ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 4: Tim Hyers #80 of the Atlanta Braves gives a high five in the eighth inning during the game against the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on August 4, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the benefits of watching your team continue in the playoffs is that you don’t have to think about the holes in your team until you exit. And once you do, you begin the arduous task of considering how it all went wrong. Dealing with the holes in the team can be pretty straightforward. Figuring out why the Braves failed in the playoffs however, is nearly an annual stomach-churning tradition. Some of those failure reconstructions can live on for 35 years and longer. Or at least, you’re not allowed to move on. Oh, hi Lonnie. Anyway, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, especially with the impending lockout.
Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has a lot to chew on over the offseason. Which is handy I guess, because it will be a long one this year. He has a string of injured starting pitchers. He has a twice-suspended left fielder who is allegedly not returning phone calls. He has question marks over (at least) half the infield and a right fielder who has trouble staying on the field.
And then there’s Tim Hyers, the architect of several shabby opposing starter approaches and an opposite field hitting obsession. He’s only under a two-year contract that has expired. Anthopoulos praised the work of the offense this season, pointing out how they were top 10 in a lot of categories. Internally though, he can’t be pleased with it. And also, I’m not going to the bank with anything Alex says just after the season ends. The Braves have turned themselves (and their hitters’ swings) inside out trying to deal with the flabby, draggy, distance-killing baseballs over the last few years. And the results have not been good enough to back a resilient pitching staff.
So what changes will the Braves in-house evaluations bring? I can’t imagine how Hyers stays. His instruction appears to be not clear, not followed, or not helpful. I wouldn’t consider Jurickson Profar out of the left field conversation just yet when you consider what the Braves tolerated with Marcell Ozuna. Also, prospect Eric Hartman is looming in Double-A. So I’m not sure they’ll go big in left this offseason. Shortstop might be a different story. They also need to address the injury situation, whether that’s replacing on-field talent or off-field medical personnel.
Lots of problems, only one post to solve them.