. If they address some of the needs listed above, then they will be a great team instead of a good team.