The Atlanta Braves certainly aren’t looking ahead to the offseason yet. They have big playoff goals to try and achieve.
But eventually, lockout-pending, free agency will arrive in MLB. And with the Braves as talented as they are, they won’t be able to take for granted the opportunity to continue getting better.
One place Atlanta probably could grow its roster is left field, which has featured some different players out there throughout this season.
An obvious name will be available in free agency that could take that spot if the Braves choose to go this route: Randy Arozarena.
Randy Arozarena to Braves?
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley predicted in a new article on Wednesday that the Braves will be signing Arozarena this offseason.
He adds that he thinks it’d be a three-year contract for the slugging outfielder.
“The 2026 season wasn’t Arozarena’s first as an MLB All-Star (he had twice been selected before), but it may have been when his star shined brightest,” Buckley writes. “And it couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time with free agency awaiting him this offseason. His bat perked up in ways it never had since becoming a full-time player. All three layers of his .279/.379/.480 slash line hit high marks for any season in which he played more than 25 games. His career-high 106 runs are the most in the American League. His 26 homers are one off his previous personal-best, and he tallied 20-plus steals for the sixth consecutive campaign.”
Arozarena isn’t known for his fielding, so he’s not a perfect player. But guys who can rake like this usually get paid.
“If he wants out of the less-than-hitter-friendly confines of Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, he could have a host of outfield-needy suitors along the East Coast,” Buckley writes. “The Boston Red Sox could certainly use his bat, but he’d be such a clear plug-and-play fit for the Atlanta Braves that our crystal ball sees them placing the highest bid.”
The Red Sox seem less likely on paper just given the amount of outfielders already on their roster, while the Braves seem to have a sure spot to put him.
Randy Arozarena Career
Arozarena made his MLB debut in 2019 for the St. Louis Cardinals, but he first broke out on the playoff stage after being acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays.
In the 2020 playoffs, after having played just 42 MLB games, Arozarena hit 10 home runs with a .377 average and 1.273 OPS.
He was an MLB regular from there. He hit 20-plus homers in four consecutive seasons from 2021 through 2024, and he also stole at least 20 bases in all of those seasons.
The Mariners acquired him midseason from the Rays in 2024.
He hit a career-high 27 homers in 2025, but as Buckley wrote above, Arozarena is trending toward a career-best average in 2026 at .279.
He’ll turn 32 years old in February, so he likely won’t get a huge contract, but the Braves — or another team — will likely pay him handsomely for his bat.
Braves Predicted to Sign 3-Time All-Star