Braves: 3 upgrades Atlanta still needs to repeat as World Series champions

3) The Braves could use an upgrade for the bench

Adding Happ or Benintendi in a trade would actually give Atlanta an opportunity to upgrade their bench as well. If either takes over a starting role from one of the current regulars, the bench suddenly gets a little better. Even if it’s Duvall moving to the bench, he is a far better hitter than an average second-string player.

The Braves have given at-bats to a couple of different players this year with some very poor results. Alex Dickerson hit .121 for the team in his short stint. Travis Demeritte wasn’t much better nor was Eddie Rosario before he landed on the IL. Laser eye surgery is what has knocked Rosario out of action. It’s not a typical baseball injury so it’s tough to know how quickly someone can return to form.

Keeping it simple, the Braves may simply want to just look for a good mix of defense and light-hitting to add behind the starters. Duvall, who won a Gold Glove last season, has not nearly as good this year and it has little to do with him playing so much center field.

Atlanta managed to load up on positional depth last year. Finding someone better than Guillermo Heredia would help them immensely. Remember how in shambles the outfield was before Ronald Acuna Jr. made his 2022 debut? They can’t let that happen again.

The Braves don’t need a massive overhaul to repeat as World Series champions. An upgrade in the rotation and some offense in different ways other than the home run along with some depth is all they’ll need to have a good shot.