The Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series on Tuesday night, disposing of the Houston Astros in six games. The Braves' championship, their first since 1995, serves as the cherry on top of an improbable run. Atlanta entered August with a losing record, and didn't take control of the National League East until midway through the month. Add in how the Braves were able to do this without their best hitter and starting pitcher, in Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Soroka, and they're the rare championship team who would be right to claim that no one outside of their own building believed in their chances.
The Braves will celebrate with a parade on Friday. After that, they'll have to get down to the brass tacks of the offseason if they want to become the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, who won three Fall Classics in a row.
How might the Braves go about ensuring they put themselves in the best position possible? Allow us to answer using four conveniently broad subheadings.
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1. Better health from their stars
There's only so much the Braves can do in this respect, but it's fair to write that if the Braves are going to repeat then they're going to need outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and starter Mike Soroka to stay on the field. Acuña missed the second half after tearing his ACL, while Soroka missed the entire season after re-injuring his Achilles tendon.
There are instances where injuries stem from poor conditioning or needless risk-taking; in these cases, it was a matter of bad luck. (Ditto for Charlie Morton suffering a fractured fibula during his World Series start.)
It should be noted that Atlanta had good health luck overall. Their 1,286 days missed represented the seventh-fewest in the majors, per Spotrac. In that sense, the Braves can only hope that their fortune holds up -- this time with Acuña and Soroka.
2. Bring back Freeman, but don't get too sentimental
The Braves should make a point to re-sign first baseman Freddie Freeman, who is eligible for free agency for the first time in his career. Otherwise? Atlanta may want to pass on retaining its other free agents, a group that includes the following players:
There's no doubt that Rosario, Duvall, Soler, and Pederson each played a role in Atlanta's postseason success. All of them have their charms as free agents, mostly as platoon types. If the Braves end up bringing back one or two of them, that's fine; the key is that the Braves shouldn't treat their retention as a necessity.
Rather, the Braves ought to head into the offseason with the mentality that they should get better. Retaining the same group of players and expecting the same results is a misunderstanding of how regression works. The good news for the Braves is that their front office is smart enough to understand and avoid that pratfall.
3. Buttress the pitching staff
As mentioned, the Braves had to deal with injuries to Soroka and Morton. Huascar Ynoa also suffered an injury that required his removal from the playoff roster. Adding another veteran starter to the mix, if only for insurance purposes, would seem wise. Likewise, the Braves are all but certain to sign a reliever, the way most every contender does.
The Braves do have a number of internal options they need to sort through, including Kyle Wright, Touki Toussaint, and Tucker Davidson. The Braves have some other youngsters coming, too, like Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder. If Atlanta is confident in those options, the club might abstain from doing more than the minimum here.
4. Get lucky
This may seem like an insult, but it's not. Winning a World Series always involves luck; winning two in a row, it reasons, involves even more. That can mean staying healthier; it can mean having your trade deadline acquisitions play better than expected; it can mean getting a favorable draw; or any number of other things.
"Luck" is a four-letter word, but it needn't be treated like one. Every success and failure has some degree of luck to credit or to blame. The Braves know that firsthand. And, if they're to repeat, they're going to need it to remain that way.
