Braves manager Brian Snitker ready to pack his bags

Brian Snitker barely had time to digest the finality of the 2024 season when the Braves' manager was asked if he plans to be back with Atlanta in 2025.

With a wild-card sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres completed, Snitker confirmed he's ready to pack his bags -- for spring training.

"Absolutely," Snitker said. "I wish spring training started tomorrow, quite honestly. I just told the guys that. I can't wait to get to camp and hopefully have our guys whole again. And I'm going to be excited to get there probably more than I ever have been next year, quite honestly. I said I'm exhausted but, honestly, I wish we could fast-forward and be there tomorrow. I'm serious, too. I can't wait to get there with our guys and do this again."

After a 101-win season in 2021, Snitker signed a three-year contract extension that expires after the 2025 season. He turns 69 later this month.

The Braves needed a win in one of the final two games of the regular season, which turned out to be a doubleheader on Monday, to secure a playoff spot. Before getting the job done in the second game of Monday's twinbill with the New York Mets, injuries hit Atlanta again, extending a theme of the season. All-Star left-hander Chris Sale was scratched from the scheduled start and left off the wild-card roster with a back injury.

Coming off of another 104-win season in 2023, most of the Braves' top players had at least one visit to the injured list. Reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. (ACL) and ace Spencer Strider (UCL surgery) were relegated to rehabilitation from season-ending injuries and aren't guaranteed to be field-ready when Snitker gets to Florida for spring training.

Acuna was lost for the season in May and had ACL surgery for the second time.

Strider went 20-5 with 281 strikeouts, leading MLB in both categories, in 2023. He had surgery April 13 and it's unclear if he will start the 2025 season on the injured list.

Even without them, the Braves managed to win 89 games and Snitker said he's never been more proud of any team in the face of injuries and adversity.

"Not an excuse," Snitker said. "Like I said before, everybody goes through stuff getting here. It's hard to navigate seven months for every team, all 30 of us.

"Just the tenacity, the drive, the consistency, the work ethic, how they never -- everything that these guys went through, nobody was ever, woe is me, and they weren't griping about anything. They just kept playing. They kept playing. They kept working. The energy never waned. Their attitude's never waned."

--Field Level Media