Soon enough, free agency will get underway, and the Atlanta Braves have to see which rentals from the 2026 season could become long-term partners.

While there are factors that will be out of their control, the decision will still be easier for some deadline additions than others. For now, here's two of them. One is an example of who should stick around. The other is who should be allowed to sign elsewhere.

Braves Should Re-Sign: Brent Suter

The most obvious choice to re-sign is starting pitcher Tyler Mahle. However, this is an opportunity to highlight what the Braves could lose if they don't re-sign their long reliever, Brent Suter.

He didn't receive much fanfare when he arrived, but he won everyone over quickly. In 13 games pitched with the Braves, he posted a 1.63 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP across 27 2/3 innings pitched.

In nine of those appearances, he pitched at least two innings. In his final regular-season appearance, he pitched three innings as an opener.

Come the postseason, he delievered three scoreless innings over two appearances. Sometimes, everything clicks, and you have yourself a long reliever.

He wouldn't come at much of a cost. Last year, he made $1.25 million. It's a low-risk dice roll. He gets a pay bump. Maybe a club option is thrown in should he look good again.

Braves Should Let Walk: Lane Thomas

It was a solid idea to bring in Thomas on paper. He crushed lefties for the Kansas City Royals. However, he didn't bring much to the table. It wasn't entirely his fault.

He didn't play much. He had just 46 trips to the plate. Then, he got hurt, suffering a strained left intercostal muscle

Even so, the Braves don't have much of an incentive to bring him back into the picture. They've been better off having any extra money available to go after an everyday outfielder to patrol the left-field corner.

Not every deadline addition works out. It's a gamble that every MLB team takes every single season. On the flip side, there are some who are good enough to want to have stick around.

Overall, the Braves hit on their deadline additions, at least on the pitching side. The only downside of rentals that work are that other teams will want them, too.

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