The Atlanta Braves made a predictable move earlier this week, opting to exercise the club option on Ozzie Albies for the 2026 season. It doesn't come as a surprise when you look at the fact that cutting Albies would cost the team a $4 million buyout, while simply picking up the option is $7 million for the 2026 season. In truth, this was never a real debate when you look at the potential ceiling of Albies and the state of Atlanta's middle infield. Bringing back Albies was the right decision and one that invites change.
The second baseman dealt with injuries and alarming offensive regression in back-to-back seasons. Albies is a career .266 hitter, even with the worst years factored in, making it clear that there is still hope to return to career norms. Bringing back the infielder was the only choice based not only on the cost but the fact that Atlanta had no other options. What money the Braves are willing to spend needs to go towards bringing in bullpen help and finding an answer at DH. Albies was always going to be brought back in hopes he can turn back the clock.
Braves Make Obvious Decision Bringing Back Infielder Ozzie Albies for 2026 Season
It was only the 2023 season that the second baseman hit .280 and drove in 109 while playing above-average defense. There is a reason to wonder if Albies can still find this version of himself. Perhaps a healthy offseason will prove to be the missing piece to turn back the clock. The infielder is only 28, leaving every reason to believe that great seasons are still in front of the undersized slugger.
With this in mind, Atlanta made the obvious choice in hopes that Albies would turn back the clock. If this were to happen, the lineup overnight looks drastically different with the second baseman providing a needed boost and leaving only the DH spot as a needed upgrade. The problem for the Braves was the fact that they were often giving away outs at second, short, and catcher.
This is a third of your lineup that opposing pitchers simply have zero fear of facing. Albies changing his contributions to this issue goes a long way in improving this roster and allowing the front office to focus on more pressing concerns. This explains both why the Braves picked up the option and how much pressure is going to be on Albies in the 2026 season.
Perhaps two seasons of poor production and injuries can be written off as outliers with the rest of his career in mind. However, a third straight season of struggles would be far too much to ignore and demand that the Braves turn the page in the 2026 offseason. This gives Albies one last season to prove he is still an organizational cornerstone and capable of offensive consistency.