We’re almost through with the 2017 season, and it’s been a wild one. Playoff hopes are gone, and fans have been introduced to a few new faces, giving a glimpse of what the future holds for the Braves. With 2018 in sight, Braves fans have to be thinking about what the Opening Day roster may look like.

Atlanta Braves fans have seen faces come and go over the past few years, and I don’t expect that to be any different this off-season. There are guys on the roster that don’t fit into the team’s long-term plans, and there are young guys that need regular playing time in the MLB. Those two groups cannot co-exist.

The idea of a rebuild revolves around the introduction and development of the club’s youth. This cannot happen with guys like Jim Johnson, Adonis Garcia, and others standing in the way of young talent. I think that Braves’ GM John Coppolella will show his confidence in this ‘youth movement’ with a few roster moves this offseason.

After apparent hesitation by the front office to bring him up in 2017, Ronald Acuña is poised to make his MLB debut on Opening Day next year, barring a decision to give him the ‘Kris Bryant treatment’ for club control purposes (a practice that this team typically eschews).

Without further comment, let’s get into what the Atlanta Braves’ 2018 Opening Day roster should look like, and why.