The Atlanta Braves didn’t just have a bad year; they had a familiar one. The 2025 season felt like a rerun with worse lighting, same soft spots, the same gambles on health and depth, and an even more stunned look by August. The injuries piled up and the offense stalled. For a club that still boasts one of baseball’s splashiest cores, Atlanta’s biggest failing wasn’t one catastrophic decision; it was the quiet, compounding choice to trust that star power could paper over structural cracks a second straight season.
That bet aged quickly. The front office talked continuity and confidence while the schedule demanded contingency and coverage.