How two ominous injury updates could shape this Braves offseason

The Atlanta Braves came into this offseason ready to swing for the fences, with plenty of payroll flexibility at their disposal and even more motivation to wash the taste of a Wild Card flameout out of their mouths. But, in addition to making a run at big-name targets like former Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, GM Alex Anthopoulos is also going to have to do some Hot Stove triage. Anthopoulos told reporters at this week's GM Meetings that two of his team's most important players, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider, won't be ready by Opening Day 2025.

Neither of these updates are likely to have caught Anthopoulos off-guard. Acuña Jr. suffered another ACL tear in late May, and considering how much he struggled upon returning from his first knee injury back in 2022 — he tore his ACL in July of 2021 and came back just over nine months later, in late April of '22 — it makes sense that the Braves would be cautious with their star outfielder. Same, too, with Strider, who underwent surgery to repair a UCL tear way back in April; it wasn't Tommy John, and the team expects him to be able to pitch in 2024, but getting back in game shape after less than a year was never a realistic timeline.

Still, now it's officially official, and that creates two more holes that Anthopoulos needs to fill this winter. How might he go about doing that? Let's take a look.

Who can the Braves target as an outfield fill-in for Ronald Acuña Jr.?

Outfield was already a target area for Atlanta, as the team had a hole in left field even with Acuña Jr. occupying right. Jarred Kelenic and Ramon Laureano both look more like fourth outfielders than everyday players, so expect Anthopoulos to get ultra-aggressive here — either via trade (Luis Robert Jr., anyone?) or in free agency. The Braves have been linked to former Los Angeles Dodgers hero Teoscar Hernandez, and you can understand why, as it would give the team a middle-of-the-order bopper to hold down the fort with Kelenic and Laureano platooning in right until Acuña Jr. was ready to return. If Hernandez signs elsewhere, someone like Anthony Santander or Tyler O'Neill could make sense.

Spencer Strider injury makes adding starting pitching an even bigger necessity

This one gets a little trickier. The Braves can lock Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach into their rotation, and Reynaldo Lopez figures to claim another spot after looking great in a late return from injury this season. That still leaves two spots to fill until Strider returns, plus the depth every team needs over the course of a long season. Charlie Morton surprised everyone by indicating he'd be looking to play at least one more year before he retires, and that could be a boon for Atlanta.

The big question, though, is Fried: Anthopoulos has left the door open for a reunion, but the lefty's market is going to be robust, and the lure of heading home to Southern California is strong. The Braves have plenty of back-end candidates internally, from prospects like Hurston Waldrep to the recently acquired Griffin Canning. But they need at least one more impact arm, whether that's Fried or another free agent like Nathan Eovaldi or Sean Manaea. Slotting one of those two names in behind Sale and Schwellenbach would leave the Braves in solid enough position even if Strider doesn't return until May or June.