The Atlanta Braves may be looking to upgrade their middle infield this offseason.
While it’s likely that Ozzie Albies will get his contract option picked up, and Mauricio Dubon will ink a multi-year extension, that doesn’t mean the Braves’ infield problem is solved, especially if Dubon has to get the majority of reps in left field.
Could New York Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe be a trade option for Atlanta? A recent rumor suggests so.
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Could the Braves be a Destination for Anthony Volpe?
In a recent piece by MLBTR.com’s Anthony Franco, Volpe is named a potential external option for the Braves.
While Franco first notes that the Braves should be all-in on Astros infielder Jeremy Peña, he quickly notes that a cheaper option could come in the form of Volpe.
He wrote (about the Braves’ middle-infield ‘conundrum’):
“The Braves have the most glaring shortstop need in MLB. Mauricio Dubón and Ha-Seong Kim are impending free agents, leaving Jim Jarvis as the top in-house option. There’s a decent chance they’ll re-sign Dubón on a two-year deal, but he’s ideally suited as a super-utility player.”
“They’ll also surely look into younger shortstops who might be expendable on their current team (e.g. Anthony Volpe, Brayan Rocchio). The focus on shortstop has potentially overshadowed that the Braves’ other middle infield position might also need a shakeup.”
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Anthony Volpe As a Trade Candidate
In a subsequent piece by MLBTR.com, Volpe is named as a ‘top 40’ offseason trade candidate, which will certainly make him the subject of trade rumors for the Winter.
In 2026, Volpe batted .245 with 2 home runs and 28 RBI across 70 games.
It’s not the best sample size offensively, but Volpe showed some improvements at the plate, and if Atlanta were serious about acquiring him, it wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and that’s with Volpe being under team control for a couple more seasons. Volpe’s lifetime OPS+ is in the 80s, and he doesn’t exactly bring stellar defense to the table to complement that.
However, his bWAR of 1.2 shows he does still carry value at the shortstop position, and he could be a good complement to Mauricio Dubon.
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