As we wait for baseball to start, we figured that we take a look around the NL East and see what each team will look like once the season starts. Check back every week for a new team. Click here to see all the articles.

The 2021 World Series champions are looking to repeat in 2022. They have a few holes, but so does every team right now. The key losses from last year include Freddie Freeman, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Joc Pederson. The team still has a strong core and, with a few additions that I will mention later, the Atlanta Braves are poised to repeat the NL East division crown.

Pitchers

This Braves pitching staff is going to be crucial for their run for the division this year and they have the assets to make it work. Thankfully for the Braves, most of the turnover on their roster was from position players. This means they can bring back a staff that was one of the best in all of baseball. The trio of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and Ian Anderson headline the rotation. One of the biggest strengths of this rotation is how deep it is with names such as Huascar Ynoa, Tucker Davidson, Kyle Wright, Spencer Strider, and eventually Mike Soroka, all looking to get a share of innings this season.

The bullpen leaves some to be desired, but it is plenty serviceable and is quite easy to improve with a few minor league deals and a trade or two. The back end of the bullpen is comprised of the trio of Will Smith, Tyler Matzek, and Luke Jackson, who had an ERA of 3.44, 2.57, and 1.98 respectively. They will also have Kirby Yates, who received Tommy John in March last year and had a dominant 1.67 ERA across 123.2 innings from 2018 to 2019.

The rotation to start the year will probably consist of Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Ian Anderson, Huascar Ynoa, and Tucker Davidson. This is all until Mike Soroka returns, which should be sometime this summer.

Infielders

The Braves boast a powerful infield duo of switch-hitting second baseman Ozzie Albies and breakout slugger Austin Riley. Losing Freddie Freeman will certainly hurt, with middle infielder Orlando Arcia projected to be their starting first baseman, according to FanGraphs. This will be where the Braves turn their attention to when the lockout ends with Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo available on the free-agent market and Matt Olson being shopped around. Dansby Swanson is a perfectly average shortstop and will continue to be so for the Braves next season, providing solid depth to the lineup and above-average defense.

Behind the plate is Travis d’Arnaud, who was not great in his injury-limited season. In 2021, he hit .220/.284/.388 in 229 plate appearances. While some of his peripherals, specifically his BB% and K%, look in line with his career numbers, his batted ball data suggests he was a little unlucky, partially because of a limited sample size. He will need to put up better offensive numbers if he does not want to lose his job to top catching prospect Shea Langeliers, who will undoubtedly be at least d’Arnaud’s backup come September.

Outfield

After they sort out their first base issues, the Atlanta Braves need to solve their outfield. While Ronald Acuña Jr. should return relatively early in the 2022 season, Adam Duvall is the only other player on the roster who has proven he can hit at the big-league level. Cristian Pache struggled in his first cup of coffee in the big leagues, hitting an abysmal .111/.152/.206 in 22 games. While his glove can certainly make up for a weak bat, it is not good enough to bridge a negative wRC+ gap.

With the DH almost a guarantee this season, Marcell Ozuna will probably take that spot, leaving an opening in left field, assuming Acuña bumps Duvall into center field. This leaves an opening for highly touted prospect Drew Waters to make his big-league debut. While he struggled in AAA last season, one cannot forget about his 2019 season where he hit .309/.360/.459 across AA and AAA.

While they could piece together an outfield from pieces currently in their system, the Braves are best off trying to bring back a member of their World Series run, like Eddie Rosario or Joc Pederson. Either way, the offense is a force to be reckoned with, especially with members like Adam Duvall and Acuña Jr. on their roster.

Overall Outlook

When looking at this roster, it makes sense why they are projected to win the NL East for the fifth season in a row. With clear holes and plenty of options to fill them, the Braves are set up perfectly for the upcoming season, and the future. Expect the Braves to sign Freeman or Rizzo, Tommy Pham, or Eddie Rosario to a one-year deal, and a solid back-end reliever like Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, or maybe even Kenley Jansen.