Oh, the Atlanta Braves. Every season, they're touted as one of the best teams in the entire league. They almost always have the regular-season results to show for it. Once the playoffs come, though, they stumble. Despite earning a Wild Card bye in the last two seasons, the Braves have not made it past the NLDS since their championship in 2021.

With a new season ahead, fans are looking forward to what the Braves can do this year. Their ace, Max Fried, had some great words to say about the new-and-improved Atlanta team. Fried said that this team is much better than last year, but also emphasized that preseason wins are completely meaningless unless they convert that into another pennant win. (video from Bally Sports: Braves on X)

“It's gotta be up there… we had an unbelievable team last year and we've only added and got better. The sky's the limit… it's great to have a good team on paper, but at the end of the day you gotta show it in between the lines.”

The Braves featured one of the most prolific teams on paper last season. Between Fried, Ronald Acuna Jr, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson, Atlanta featured one of the most fearsome lineups in the entire league. Many pegged them to be the favorites to win the World Series. Unfortunately, they met the same fate they did in 2022; losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Divisional Round despite a first-round bye.

Atlanta heads into the 2024 season with similar expectations as the previous two: win the entire thing. You have to wonder, though… after all the heartbreak from the past two seasons, will there be consequences should they fall short this time around?