Surprise! It’s me again.
Hope you’re ready to talk a little offseason baseball.
And Dale Murphy, too.
HOT STOVE HUNTING
The winter meetings.
An opportunity for baseball’s bigwigs to hang out at a central Florida hotel for a few days, talk about stuff … and maybe even make a deal or two.
This year’s edition arrives in earnest on Monday.
With the Braves still eyeing some important additions for 2026, I asked our amigo Gabe Burns to write a bit about what fans should (and shouldn’t) expect.
🤔 Here’s what he said. I think you’ll find it interesting:
“The Braves haven’t conducted much business at the winter meetings in recent memory, but teams can often lay the groundwork for contracts and trades during this period. The Braves have already made one sizable move — keeping Raisel Iglesias, as acquiring a closer was paramount — and one notable move in adding Mauricio Dubón, who’s good depth and a potential starting shortstop candidate should the team fail to acquire a better option.
“It’s possible another big move could come next week, but I wouldn’t expect fireworks. The Braves have been clear publicly that they want to add a starting pitcher. Fortunately, the options abound in free agency and the trade market. Ha-Seong Kim remains the most obvious option at shortstop, but he’s fielding offers from everybody and could wind up getting a deal the Braves won’t outbid. If not Kim, it’s difficult to find a credible shortstop. Perhaps the trade market yields a surprise.
“My personal opinion: If Byron Buxton is available, the Braves should try to acquire the Baxley native. Minnesota is cutting costs and continuing a roster teardown that started last summer. Buxton, its franchise player and among the most talented outfielders in the sport, is a prize — especially for the three years, $45 million on the contract. He has a no-trade clause, but one would think that wouldn’t be a deterrent for a Georgia native joining the Braves. I can live with less offense at shortstop if I added a bat like Buxton’s. There are real injury concerns — which is even scarier given what the Braves have endured for two years running — but I love upgrading the offense at a reasonable cost and increasing your options with the designated hitter spot, which could be rotated to keep players fresher.
“Buxton isn’t the only player who’d bolster their offense, obviously, but he’s an obvious name. I think the Braves need another bat, whether that’s at shortstop or somewhere else. And everyone agrees another starter and bullpen reinforcements are necessary before the team reports to Florida in February.”
🤔 Hmmm. Sounds pretty good to me. How ‘bout y’all?
TOP OF THE ATL HEAP
Over in the Win Column, our weekly cache of all-sports goodness, a few hundred readers voted in a survey ranking each of Atlanta’s pro franchises.
🏆 It should come as no surprise that the Bravos topped the list, with an average rating of 3.83 trophies (out of five).
Here’s one negative voter comment followed by three sunnier thoughts.
- “Braves talk a good salary cap talk, but do not ever spend as promised and continue to underachieve, and the window of opportunity to win with this core group is passing by us fast.”
- “Braves have a chance to win it all.”
- “Encouraged by the Braves’ combination of stability and new blood in the dugout.”
- “The Braves are the master-class of their sport. The other teams should take notes.”
MURPH’S MAGICAL MOMENT?
It’s past time that Dale Murphy, Braves legend and Hall of Fame human, moseyed into Cooperstown immortality.
And if the weekend goes his way, he’ll finally get the opportunity.
The two-time National League MVP is on a new ballot voted on by the Contemporary Era Baseball Committee, a 16-member crew that meets ahead of the official start of the winter meetings.
They’ll announce if any of their eight candidates got the 75% of votes necessary to join the Hall of Fame on Sunday night (7:30 p.m. on MLB Network).
So what’s the competition look like?: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Don Mattingly, Gary Sheffield, Fernando Valenzuela join Murphy on the Contemporary Era ballot.
- Bonds, Clemens and Sheffield (a Brave in 2002 and 2003) have steroid allegations to contend with.
- Delgado (473 career home runs), Kent (377 home runs, the most-ever for a second baseman) and Mattingly (2,153 hits) do not.
- Valenzuela’s case is probably most similar to Murphy’s: The Dodgers pitching phenomenon had a handful of truly spectacular seasons in the early ’80s … and a long, solid career after that.
What does all that mean for Murph’s chances? Well, there are some presumably PED-averse old-school guys on the committee (click here and scroll down for full list of names).
Other than that, no clue. Just keep those fingers crossed.
And if you still need convincing he’s a Hall of Famer, the latest video from the fan-led “Murphy to the Hall” campaign is required viewing.
📅 And if you were wondering: Braves great Andruw Jones is on this year’s “regular” Hall of Fame ballot and has a pretty good chance of getting in. Those results arrive on Jan. 20.
EVENT-TYPE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
1️⃣ Be the next Freeze. Are you fast? Do you look great in shiny bodysuits? Do you support … gas stations?
If you hadn’t seen, the Braves are looking for someone to fill the Freeze’s cleats and tryouts are on tap for Dec. 13. Applications and more details here.
Let me know if you plan to give it a go — and check out our recent convo with Nigel Talton, the original warning track warrior.
2️⃣ Braves Fest is coming back. After skipping 2025 because of All-Star preparations, the full-day fan event at Truist Park and The Battery returns on Saturday, Jan. 31. Festivities include food and live entertainment, plus autograph sessions and Q&As with players and coaches.
Click here and scroll down for info on how to claim your free tickets. (Then heck, put ‘em in someone’s Christmas stocking. They won’t know the difference.)
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Hey Mike, how many months left until pitchers and catchers report?
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Win Column newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
