It's been a busy few days for the Atlanta Braves in the aftermath of their 2025 season coming to an unceremonious end without a playoff appearance to show for it. On Wednesday, manager Brian Snitker announced that he would be stepping down from the role but would be accepting an advisory job with the team, necessitating a search for the team's next leader of the clubhouse.
Furthermore, the team also has plenty of roster decisions to make this offseason, and on Thursday, they got some news about one of their players.
“#Braves OF Jarred Kelenic elected free agency, ending an elaborate trade gambit that did not pan out for Atlanta,” reported Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game on X, formerly Twitter.
Kelenic was one of the many Braves players who performed below expectations this year, resulting in the first Braves season in which the team missed the playoffs since all the way back in 2017.
The Braves also dealt with plenty of injuries this season, particularly among the pitching staff, but that still didn't take away from the major regression that the team saw up and down its roster in 2025.
Of course, the candidate that the team selects as its next manager will also be vitally important moving forward, as Snitker at times drew the ire of the fanbase for his seemingly bizarre lineup and pitching decisions, as well as some of the additions that he made to his coaching staff.
No leading candidate has been announced in the search yet, but some names have been floated in the media.
In any case, there is a very good chance that both the Braves' roster and its management staff could look vastly different once the new season gets underway in March of 2026. For now, Atlanta will be forced to sit back and watch the playoffs from home for the first time in nearly a decade.
