The Braves may have won the World Series a couple years ago, but practically the entire nucleus of that roster has left Atlanta.
The mass exodus began with Freddie Freeman, who signed with the Dodgers only months after the team won its first championship since 1995. Dansby Swanson would follow suit, while Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and others all left at different periods. Max Fried is the most recent of the bunch, and Travis d’Arnaud came before him when the Braves declined to pick up his $8 million option for 2025.
The announcement shocked much of the baseball world, including Brian Snitker. d’Arnaud was largely regarded as the best backup catcher in the league, and he was popular in the clubhouse. $8 million was a more than reasonable price for his talents, but with so many other priorities, Alex Anthopoulos faced a difficult dilemma.
What d’Arnaud brings to the field can be easily replaced, whether by Sean Murphy taking on a heavier duty or another addition. However, the leadership that d’Arnaud provided to the team cannot be recreated. Brian Snitker caught every game of the Braves’ 2021 World Series run, but he isn’t concerned about the clubhouse atmosphere.
“They asked me that when we lost Freddie, Dansby, and all that,” Brian Snitker told The Athletic’s David O’Brien. “I’m not worried about it. That locker room is full of leaders, the (strong) makeup guys who play. And I believe those leaders — those men — set a good example by coming to work every day, preparing, and playing with energy. That’s probably the last thing on my mind: credibility and so-called leadership in the room.”
There’s no doubt that the Braves’ clubhouse has been an obvious advantage for the team since 2018, but their NL East rivals have begun to catch up, and possibly even surpass Atlanta in that regard. The Phillies are a close-knit squad that has been through more battles than almost any other team in the National League, and the Mets will be even more confident after a remarkable offseason that began with the signing of Juan Soto.
The Braves’ leadership has clearly suffered with the departures of Travis d’Arnaud and Max Fried, but Brian Snitker is accurate that there are many more serious issues around this team that must be addressed before the season begins.
