Braves need an outfielder after officially losing Charlie Culberson

Charlie Culberson has officially left the Braves after three seasons.

The Atlanta Braves might have as much star power on offense as any NL team given the presence of Ronald Acuna and Freddie Freeman, but scrappy utility player Charlie Culberson endeared himself to Braves fans with a plucky, never-say-die style of play that helped him get multiple clutch hits when the Braves needed it most. However, after blowing their NLCS lead, the front office realizes that parts of this roster need to undergo a major facelift, and Culberson was unfortunately not considered important enough to resign.

Luckily, Culberson landed on his feet in the American League. Jon Morosi has reported that Culberson has decided to leave the Braves in favor of the Texas Rangers, signing a minor-league deal with Chris Woodward’s squad.

Charlie Culberson filled in at multiple defensive positions for Atlanta

Before arriving in Atlanta in 2018 at the age of 29, Culberson had just 197 MLB games, a .231 average, and six home runs to his name, In his first season with the Braves, Culberson clouted 12 home runs, playing all four infield positions as well as both corner outfield spots.

While Culberson did provide some versatility and often served as the Braves’ emergency pitcher, he hasn’t been getting it done at the plate lately. His batting averaged dipped from .274 to .259 from 2018 to 2019, and he mustered a grand total of one hit in 2020 before being designated for assignment.

Culberson, who will turn 32 at the beginning of the 2021 season, was everything that the Braves could’ve hoped, but the time has come for him to move in search of a chance to crack the big-league roster in Texas. Atlanta needs to find a replacement, as they’ll never know when a player with his skill set will be called upon.