WEST SACRAMENTO – The silence that filled Braves clubhouse after a 5-4, 11-inning setback against the Athletics on Thursday night created the same somber mood you'd see after a season-ending postseason loss.
This wasn’t the loss that doomed the 2025 season. But it seemed to be the one that reminded the Braves that it might be best to begin looking toward 2026.
“It’s been a tough first half and that’s probably understating everything,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We just got to look for positives.”
It’s hard to find positives when you have lost 11 of the 14 games that have been played since completing a three-game sweep of the Mets on June 19. Hopes of making the postseason became even more improbable as the rotation lost both All-Star Chris Sale and All-Star candidate Spencer Schwellenbach to significant injuries during this painful stretch.
“I think you’ve got to be honest with yourself,” Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider said. “I think that's the first step to improvement. If you want to be successful as an individual or as a group, it's acknowledgement of where you are and what's preventing success. Sometimes, or often is the case, the answer is not comfortable.”
The Braves have reached the postseason every year going back to 2018. They entered this year as postseason favorites and it has long been assumed Snitker will retire at the end of this year. It’s certainly not comfortable to concede with 70 games remaining.
But sitting 12 games under .500, it looks like the Braves would be best to at least try to get some organizational depth for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, closer Raisel Iglesias and veteran reliever Pierce Johnson before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
It would be wise to spend these remaining months having the 2026 season in mind with every move or decision that is made. Here were three developments from Thursday’s loss that could influence decisions about the future.
Striving for perfection
Strider is far too hard on himself as he continues to strive for perfection, despite the fact he’s a little more than 14 months removed from elbow surgery. He’s made significant strides while posting a 2.95 ERA over his six starts. He has completed at least six innings in five of those outings.
This includes Tuesday’s outing, during which he surrendered a three-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning and didn’t allow another run before exiting with two outs in the seventh. Many would consider this to be a successful outing. But long after he exited, Strider was lamenting the misplaced slider to Soderstrom.
“I think in a lot of cases, it just feels like it's a couple of pitches, but that's just being able to execute consistently,” Strider said.
The Braves have reached the postseason every year going back to 2018. They entered this year as postseason favorites and it has long been assumed Snitker will retire at the end of this year. It’s certainly not comfortable to concede with 70 games remaining.
But sitting 12 games under .500, it looks like the Braves would be best to at least try to get some organizational depth for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, closer Raisel Iglesias and veteran reliever Pierce Johnson before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
It would be wise to spend these remaining months having the 2026 season in mind with every move or decision that is made. Here were three developments from Thursday’s loss that could influence decisions about the future.
Striving for perfection
Strider is far too hard on himself as he continues to strive for perfection, despite the fact he’s a little more than 14 months removed from elbow surgery. He’s made significant strides while posting a 2.95 ERA over his six starts. He has completed at least six innings in five of those outings.
This includes Tuesday’s outing, during which he surrendered a three-run homer to Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning and didn’t allow another run before exiting with two outs in the seventh. Many would consider this to be a successful outing. But long after he exited, Strider was lamenting the misplaced slider to Soderstrom.
“I think in a lot of cases, it just feels like it's a couple of pitches, but that's just being able to execute consistently,” Strider said.
Strider notched 11 strikeouts against the Athletics, giving him a pair of double-digit strikeout totals within his first six starts. Those were far more common when he recorded the most strikeouts in baseball from the start of his 2022 season through the end of 2023. But the form is taking shape. He got 21 whiffs on Thursday, marking the third time he tallied 20-plus within these past six starts.
Pairing the healthy versions of Strider, Sale and Schwellenbach would give the Braves a strong rotation base next year. Grant Holmes has shown he could be a key starter again next year and Reynaldo Lopez could also factor into the mix if he doesn’t return to the bullpen.
Will Albies return in 2026?
This would have seemed to be a ridiculous question a couple years ago. But that was before the 28-year-old’s production swiftly declined over these past two seasons. His go-ahead, seventh-inning homer off A’s right-handed reliever J.T. Ginn was his first home run and sixth extra-base hit within a span of 136 at-bats going back to May 29.
Albies has a $7 million option ($4 million buyout) for next season. The .604 OPS he carried into Thursday ranked 148th out of 155 qualified players. The .514 OPS he had since June 1 ranked 177 out of 181 qualified players within this span.
Will Jurickson Profar live up to his deal?
Profar has to bear some of the blame for the team’s struggles. He signed a three-year, $42 million deal in January and then played just four games before being handed an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. His absence left a gaping hole in left field.
But Profar is starting to show he could be an asset moving forward. His two-run homer in Thursday’s fourth inning gave him three home runs through his first 32 at-bats since returning from his suspension. Braves left fielders combined to hit two homers in 324 at-bats before he returned.
Having a productive Profar and Ronald Acuña Jr. at the corner outfield spots should bolster next year’s lineup as well.
“I want to be the best I can to help the team,” Profar said. “We need wins.”