Braves former fan-favorite urges Atlanta to acquire superstar shortstop

The Atlanta Braves were a diminished version of their usual, dominant selves in 2024. Next season, the beast could once again be unleashed.

After six straight division crowns in the National League East, the Braves took a second-place finish in 2024 mostly because their entire roster was wiped out by injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, and Austin Riley were the three superstars most impacted by the injury bug.

Those three names should be back in the fold in 2025, so things are already looking up. But one former Braves star believes there is an offseason move that can put his old ballclub back on top.

Jeff Francoeur, a 12-year major-league veteran, a six-year Braves outfielder, and current broadcaster for Bally Sports Atlanta and TBS, appeared on Foul Territory recently and urged the Braves to find a superstar to replace the struggling Orlando Arcia at shortstop.

"I'm going to get a shortstop. That would lengthen the heck out of that lineup," Francoeur said when asked about his preferred plan for the Braves. "You gotta get an elite shortstop, whether it's Bo Bichette, Willy Adames, you've gotta get someone that's got power in that position."

Adames, who has played the last 3 1/2 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, is about to become a free agent. He hit a career-high 32 home runs this season, a remarkable 13 of which were three-run shots, and put up an excellent .794 OPS while playing strong defense at short.

Meanwhile, Bichette is three years younger than Adames, but is coming off a dreadful season. The two-time American League All-Star had a .598 OPS in just 81 games this season, as a calf injury kept him off the field for most of the summer. He will be a free agent after 2025 and would need to come over in a trade.

Both Adames and Bichette could make the Braves significantly better if they played their best baseball. But either would require a significant investment, so Atlanta had best be prepared to stand behind whichever one they chose to pursue for the long haul.

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