5 Braves on Opening Day roster who won't be on the roster next season

The Atlanta Braves have one of, if not the best roster in the game right now. Their lineup is historically good and might've gotten better this offseason. Their rotation is elite and almost certainly got better this offseason if Chris Sale can stay healthy. The bullpen also... got better.

What makes this Braves team even scarier is that this isn't the only season they're going to be entering with a stacked roster. Virtually their entire core is locked in long-term thanks to some Alex Anthopoulos wizardry.

With that being said, while most of the Opening Day roster will be in tact, all 26 players won't be back. That has never and will never happen. These five players who made the team's Opening Day roster this season will not do so next season.

5) Jesse Chavez's time in Atlanta will come to an end after this season

It wouldn't feel like Opening Day if Jesse Chavez wasn't in a Braves uniform. Thankfully, after struggling in Spring Training for the White Sox, Chavez found his way back to Atlanta for what will be his fifth stint with the Braves.

Chavez signed a MLB deal, so the Braves wound up selecting him to be on their Opening Day roster replacing Jackson Stephens who elected free agency after clearing waivers.

Chavez will presumably pitch in lower-leverage situations most of the time, but if his time with the Braves has taught us anything, it's that he can pitch effectively whenever he's called upon. There's no rhyme or reason, but the Braves seem to always get the most out of the 40-year-old.

It'll be nice for Braves fans to see Chavez put on a Braves uniform once again, especially after it seemed like he was going to be with the White Sox this season, but this very well might be his last year doing so.

In an interview early this spring, Chavez says that this will likely be his last season as a player. He didn't say that it certainly was, so the door isn't completely closed, but it's likely. If that's the case, he obviously won't be playing with the Braves next season. Perhaps he can find his way back to Atlanta in a coaching role, though.

4) Adam Duvall will get a better opportunity elsewhere

The Braves entered Spring Training without a clear solution for their fourth outfielder spot. They had some solid options like Forrest Wall, Jordan Luplow, and J.P. Martinez, but there was no clear-cut solution.

Anthopoulos was seemingly content with having that fourth outfielder spot being decided by a competition between those players, but then Adam Duvall just kept lingering on the open market.

With the 29 other general managers fast asleep, the Braves signed Duvall to a one-year deal worth just $3 million to take over as their primary fourth outfielder. This is a tremendous luxury for Atlanta as Duvall has proven in the past that he fits in perfectly with Atlanta, and he happens to be coming off of a tremendous season (when healthy) with the Red Sox.

Duvall as a fourth outfielder is nice for this season, but shouldn't be the expectation for the future. Duvall has proven he's a starting-caliber player, and assuming he plays well in a part-time role, he's going to get a chance to play every day somewhere else next season.

3) Charlie Morton won't be back with the Braves next season

Every year it feels like Charlie Morton might decide to hang up the spikes, and then he decides to give it one more go. Morton has proven that he still has something in the tank, but eventually, all good things come to an end.

The Braves exercised Morton's $20 million club option for this season, and for good reason. The right-hander was once again effective last season, posting a 3.67 ERA in 30 starts and 163.1 innings of work. If Atlanta can get that again out of their fourth starter, they'd be in such a good spot.

When it comes down to it, Morton is 40 years old and is obviously not part of Atlanta's future plans. The Braves happen to have solid young pitching in the pipeline with their top two prospects being A.J. Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep - two pitchers who will be ready for rotation spots next season if not sooner.

There's also Bryce Elder, a player who was an All-Star for the Braves last season and is just 24 years old. He might not be on the Opening Day roster now, but he shouldn't be forgotten.

There's a chance Morton calls it quits. Even if he doesn't, the Braves still don't really have much room to bring him back, especially when he'll be 41 years old next season.

2) A.J. Minter will price himself out of Atlanta

The Braves bullpen should be one of the best in the National League. It's the part of the roster that gets the least amount of recognition, but it's strong and it's incredibly deep.

A.J. Minter has been the primary set-up man for the Braves in each of the last four seasons and he's excelled in that role. Last season he was hampered by a rough first two months, but from June through the rest of the season, he posted a 1.85 ERA in 43 appearances. When Minter is on he's borderline unhittable, and the fact that he's left-handed doesn't hurt either.

The 30-year-old is set to hit free agency at the end of the season and assuming he pitches well, he's going to fetch a large contract. No, he won't get Hader money or anything close to it, but he's going to get paid like an elite reliever, because he is one. Chances are, with funds already committed to the bullpen and the rotation potentially in flux, the Braves will let Minter walk.

The southpaw hasn't gotten much of a chance to close for the Braves, but if he were to enter the open market, he might get interest for a larger role elsewhere. It makes sense for this to be the final season of Minter in Atlanta.

1) Max Fried will follow Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson's footsteps and depart in free agency

Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves operate in a very specific way and very rarely do they deviate from their plans. They try and get their core pieces extended long-term on team-friendly deals. If certain players don't extend with the team, they'll either be traded or the team will just let them walk.

The Braves being a World Series contender won't trade a player of Max Fried's caliber in his final season of team control, but it feels like it's very unlikely that Atlanta would bring him back. Fried being able to negotiate with all 30 teams almost certainly means he's going to receive a massive contract, and the Braves just simply don't give huge contracts in free agency.

Atlanta let Freddie Freeman, the franchise's icon walk right after they won the World Series. They replaced him with Matt Olson who played like an MVP last season. They let Dansby Swanson, one of the big leaders of the team depart in free agency the year after. His replacement, Orlando Arcia, was an All-Star last season.

With Fried, Atlanta will likely let him go, and then Anthopoulos will find some sort of replacement, likely in a trade, and then sign him to an extension. Chances are, said player will perform at a comparable or even a higher level than Fried. It doesn't make sense, but Anthopoulos just finds a way.