Anthopoulos Explains Braves’ 76-86 Reset and Nl Central Standings
The Braves opened the 2026 season with the major-league best start, a sharp turn from the 76-86 finish that ended their seven-year postseason run. Alex Anthopoulos said that shift was tied to a winter change in how Atlanta built the roster, with nl central standings movement now reflecting the team’s early surge.
“I would prefer this than starting out slowly, no doubt about it. You get to bank wins. And more importantly, we’re actually playing well. Defensively, the bullpen, the rotation, all of it,” Anthopoulos said Friday in a 20-minute interview on 92.9 The Game. The Braves have paired that start with a 3.15 ERA from a depleted rotation through 33 games.
Anthopoulos and the winter reset
Anthopoulos said the front office put more emphasis on “the mix, the group, clubhouse” this winter after last season’s problems. He said the goal was to have “the right guys in the room and the right team rather than collection of players,” a line that matches the way Atlanta approached the offseason after a year that ended at 76-86.
“This group, I felt it in spring training. I think we got away from it a little bit last year just because of maybe short on talent and so on. But I think we really put an emphasis on the mix, the group, clubhouse. Not that it was bad, but we actually put more of a premium on it back this winter to have the right guys in the room and the right team rather than collection of players,” he said.
Braves rotation holds despite injuries
The rotation has had to absorb the impact of injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz and Spencer Strider. Even with those names going down this spring, the Braves reached 33 games with a staff that ranked third in ERA at 3.15.
JR Ritchie made an impressive introduction to the major league rotation, and Bryce Elder found a resurgence there as well. Anthopoulos also said the Braves were not close to signing a free-agent pitcher this spring, adding that the club checked in, checked prices and decided against the deals.
“I know I was criticized for (not adding a pitcher). We weren’t close. We checked in, we checked prices. We ultimately felt like where things were going, it wasn’t because we didn’t have the money. We just didn’t believe in the deals,” he said.
For Atlanta, the early record has turned last year’s collapse into a fresh benchmark. The Braves are not just surviving a rotation hit; they are doing it well enough to carry the best opening stretch in the majors while the front office points to clubhouse fit as part of the reason the first month looks different.
