The first half of the Atlanta Braves' 2025 season is mercifully over in what has been a dumpster fire of a season. To understand just how things have grown so drastically dark, we must rewind a bit and look at the early offseason decisions that set the tone for what was to come. This started with failing to pay Max Fried, who has earned every penny of his contract so far. Losing the starter was a brutal blow to the team's depth and continued to send a dangerous message that this franchise wouldn't pay market value to retain its stars.
Arguably even more impactful was the loss of Ron Washington, who joined the Los Angeles Angels as the team's manager before stepping away due to health concerns. Washington's energy and want to win is a void the team has been unable to fill, and his impact has been glaring. While there is nothing the team could've done to prevent this, it still is a vital piece of the story as to why this season has gone the way it has.
The Braves Learned the Wrong Lesson From the 2024 Season
Despite losing to the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2024 postseason, it was an impressive accomplishment for the Braves to make it that far. Having lost their two best players for the season, the franchise was expected to spiral. Instead, the team found ways to win and bargain shop their way into putting together a starting lineup in what was a cursed season. The front office seemed to believe it could follow this path yet again and failed to add depth to nearly every position heading into the year.
A fact that would be exposed in the first week of the season, when the team would go 0-7 with all the emotional energy being drained from the team after Jurickson Profar's suspension. The team's one impactful addition of the offseason was lost for 80 games in a blink. Showing zero regard for his teammates or the franchise, the outfielder violated the league's banned substance list and started a spiral that set the tone for what this season would become. If you're looking for the top culprits in why the Braves sit double-digit games below .500, look no further than the front office and its star offseason addition.
Still, this was just the opening act for what lay ahead for the Braves after starting 0-7. Starter Reynaldo Lopez was lost after making a single start, and Atlanta's lack of depth was instantly exposed. Now, the team was left with a below-average option in the rotation while also needing to replace Profar in the lineup.
That brings us to the next piece of the puzzle with experienced position players Michael Harris and Ozzie Albies. Both are key pieces of Atlanta's offense, and both are having the worst seasons of their respective careers. Things are so bleak that the future of Albies is being questioned, while fans are calling for the demotion of Harris.
The final death blow to Atlanta's season would be a season-ending injury to AJ Smith-Shawver just as the exciting rookie was starting to figure things out. Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach would soon follow the rookie to the injured list leaving Grant Holmes and Spencer Strider as the only remaining viable healthy options.
All of this has exposed an Atlanta front office that was content in believing the returns of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. would fix all woes. While it is fair to count on these key pieces to improve the team, it was misguided and inexplicable not to bring in bullpen or bench depth, understanding the season you had just endured.
While injuries and regressing players are out of leadership's control, the struggles this season still belong squarely on the shoulders of a front office that has failed the fan base. Letting star players walk away and fumbling a wide-open World Series window. Just as the front office was given credit for the team's 2021 World Series run, its leaders now must admit and attempt to remedy the mistakes that have landed a once-consistent franchise in its current misery.
No question, much of what has gone wrong this season could've been prevented by Atlanta simply being willing to spend with the league's top contenders and bring in the depth the team has been desperately searching for the last two months of the season. As we reach the unofficial halfway point of the 2025 season, it is clear that drastic changes lie ahead.