3 Braves prospects who won't be back in 2025 and why

The 2024 Atlanta Braves failed to come close to their lofty expectations after getting bounced in the Wild Card Series by the San Diego Padres. Yes, injuries did play a major role, but virtually everyone not named Chris Sale and Marcell Ozuna underperformed (with much of their bullpen as the lone exception).

With how this season went, Alex Anthopoulos is facing a lot of pressure to right the ship. Based on how he has acted in the past, most of the big moves he'll make will come in the trade market, not in free agency (sorry, Max Fried).

The Braves might lose Fried, but would it come as a surprise at all to see Anthopoulos replace him in a blockbuster trade? Would it come as a surprise to see Anthopoulos find a way to add another big bat as well? Assuming the Braves make a blockbuster trade or two, these three prospects could find themselves in another organization by the time Spring Training rolls around.

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3) Drake Baldwin feels like obvious trade bait

They might not have played up to their capability this season, but the Braves have arguably the best catching tandem in the majors. When healthy, Sean Murphy is among the best catchers in the sport. Braves fans saw that in 2023. He had a dreadful 2024 campaign, but he also missed substantial time due to injury. With a healthy offseason, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see Murphy recapture his elite status. He also happens to be locked in long-term on an extension.

Travis d'Arnaud is the other half of this catching tandem. d'Arnaud can be frustratingly inconsistent at times offensively, but is still clearly above-average as a hitter behind the dish. He has a club option worth $8 million that'd keep him in Atlanta for the 2025 season. That feels destined to be picked up.

With Murphy and d'Arnaud locked in at least for next season, the question is what will happen with Drake Baldwin, their No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline? As Anthopoulos notes, Baldwin is just a phone call away, but where is he going to play, and when? Barring injury, the Braves are set behind the plate for 2025. Do the Braves really want to keep Baldwin trapped in Triple-A instead of selling him high?

With Murphy locked in for the long term, Baldwin has no future in Atlanta behind the plate. The Braves could potentially move him to a different position or use him at DH, but neither decision would be smart. The Braves are better off parting with Baldwin now while they can use him in a major trade.

2) Does Nacho Alvarez Jr. have a future in Atlanta?

The bevy of injuries that the Braves suffered in their infield this season gave Nacho Alvarez Jr., their No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, a chance to establish himself at the MLB level. He failed to do that.

He played in only eight games and racked up a total of 32 plate appearances, but Alvarez had three hits (all singles) in 30 at-bats. He struck out 10 times. For the most part, he looked completely overmatched at the MLB level.

Sure, the sample was tiny. Had the Braves given Spencer Schwellenbach just a couple of starts before sending him back down, the Braves wouldn't have even made the postseason. Still, even if you want to ignore his slow MLB start, does he really have a future with the Braves?

Alvarez played second base in his short MLB stint. Ozzie Albies, the team's second baseman, is locked in through the 2027 campaign on one of the best contracts in the game. He's played mostly shortstop in the minors, but can the Braves rely on him to hit enough at the MLB level to play him there? If the answer is no, they have a terrific defender in Orlando Arcia already there on a cheap deal. Alvarez has seen some time at third base as well, but Austin Riley isn't going anywhere.

This feels pretty similar to the Vaughn Grissom situation. The Braves always liked Grissom's bat, but they didn't have a place for him to play every day. Knowing that, they traded him for Chris Sale while he still had value. Instead of keeping Alvarez stuck in the minors, the Braves should look to trade him while he still has a lot of value. Go get another Chris Sale.

1) The Braves should look to trade AJ Smith-Shawver in a blockbuster

This Braves organization can really develop pitching. We saw that with Spencer Schwellenbach this season. It'd be tough to part with AJ Smith-Shawver, their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, given their success rate with pitching prospects, but where exactly does he slot in?

Chris Sale, Schwellenbach, and Reynaldo Lopez are all locked into the rotation for 2024. Even if the Braves don't re-sign Max Fried, they'll presumably replace him with someone (maybe with Smith-Shawver in a potential trade going the other way). We can't fully close the door on yet another Charlie Morton reunion. Plus, the Braves still have Hurston Waldrep in the minors as well.

Smith-Shawver has only one option remaining after this season, so the Braves are running out of flexibility in terms of sending him down to the minors without having to place him on waivers. He has proven nothing at the MLB level. He won't be handed a rotation spot before Spring Training. What's the argument against selling high right now?

If the Braves were to dangle a pitching prospect of Smith-Shawver's caliber, they could get a monstrous return. With their window being win-now, and Smith-Shawver being as unproven as he is with only one minor league option remaining, now feels like the time to sell high.