The Braves anticipate exercising their club options for Ozuna, Bummer, and d'Arnaud.

The Atlanta Braves are set to activate their 2025 club options for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, left-handed pitcher Aaron Bummer, and catcher Travis d’Arnaud, as reported by Mark Bowman of MLB.com. During the end-of-season press conference, President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos suggested that each player has "put himself in a good spot." All three athletes had impressive seasons, particularly Ozuna, making these decisions unsurprising. Ozuna's option entails a $16 million salary for the upcoming season, while Bummer and d’Arnaud will earn $7.25 million and $8 million, respectively. Ozuna, who will turn 34 next month, hit 39 home runs this season, marking the second-highest total of his career, and achieved an impressive .302/.378/.546 batting line. This performance was 54% above the league average, as indicated by a wRC+ of 154, which is the second-best of his career and his highest in a full 162-game season; his career-best wRC+ of 178 occurred during the shortened 2020 season. Since 2023, Ozuna has hit 79 home runs for the Braves and has participated in all but 18 of their games. The recent acquisition of Jorge Soler adds complexity to the 2025 roster, as both he and Ozuna are primarily designated hitters and nominal corner outfielders. The Braves integrated Soler into their injury-riddled outfield after his acquisition this summer, aiming to strengthen a lineup that was missing key players such as Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II at that time.

Soler accomplished this by achieving a batting line of .243/.356/.493 and hitting nine home runs over 193 plate appearances during his return to Atlanta. However, his defensive performance in left field was significantly lacking, as evidenced by a -10 Defensive Runs Saved and -6 Outs Above Average over a third of the season. With Soler under contract until 2026, Atlanta may opt to tolerate his defensive shortcomings for one more year before transitioning Soler into the designated hitter role previously held by Ozuna in 2026. Nevertheless, it is likely that trade discussions regarding Soler will arise this winter. Regarding the other two option decisions, both were quite apparent. Bummer, who was acquired from the White Sox last offseason, had a commendable first year in his new setting, bouncing back from a subpar season to deliver 55 1/3 innings with a 3.58 ERA, supported by even more favorable underlying statistics. The 6’3″ left-hander struck out 28.3% of batters faced while maintaining a walk rate of only 7.4%, the second-lowest of his career. His ground-ball rate of 59.7%, although lower than his impressive 64.9% career average, still exceeded the league average by approximately 17 percentage points. Considering that his option included a $1.25 million buyout (effectively making it a net $6 million decision) and that his contract features a $7.5 million club option for 2026, it was clear he would return in 2025. As for the 35-year-old d’Arnaud (who will turn 36 in February), he is set to return for a sixth season at Truist Park after posting a slash line of .238/.302/.436 with 15 home runs in 341 plate appearances. While this performance is only slightly above league average on a rate basis (103 wRC+), it represents strong production compared to catchers across the league, who typically perform about 10% below average offensively. This output is particularly impressive for a team’s second catcher, a position d’Arnaud will fill with Sean Murphy still in the early phases of a six-year contract.

Injuries to Murphy increased d’Arnaud’s responsibilities this season, and he managed the heightened demands reasonably well at the plate. His caught-stealing rate of 19.1% was slightly below average, while his framing performance was approximately on par with league standards. Statcast assessed his ability to block pitches in the dirt as marginally above average. As d’Arnaud approaches his 36th year, there is a possibility that his defensive capabilities may decline significantly; however, if Murphy maintains better health, d’Arnaud is likely to face a reduced workload compared to the 706 innings he logged in 2024. Additionally, the Braves possess a fourth club option — a $7 million option for right-hander Luke Jackson. Atlanta reacquired Jackson, a former Brave, along with Soler in a trade with the Giants. He recorded 18 innings with a 4.50 ERA and an impressive 31% strikeout rate, albeit with a concerning 13.1% walk rate. When combined with his performance in San Francisco, he concluded the season with a 5.09 ERA, a 25.1% strikeout rate, and an 11.1% walk rate over 53 innings. Jackson’s option includes a $2 million buyout, but even at a net cost of $5 million, it appears the Braves are inclined to part ways. Atlanta boasts a robust and costly bullpen, featuring Raisel Iglesias, Joe Jimenez, Pierce Johnson, and the previously mentioned Bummer, whose combined salaries will total $39.75 million in 2025. Furthermore, left-hander Dylan Lee will be eligible for arbitration for the first time.