Braves surprisingly projected for reunion with 5-time Gold Glover, World Series champ | Sporting News

When will the Atlanta Braves join the offseason party?

So far, as other top teams around Major League Baseball have made splash signings, the Braves have been quiet. It’s understandable, given how strong their roster looks on paper, but there are still some holes to plug.

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s uncertain injury timeline leaves the outfield in a state of flux entering Opening Day. We know Acuña is unlikely to be ready by April, but what we don’t know is whether his absence will be quantified by weeks or months. 

While Acuña is gone, the Braves will have to piece together better production from their corner outfield than they got in 2024. Perhaps a familiar face could be part of an effective right field platoon.

On Monday, Mark Powell of FanSided named outfielder Jason Heyward, a National League All-Star as a rookie with the Braves in 2010, as a candidate for a Braves reunion this winter.

“At his most recent stops in Los Angeles and Houston, Heyward accumulated 3.1 WAR in two seasons in a part-time role,” Powell said. “That is not nothing, as Heyward is still plenty capable defensively, which was always his calling card in his younger days.”

“Signing Heyward wouldn’t move the needle much for the Braves, as Anthopoulos still must make a big splash. However, it might buy the savvy general manager some time as he searches for the right fits to make this team whole.”

Heyward, 35, has gone on to win five Gold Gloves, a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016, and has 41.8 bWAR in 15 big-league seasons. There were some down years in there, but he found new life as a platoon bat with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023.

As a low-cost signing, the Braves could do a lot worse than Heyward as a locker room leader and eventual plug-and-play option once Acuña returns. He’s a player you want in the dugout during the big moments of a baseball season–just ask the Cubs on that one.

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