The Braves were so close they could taste it, but after holding a 3-1 lead in the National League Championship Series, Atlanta lost three straight to the Dodgers and will have to watch the World Series from home.
David Schoenfield takes a look at where the Braves stand and answers three key questions for the club moving forward to 2021 and beyond.
Atlanta Braves
Notable free agents: Marcell Ozuna, Nick Markakis, Tyler Flowers, Cole Hamels, Mark Melancon, Shane Greene, Josh Tomlin
Trade candidates: Ender Inciarte
Extension candidates: Dansby Swanson, Max Fried, Mike Soroka
1. What will the rotation look like?
Due to a combination of injuries and poor performance, the rotation struggled in 2020, at least in the games Fried didn't start. Soroka is optimistic he'll be ready for Opening Day after tearing his Achilles tendon. Ian Anderson certainly impressed enough to warrant one of the top three spots. After that? Maybe the Braves look to bring in a veteran on a one-year deal like they did with Dallas Keuchel in 2019 and Hamels in 2020. Then, you have the young starters who struggled this past season: Kyle Wright, Touki Toussaint, Sean Newcomb and Bryse Wilson.
The most interesting free-agent candidate would be Trevor Bauer, who has said he plans to sign only one-year contracts in order to maximize his annual salary. That fits in perfectly with the Braves' recent strategy, although Bauer will cost more than Keuchel or Hamels did. Less expensive veterans who might fit the one-year strategy include Hamels, Mike Minor, Rick Porcello and Robbie Ray.
2. Will they re-sign Ozuna?
The Braves hit the lottery the past two seasons with Josh Donaldson in 2019 and then Ozuna on one-year deals that paid huge dividends. It will be interesting to see how teams evaluate Ozuna moving forward. He mashed with the Braves in the short season but that followed two years of so-so production with the Cardinals. He has always hit the ball hard, so his elite hard-hit rate (98th percentile) wasn't anything new. He did improve his launch angle, so that led to an improved home run rate.
One stat teams will note is Ozuna maintained the spike in his walk rate from 2019. His career rate was 6.9% through 2018 but almost 12% over the past two seasons. He's entering only his age-30 season, so he should remain a solid contributor for several more years. Given his shaky defense in the outfield, Ozuna should see some serious interest from teams as a DH. Indeed, Ozuna makes a lot more sense for the Braves as a DH option, given Cristian Pache is ready to break into the Atlanta outfield in 2021 alongside Ronald Acuna Jr. and Adam Duvall, who should get a full-time shot in left field.
3. Is Austin Riley the answer at third base?
Hard to say. There's no doubt about the raw power, but the plate discipline, the swing-and-miss rate and the defense remained problematic. He's still young (entering his age-24 season) and has just over 500 career plate appearances, so there is still growth potential here, and he's athletic enough that he might improve with the glove. The Braves will probably ride with him, as any upgrades and offseason spending will likely go to the pitching staff (where they also have to replace their top two relievers in Melancon and Greene). Riley looks like a low-end regular, but if everything comes together, he could be a 30-homer bat, albeit with a low OBP.