2026 Atlanta Braves

2026 Atlanta Braves / Franchise: Atlanta Braves / BR Team Page

Record: Finished in NL Eastern Division (2026 NL)

Managed by Walt Weiss

Coaches: Darnell Coles, Tony Diaz, Dustin Garneau, Jeremy Hefner, Tim Hyers, Tony Mansolino, J.P. Martinez, Eddie Perez, Antoan Richardson and Tommy Watkins

Ballpark: Truist Park

History, Comments, Contributions

The 2026 Atlanta Braves were coming off a disappointing season in 2025 that had seen them miss the postseason and finish well below .500 at 76-86. Long-time manager Brian Snitker retired after the season, and was replaced by Walt Weiss, who had previous major league managing experience and had been the team's bench coach for the previous eight years. A lot of the difficulties the previous season were due to a rash of injuries, but there was also some concern that the team was past its peak. As a result, while they were expected to bounce back to respectability, they were not really seen as likely contenders in the NL East, with the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets the preseason favorites.

The Braves did not make many moves in the off-season, but the ones they did paid off. Two offensive mainstays were gone, DH Marcell Ozuna via free agency and LF Jurickson Profar due to a second positive PED test in as many years, while SS Nick Allen would need to start the year on the injured list. To replace them, the Braves brought in utility player Mauricio Dubón in a trade and OF Mike Yastrzemski and DH Dominic Smith on low-key free agent deals. All three were regular starters in the first few weeks of the season, when Atlanta became the first team in the majors tor each 30 wins, doing so with a 30-13 record on May 13th. The three biggest offensive contributors were all returning players, however: 1B Matt Olson, who was leading the NL with an OPS+ of 184, C Drake Baldwin, the winner of the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year Award, and 2B Ozzie Albies. All three were batting .295 with good power, while Smith was at .358 in more limited playing time.

The pitching was also great, with Chris Sale healthy again and forming a great 1-2 tandem with Bryce Elder, the two combining to go 10-3 with an ERA of 2.00 in 17 starts. At that point, the seven pitchers who had started at least two games for the Braves had a record of .500 or better. And it's not as if opposing teams could take advantage of a weak bullpen, since closer Raisel Iglesias had yet to allow a run while recording 8 saves, while off-season acquisition Robert Suarez was 4-0, 0.50 with another 4 saves. And that was with Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach having barely pitched; when the two would be able to take a regular turn, the Braves would be faced with the problem of having an over-abundance of pitching, forcing them to make some difficult choices.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, Raisel Iglesias, Matt Olson and Chris Sale

Further Reading

• Mark Bowman: "What made Braves 1st team to 30 wins? Stars, subs and words of Weiss", mlb.com, May 14, 2026. [1]

2026 MLB season by team