3 players on Braves holiday wish list ahead of MLB Winter Meetings

The Atlanta Braves were one of several teams that were involved in the Sonny Gray sweepstakes. In fact, he was their top target.

Unfortunately for the six-time defending NL East champions, Gray chose the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving Atlanta still in need of a frontline starting pitcher.

But things aren't all gloom and doom with the Braves. There are plenty of options available in trades and in free agency that could truly benefit them.

In this piece, we will take a look at three players who should be on the Braves' holiday wish list as the Winter Meetings get underway.

1. Blake Snell

If the Braves were in on Gray, who's to say that Snell won't be a target for them?

Atlanta was outbid by the Cardinals, but now that Gray and Nola have signed, they can turn their attention to Snell.

The veteran left-hander won his second Cy Young Award this season, posting a 2.25 ERA, which was the best mark in all of baseball. With Gray and Nola off the board, he will be the No. 1 target for several teams.

The Braves do already have a few solid starters in place such as Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton. However, Morton is aging while Strider took a few steps back after a fantastic 2022 season.

In order to get past the Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves will need one more top starter in their rotation.

The one downside with Snell is that he doesn't always go deep into games. But he still provides swing-and-miss ability that could greatly benefit the Braves. He can be trusted in postseason games as well, which could give the Braves a better chance to make it past the NLDS for the first time since 2021, the year they won their most recent World Series title.