The Atlanta Braves are grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns this offseason. Alex Anthopoulos has already inked Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million contract and traded for ex-Houston Astros utilityman Mauricio Dubón. And he did it all before we even hit Thanksgiving.
This is a major show of aggression for the Braves. It's early, and the team needs to keep adding, but Atlanta is off to a rollicking start. Anthopoulos is responding to immense pressure after a disappointing 2025. Can the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets match that energy? A quick vibe check paints a worrying portrait for the opposition fans.
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Braves start offseason with a bang; not so much for Phillies, Mets
Atlanta has already taken steps to address two key areas of need. Dubón offers coverage at shortstop. Ideally, the Braves can re-sign Ha-Seong Kim or aim even higher for a full-time starter, but Dubón — a two-time Gold Glove winner — can shoulder that load if needed. His positional flexibility is a nice boon, too: He played literally every position except catcher and pitcher in 2025.
Igelsias is merely a reunion, bit an important one. The 35-year-old still ranks among the top closers in baseball. Last season was rocky at times, but Iglesias was lights-out down the stretch, one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dour Braves season. Anthopoulos has already said he plans to add "a lot of relievers," while also noting his priorities at shortstop and in the starting rotation.
"Our plan is not to just get one reliever and be done," he said at the GM Meetings (h/t Yahoo Sports). "We’re going to need more. How that’s going to present itself? I don’t know yet but closer is definitely the anchor and you definitely want to get that solved."
Igelsias figures to be that bullpen anchor, but Atlanta could raise the stakes and invite spring training competition if Anthopoulos really commits to beefing up this bullpen. Several quality relievers are floating around the free agent market this offseason: Edwin Díaz, Robert Suárez, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley and more. There are also potential trade candidates, which is more traditionally Anthopoulos' speed. Names such as Matt Strahm and Dennis Santana could be intriguing.
After back-to-back postseason whiffs, the Braves are itching to climb back into the contenders circle. This is a solid start to the most critical offseason of Anthopoulos' Atlanta tenure. In the end, the Braves just need to stay healthy. But there's a lot of room to improve along the margins of this roster. Adding a quality starter to the mix behind Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Specer Schwellenbach? Adding an impactful shortstop, such as Bo Bichette? These are moves that can really push Atlanta toward the top of the division.
Are Phillies, Mets at risk of losing ground to Braves?
The Phillies and Mets are on more solid ground than Atlanta right now. The Braves are reeling from a years-long bout with injuries and several slumping stars. The Phillies finished first in the division and second in the NL last season. The Mets, even after a postseason collapse, are sitting pretty with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor leading the charge.
But any sense of security in MLB can quickly become a mirage. For years, Atlanta was the gold star student of the NL East classroom. There is plenty of star power on the Braves roster. If Anthopoulos adequately addresses their needs and the Braves aren't hit by another unholy wave of bad luck, it won't take a miracle for Atlanta to climb back to the top of the standings.
Both Philadelphia and New York, in theory, have more financial maneuverability than Atlanta. Dave Dombrowski built his reputation on supersized investments like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. Steve Cohen is the richest owner in MLB; the man gave $765 million to Soto last winter and didn't even blink. But that financial maneuverability too often leads nowhere productive.
Both clubs have money coming off the books. Especially Philadelphia, as Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Ranger Suárez, Max Kepler and Harrison Bader are all free to leave. But that is a double-edged sword. Philadelphia is the frontrunner to re-sign Schwarber, at the very least, but Suárez, Realmuto and Bader are far less likely. That (potentially) leaves the Phillies without an All-Star ace, a Gold Glove catcher and their most impactful deadline addition in years, plus Kepler's occasional power surge. How exactly can Dombrowski recover? God forbid if Schwarber leaves them hanging.
Phillies are playing with free agency fire
The Phillies are expected to poke around big-ticket free agents, such as Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. You can never count out Dombrowski in a heavyweight fight, but after back-to-back seasons of doing the bare minimum to maintain a competitive roster, it's hard to consider the Phillies frontrunners for any of these marquee names. We've also heard Strahm's name come up in trade rumors. That is fine on the surface, but what exactly does it mean for the Phillies' already-scant bullpen depth? It's hard to imagine Philadelphia picking from the top of the litter in that particular free agent bucket after the Jhoan Durán trade.
Philadelphia's best bet might be running it back with a few upgrades along the margins. But so little is guaranteed on that front. The Phillies' payroll is already an obstacle and all the signs point toward significant change, whether they want it or not.
"Retaining Suarez would go a long way toward solidifying a rotation with an atypical number of red flags, but the Phillies already project for a nearly $228MM payroll before making any additions or bringing back any potential free agents," writes Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. "It’s hard to imagine them keeping all three of those prominent impending free agents — particularly when there are other needs elsewhere on the roster."
If Suárez walks, despite his well-documented desire to remain in South Philly, the rotation boils down to Zack Wheeler (post-shoulder surgery), Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and a few less-than-stable options, such as veteran Taijuan Walker or top prospect Andrew Painter.
John Middleton to expected to do "everything" to re-sign Schwarber. But even if we grant the Phillies that one key expense, is Middleton then comfortable shelling out tens of millions of dollars to make up for the Phillies' other losses?
Mets are stuck between a rock and a hard place
Steve Cohen is the richest owner in baseball, but even he has his limits — and Soto's historic contract last winter pushed him a lot closer to them. David Stearns is also an analytics-driven GM from small-market roots. He's not in the habit of running up the payroll willy-nilly, like a certain West Coast contender in blue.
Pete Alonso is as good as gone this offseason, which removes New York's biggest power source and Soto's best protection from the lineup. Alonso is an aging first baseman with defensive deficiencies, so the reluctance to hand him a long-term contract is understandable (especially when any DH plans are derailed by Soto's inevitable removal from the outfield). But, with Josh Naylor off the market, the list of available first basemen thins out quickly.
The Mets also need to pour their energy into solving the rotation. Even if Nolan McLean picks up where he left off as a frontline ace on the rise, the Mets' rotation depth is ghastly. Kodai Senga is involved in trade rumors after another injury-plagued season. Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and other key Mets have also come up as potential trade fodder, signaling a desire to manicure the payroll. If the Mets are attempting to cut costs, top arms like Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease or Ranger Suárez start to feel less attainable, even for a team in desperate need. This comes after New York basically ignored the top of the pitching market last offseason post-Soto signing.
New York has one of the highest payrolls in MLB by default. Cohen and company could very much add to that — he wants to win as badly as any owner — but Stearns is going to attempt to be smart about his spending. Sometimes being smart aligns a little to closely with being scared, and the Mets cannot afford a tentative, overly calculated approach after missing the postseason in 2025.