THE Atlanta Braves faced an intriguing decision with Jorge Soler this offseason. As long as Ronald Acuña Jr. and Marcell Ozuna are on the Braves’ roster, the team doesn’t have much use for Soler.

The problem entering 2025, however, was that there was a certain level of uncertainty surrounding Acuña and Ozuna. Acuña is recovering from a second ACL injury in the last three years, and Ozuna will be a free agent if the Braves don’t pick up his club option.

But clearly, the Braves have confidence that Acuña will return healthy at the start of the 2025 season and consider picking up Ozuna’s option. This became evident when the Braves agreed to ship Soler to the Los Angeles Angels for right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning.

There’s another positive in the fallout from the Soler trade: The Braves will have about $10.5 million more to spend in MLB free agency. That’s about how much Canning will cost less than Soler in 2025, and both teams didn’t include any money in the Oct. 31 trade deal.

The easy prediction is that the Braves will use those extra funds to help extend left-hander Max Fried to a new contract or sign another blockbuster such as shortstop Willy Adames.

But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that trading Soler will have no impact on Atlanta’s plans for blockbuster moves this offseason. After all, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos told the media that the team’s spending was going to increase.

Outside of major trades, where else could the Braves consider investing another $10.5 million in their roster? Here are three potential options:

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden named the Braves, one of six teams who were Boyd’s “top pick” in his list of top 45 free agents last week. Bowden ranked Boyd 44th and projected it to receive a one-year, $10 million contract.

If this is the type of deal Boyd will receive, it would fit right in with what the Braves are looking to spend after their Soler savings. The lefty could help replace Fried if he leaves. However, signing Boyd probably wouldn’t stop the Braves from continuing to extend Fried as well.

If Atlanta managed to recruit Fried and then Boyd, the latter could fill the Charlie Morton void. Morton may or may not retire.

In 2024, Boyd went 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.134 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. His innings were limited following his midseason return from Tommy John surgery in 2023.

If Fried leaves Atlanta and signs with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, is there a Dodgers pitcher the Braves could poach in revenge? Maybe.

If the Braves consider doing this, Treinen could be an option. He is a 37-year-old free agent who signed a one-year contract worth $8 million to return to the Dodgers last year.

Treinen missed the entire 2023 season due to surgery to repair his right shoulder labrum and rotator cuff. He returned in 2024 going 7-3 with a 1.93 ERA0.943 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

The Braves could partially replace free agent AJ Minter with Treinen in 2025.

A blockbuster move to add a shortstop is the best option for Atlanta. Otherwise, anyone else the Braves bring in at shortstop won’t be a big enough upgrade over 2023 All-Star Orlando Arcia.

But DeJong could still be an interesting free agent for Atlanta. It will probably cost a lot less than $10 million. Last offseason, he signed a one-year contract worth $1.75 million.

DeJong only hit .227 in 139 games last season. Arcia posted a .218 batting average.

But DeJong hit 24 home runs. He’s had at least 20 bombs in three of his seven full MLB seasons, and in one of the campaigns where he didn’t have any, he had 19.

Arcia has never hit more than 17 home runs in a season.

The Braves could settle for the power upgrade with DeJong at shortstop and use the rest of the money saved from trading Soler for Fried or another free agent outside starting pitcher such as as Blake Snell.