The Atlanta Braves have a long list of possible additions heading into the 2025 offseason. However, none are more important than finding a better answer at shortstop and patching up the bullpen. Watching postseason play as the Braves frustratingly sit at home, it is clear one free agent's pending price is heading in a direction that favors Atlanta. Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was left off the ACLS roster as the infielder continues to recover from a left knee strain. This is ahead of Bichette entering free agency after an incredible season.
While you never want a player to end the season injured, there is no denying that it is helping Atlanta's potential chase of the shortstop. Bichette being sidelined for the postseason is not only likely to drive down his price tag, but it is also costing Toronto, which has quickly fallen behind the Seattle Mariners. While the Braves lack a dog in the fight, Seattle winning might be the best-case scenario if they want to have a better chance of landing Bichette. Making the World Series gives the shortstop a chance to return, or proves just how close the franchise is to a championship with the infielder on Toronto's roster.
Braves Perfect Offseason Target Bo Bichette Continues to Miss Time in Postseason Action
Regardless, Atlanta shouldn't hesitate to chase a shortstop who gives a struggling lineup an undeniable boost. If the Braves retain Ozzie Albies through his option, there is still a level of concern around second base from an offensive perspective. Signing Bichette helps offset this and limits the potential lineup issues Atlanta would be facing otherwise.
Bichette finished the regular season hitting above .300 and offers a consistent approach that is so obviously lacking among Atlanta's current starters. While there are outliers, the Braves badly need more consistency, and that is exactly what the shortstop brings to the lineup day in and day out.
Fans can only hope that the 2025 campaign's miserable failures drove home the need for additional moves in the offseason. Atlanta's ownership and front office groups have been increasingly cheap over the last three winters. This season's performance only amplified those issues and exposed that for fortunes to turn, the Braves must be willing to spend.
That is exactly what it is going to take to land Bichette, who is among the offseason's prized targets after coming off a great season. Fans can only hope that the injury that ended his season and his lack of availability in the playoffs will help drive down the price. Regardless, the Braves must pursue a shortstop who can help solve some of the clear problems facing this organization.