Braves Could Sign $189M 2-time All-Star with World Series Experience as Ozzie Albies “Exit Strategy”.

In a move that would rock the baseball world, the Atlanta Braves are being linked to a “shock and awe” $189 million contract for a superstar shortstop. The move would fill their most glaring 2026 hole, but analysts suggest it’s also a “forward-thinking” and ruthless “exit strategy” for a current Braves icon: Ozzie Albies.

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves have a clear, gaping hole at shortstop. With Ha-Seong Kim now a free agent, the top priority for Alex Anthopoulos is to find a replacement.

According to “scorcher” reports circulating since the GM meetings, the Braves may be planning to fill that hole with a “mega-deal.” The player in their sights is reportedly Bo Bichette, the 28-year-old, two-time All-Star from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bichette, who has deep postseason experience from the Blue Jays’ 2025 World Series run, is the top infielder on the market. He is projected to command a “monster contract” in the range of the $189 million prediction floated by several insiders.

While signing Bichette would be a clear upgrade at shortstop, the true “chess move” behind the potential signing is what it means for Ozzie Albies.

The “Ozzie Albies Exit Strategy”

On the surface, this makes no sense. The Braves just picked up Ozzie Albies’ laughably team-friendly $7 million club option for 2026. Why sign a $189 million infielder as an “exit strategy” for a $7 million one?

Because, as one AL executive put it, “This is about 2027, not 2026.”

• The “Dark Cloud”: Albies, 28, is coming off a career-low .240 batting average and a 2025 season cut short by a fractured left hamate.
• The “Last Chance”: The Braves hold one more $7 million option for Albies for 2027. Multiple reports suggest 2026 is a “now or never” or “last chance” season for Albies to prove he can stay healthy and productive.
• The “Anthopoulos Move”: The Braves’ front office is famously forward-thinking and unsentimental. They are reportedly concerned about Albies’ long-term durability.

How the $189M Move Solves Two Problems

This is where the “Bichette-as-exit-strategy” theory ignites.

1. Short-Term (2026): Bichette signs his $189M deal and immediately slots in as the Braves’ starting shortstop. The infield is Bichette (SS) and Albies (2B). This fills the hole left by Ha-Seong Kim and makes the Braves’ infield one of the most dynamic in baseball.
2. Long-Term (2027): If Ozzie Albies struggles with health or performance again in 2026, the Braves can decline his 2027 option. They would then slide their $189M superstar, Bo Bichette, from shortstop to the less-demanding position of second base—securing a long-term, elite, healthy middle infielder to pair with Austin Riley and Matt Olson for the remainder of the decade.

It would be a stunning, ruthless, and brilliant “checkmate” move: using a single, massive contract to solve an immediate, glaring need (SS) while simultaneously creating a long-term, high-value replacement (“exit strategy”) for a beloved, but potentially declining, star.