Braves Report: One (TV) battle after another
Twenty-four days, y’all.
We’re only 24 days away from Braves pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in North Port, Florida, grapefruit spoons holstered and aching for action.
Felt like a pretty good time to touch base on a few things.
A FACEOFF WITH FANDUEL
Perhaps you’ve heard that the Braves and eight other teams opted out of their TV deals with Main Street Sports Group, which runs FanDuel Sports Network and may be breaking the bank(ruptcy) again.
This isn’t particularly exciting news, of course. But there seems to be little chance of full-on fiasco.
A few things worth reiterating:
- Nothing’s permanent quite yet. The teams, MLB and Main Street are negotiating terms for a potential new deal (though not very productively, according to reports).
- Should any team officially walk away from Main Street, it would likely opt to have its games produced and distributed by MLB.
- If that happens, games will be available locally through your normal cable/satellite/streaming provider.
- Six teams already do this. Earlier this week, the Nationals inked a deal to become the seventh.
- Braves TV analyst CJ Nitkowski wrote on social media that there’s “no anticipation that anything is going to change” with the broadcast team, whatever happens.
On Wednesday, Sports Business Journal reported that the Braves and other recent opt-outs want Main Street to have a buyer lined up by the end of the month or they’ll walk for good.
That would leave three or four weeks to get things sorted before the regular season starts.
Giddy up.
🔗 Bonus link: What to know as the 2026 season approaches
ALL EYES ON ANDRUW
Tuesday. 6 p.m. MLB Network.
That’s when the world gets official word that Andruw Jones — the Curacao Crusher, purveyor of outfield miracles — is a Hall of Famer.
We think.
We’ve been through this song and dance more than a few times with Atlanta legend Dale Murphy but, as our amigo Gabe Burns recently reported, Mr. Jones is definitely trending in the right direction.
📈 Fellow outfielder Carlos Beltran is considered the surest bet this year. At last check, ballot tracker extraordinaire Ryan Thibadoux had him on 90% of ballots that’ve already been made public.
📈 Jones, his 10 Gold Gloves and 434 homers weren’t far off, reportedly appearing on more than 84% of said ballots.
Now, those numbers typically drop a decent bit. Less than half of voters are currently accounted for in Thibadoux’s total.
But they’re pretty solid indicators — and Jones’ early tally bodes well for a jump from last year’s total (66.2%) to the 75% required for enshrinement.
So … what happens if he doesn’t get in?
- Next year would technically be Jones’ final guaranteed year on the ballot, though we know less traditional routes (committee votes and such) exist after that.
- The biggest-name first-timers on the 2027 ballot are former Giants catcher Buster Posey (probably a first-ballot guy?) and Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester (probably not one).
Not the stiffest of competition.
BEEFIER RELIEF
The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their quest to ruin baseball this week, inking outfielder Kyle Tucker to an outrageous deal.
But at least the Braves … brought a (sort of) familiar face back into the bullpen fold?
- You’d be forgiven for tuning out last season and forgetting Atlanta sent a prospect to Colorado for Tyler Kinley at the trade deadline.
- The 34-year-old subsequently posted a 5-0 record and an 0.72 ERA in 24 appearances.
Atlanta then declined to pick up Kinley’s option for 2026, which was a bit befuddling at the time. But it worked out in the end.
They actually saved a couple million bucks, and secured a club option for 2027, with the new deal announced on Sunday.
And more importantly: They completed a successful bullpen makeover.
That’s not to say more tweaks aren’t possible, but the relief corps suddenly looks quite stout.
💪 Guys like Kinley, Daysbel Hernández and Aaron Bummer will be ready to go before Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias arrive to slam the door. (Recent Brave Pierce Johnson inked a deal with the Reds on Thursday.)
💪 We’ll also see if Joe Jiménez — who missed all last season recovering from knee surgery — can get back and contribute meaningful innings.
💪 Depending on how the rest of the rotation rebounds, there’s a decent chance Grant Holmes or Reynaldo López wind up spending time in the ‘pen too.
As far as adding a starter: The search is still on. With former Phillie Ranger Suarez signing with the Red Sox this week, ex-Astro Framber Valdez is probably the biggest name still on the free agent market.
That said, history suggests an affordable and experienced innings-eater — former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt, for instance — would be a more likely signing for Atlanta. Spotrac figures the 36-year-old will command a one- or two-year deal of around $15 million.
KEY SPRING TRAINING DATES
As alluded to earlier, Braves pitchers and catchers are set for their first spring training workout on Feb. 10. The rest of the gang follows suit on Feb. 15.
Here’s a quick rundown of other key dates:
- Feb. 21: First spring training game, in Port Charlotte against the Rays.
- Feb. 22: First home spring training game against the Twins.
- March 4: An exhibition against Team Colombia, a day before the start of the World Baseball Classic. (No Braves are officially committed to the WBC yet, but Ronald Acuña Jr. may well suit up for Venezuela.)
- March 21: The Spring Breakout Showcase, an exhibition with top MLB prospects, at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
- March 24: Final spring training game.
The regular season opener against the Royals arrives at Truist Park on Friday, March 27.
MEANWHILE, BACK HOME …
Braves Fest returns to Truist Park and The Battery on Saturday, Jan. 31. Festivities run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include a players walk, a rally and a whole bunch of other cool stuff.
The event is (mostly) free but you gotta request tickets here.
There’s a separate sign-up for autograph sessions, which run $125 a pop. Proceeds benefit the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
See you there?
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Newly mowed grass. Fresh dirt. Sunshine on your face. Can you feel it?
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.
