3 offseason trades the Braves can make to get back to the NLCS in 2021

2. Beef up the bullpen to replace the outgoing free agents

While the Braves didn’t have a lockdown bullpen to close games, the combination of Will Smith, Shane Greene, Chris Martin and Mark Melancon worked well enough to get the Braves into the NLCS. Unfortunately, like so many other parts of this roster over the last three games, they shrunk in the clutch, as Martin served up Cody Bellinger’s series-winning blast. With Greene and Melancon both scheduled to hit the market as free agents next year and retaining both of them unlikely, Atlanta needs to go big and add a truly elite closer to give them peace of mind in the postseason.

In a game that the Tampa Bay Rays have proven is relying on the bullpen more than ever before, Atlanta trying to contend with a bunch of seventh-inning guys and without a closer that truly frightens anyone is almost malpractice. Atlanta has enough heavy-hitters in that lineup to do some real damage late in games, they just need that one John Smoltz or Mark Wohlers back there to slam the door shut and prevent late-game meltdowns like the one that handed the Dodgers the NLCS.