6. Braves Bullpen
It is impossible to pick one reliever when there is such an overwhelming number of options. This is also going back to Atlanta's offseason decisions not to spend top dollar on any position. Things were so up in the air that manager Brian Snitker went to Hector Neris on Opening Day with the game on the line. The reliever has since been jettisoned from the roster, and the Braves are still searching for how to get a game to their closer.
Even if they manage this, Raisel Iglesias has had an incredibly rough start to the season as well. With a chance to force extra innings, the closer served up an ugly pitch to Ohtani that would keep Atlanta winless for a game longer. It isn't just the back end of the bullpen that is struggling and failing to offer consistent production.
There isn't one player in this bullpen Brian Snitker can call with confidence right now. If the Braves are going to turn the season around, moves must be made.
7. Chris Sale
This may seem harsh when you consider the 2024 season that Sale just had. However, this is a league that, while fascinated with past accomplishments, is defined by the most recent results. With Max Fried in New York and Spencer Strider yet to return, it is on the shoulders of Chris Sale to go out and set the tone. With his team floundering, the lefty needed to make a start that gave the team stability and pushed them back in the right direction.
A push that would not come from the veteran starter but the increasingly impressive Spencer Schwellenbach. This isn't to say Sale has been awful or made terrible mistakes. Rather, the Braves badly needed their veteran leader to go out and set the tone and Sale failed to do so.
With a long season ahead, the Braves are going to need Sale to be incredibly consistent. With the concerns at the bottom of the rotation it is going to be on the shoulders of Schwellenbach, Strider, and Sale to carry this team.