What went wrong with 2025 Braves -- how to fix them for 2026 - ESPN

This was supposed to be Dynasty II in Atlanta.

From 1991 to 2005, the Braves won 14 division titles in 15 seasons, missing only during the strike year of 1994. From 2018 to 2024, the Braves won six division titles in seven seasons, missing only last year, when they still made the playoffs. Along the way, they won a World Series in 2021, had back-to-back 100-win seasons in 2022 and '23, and featured one of the most powerful lineups of all time in 2023, when they became the first team to slug .500.

Though the past three postseasons ended in early defeat, the Braves had constructed a team that was the envy of front offices around the league: Not only had they developed young talent, but they had signed Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy and Reynaldo Lopez to long-term contracts, with several of those considered especially team-friendly deals. With Acuna and Strider returning from injuries, the Braves were the division favorite entering the season.

Instead, it has been a disaster. The Braves went 0-6 on a season-opening road trip against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, scoring just 14 runs in the six games. They clawed back over .500 once, at 24-23 on May 18, but a seven-game losing streak to begin June led to an awful two months. Though they've played better in August, it's much too late, as the Braves appear headed to their first losing season since 2017.

What went wrong?

And can the Braves recover?

While going from 104 wins to a losing record in two years feels unusual, it's hardly unprecedented. Since 1961, 76 teams have won 100 games. Eighteen of those teams had a losing season within two years. Most recently, the 2022 New York Mets won