Braves Today

Braves Today host Lindsay Crosby breaks down the 2026 Opening Day roster of the Atlanta Braves, catching you up on the trades, free agent signings/departures, and early injuries that will shape the trajectory of the 2026 season. Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley are back, but there are several early-season absences like Sean Murphy (hip injury) and Jurickson Profar (PED suspension). On the pitching side, Chris Sale is the Opening Day starter, but young studs Spencer Strider (oblique) and Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) will miss time, among others.

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Host Lindsay Crosby argues the Braves are making a mistake by planning to rely on Jose Suarez or Martín Pérez for the fifth starter role after Spencer Strider’s injury, while keeping Didier Fuentes in long relief and then sending him back to Gwinnett. Crosby proposes a better alignment: put JR Ritchie in the rotation, use Suarez (who is out of options) as a long man alongside Fuentes, and keep Pérez in the minors since his opt-out deadline has passed. He weighs pros/cons, including Fuentes’ limited pitch mix and past struggles, Ritchie’s ground-ball profile and PPI eligibility, and the downside of adding Ritchie to the 40-man and potentially burning options early. He also notes the weak free-agent market (headlined by Lucas Giolito) and suggests the Braves’ strong spring offense could buy needed rotation wiggle room amid MLB-leading starter injuries.

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Lindsay Crosby reacts to Reynaldo López’s rough final spring start vs. the Twins, focusing on a concerning fastball velocity dip (averaging 89.2 mph) despite spring being more about process than results, and notes López later told media the issue was mechanical with no pain or discomfort. The show reviews the likely Opening Day rotation order—Chris Sale, López, Spencer Strider—then discusses how the roster appears largely set, including Didier Fuentes making the team as a long reliever during a 13-games-in-13-days stretch before returning to Gwinnett, with bullpen shuttling options like James Karinchak. Crosby also covers Dom Smith and Kyle Farmer making the roster on split contracts, Martín Pérez staying in the organization at Triple-A, and highlights the Braves’ 8–3 Spring Breakout win over the Yankees with standout pitching performances from Owen Murphy, Rolddy Muñoz, Garrett Baumann, and Herrick Hernandez.

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Lindsay Crosby breaks down the Braves’ upcoming veteran opt-out decisions and what Atlanta might do to patch roster holes after the Jurickson Profar suspension. He explains how minor-league opt-outs work (five days before Opening Day, written notice, 48-hour team decision, no more retention bonus) and evaluates the Braves’ three opt-out candidates: Dominic Smith as a righty-mashing DH option, Kyle Farmer as a lefty specialist who can cover multiple infield spots while the team waits on Ha-Seong Kim, and pitcher Martín Pérez, who may be squeezed out by bullpen/long-man competition that includes Didier Fuentes and José Suarez. Crosby also surveys potential external adds who could become available via opt-outs, including Michael Conforto, Austin Slater, Dylan Moore, and Mike Tauchman, plus notes on a few pitchers and roster context around the league.

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Host Lindsay Crosby recaps Didier Fuentes’ dominant spring training run, noting he’s faced 27 batters, retired 26, and allowed no hits across nine innings while featuring a 97–99 mph four-seamer, a new harder gyro slider, and a developing splitter/changeup, prompting a case for including him on the Opening Day roster in 2026. The episode also breaks down the Braves’ Spring Breakout roster strategy, highlighting an infield loaded with shortstops and a toolsy outfield, plus pitching selections and a pattern from prior years about who might debut later. Finally, Crosby details BravesVision updates: the announced broadcast team, planned pregame/postgame shows, Braves TV streaming pricing and bundle options with MLB.TV, and the unresolved status of cable carriage deals and related fees.

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Lindsay Crosby discusses concerns around Spencer Strider staying back in North Port instead of traveling and whether his spring workload and radar-gun visibility are cause for worry, noting his gradual fastball velocity gains across three outings and improved induced vertical break compared with 2024. Crosby argues health and pitch characteristics matter as much as raw velocity, ties Strider’s 2024 struggles to a hamstring issue, and references FanDuel’s 168.5 strikeout line as largely dependent on innings. He then previews the World Baseball Classic final (Venezuela vs. USA), addresses Ronald Acuña Jr.’s comments about representing Venezuela, and highlights encouraging signs in Acuña’s sprint speed and baserunning, plus Ozzie Albies’ power and Ha-Seong Kim’s rehab progress. Finally, Crosby examines the Braves’ final bench spot, explaining why Jorge Mateo may not be a lock given his spring struggles and alternative options like Brett Wisely, Kyle Farmer, and Eli White.

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Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder has (finally!) added a cutter, as host Lindsay Crosby has been asking him to do. We break down why that's a big deal for Elder and what it tells us about Atlanta's new pitching development focus over the past year. Plus, does Didier Fuentes need an Opening Day roster spot?

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Lindsay is joined by Voice of the Augusta GreenJackets, Noah Adcock-Howeth, to discuss the underrated and underdiscussed names from last year's GreenJackets roster. The guys discuss the trio of centerfielders roaming the outfield, two fascinating pitchers that most fans haven't heard of, and discuss the difficulty in transitioning from high school to professional baseball

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A recent survey called Atlanta's pitching development and acquisition one of the worst in all of baseball. Is that overstating things, or is that where they belong?

Read the entire piece from Lance Brozdowski on Substack

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Lindsay Crosby explains that spring training records and stats matter less than player process, then reviews who has impressed or struggled for the Braves. Michael Harris is showing intentional plate-discipline gains by taking pitches off the plate and drawing walks, though much of his competition has been around Double-A level. Mike Yastrzemski’s huge spring numbers are noted, but Crosby is most encouraged by his at-bat quality versus lefties, suggesting he may be less vulnerable to lefty relievers. On the pitching side, Hayden Harris has improved his fastball effectiveness, adding velocity and generating swinging strikes after getting none in his MLB sample last year, though questions remain about major-league viability. Crosby urges caution with JR Ritchie despite decent results because he hasn’t missed many bats against stronger lineups. He also notes struggles from Luke Williams, watches John Gil’s athleticism after bulking up, and wants better offensive process from catcher Jonah Heim to avoid overworking Drake Baldwin.

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