Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said in November that starting pitching was one of the areas “we’re going to focus on” this winter, and such hurlers as Freddy Peralta, Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt, and Lucas Giolito were linked to the team over the last few months. Apart from a few veterans on minor league deals (i.e. Martin Perez, Carlos Carrasco), however, Atlanta has yet to bolster its rotation in any meaningful way, and the internal mix took a hit since Spencer Schwellenbach will begin the year on the 60-day injured list due to elbow inflammation.
Speaking with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chad Bishop and other reporters yesterday, Anthopoulos said his club continues to search “for a playoff starter,” as in a pitcher who can be comfortably penciled into a postseason rotation right now. “You can always make room for a front-line starter, right? That’s the one commodity or the one asset in this game that is not blocked. If you have five guys and you have someone that’s gonna slot in the top three, you make room for those guys. That was always the goal for us,” Anthopoulos said.
Since the Braves have yet to find anyone who presents a clear-cut upgrade over their current starters, the team has stood pat, since Anthopoulos feels comfortable with at least his rotation’s top four starters. Anthopoulos named Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and Grant Holmes as “four guys [who] are set in our rotation,” and with Schwellenbach sidelined, the team will have various internal candidates like Perez, Carrasco, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, or Didier Fuentes all competing for the fifth starter’s role.
The situation is still fluid if Anthopoulos can find an acceptable trade for a pitcher who raises the rotation’s ceiling, but there’s enough depth on hand that the PBO isn’t too interested in adding another depth starter to just raise the floor. This is in part because Anthopoulos is loyal to his current starters and excited to see what they can bring to the table following an injury-marred season for most of the team. The health uncertainty that centered around Lopez and Holmes in particular has dissipated to some extent, Anthopoulos said, so the rotation needs that seemed like a must in November are less critical now that Spring Training is underway.
“We’re so much more removed now [from November],” Anthopoulos said. “We’re sitting here in the middle of February with those guys specifically, and we just know more about Holmes and Lopez, who we were checking on all offseason.”
Shoulder surgery limited Lopez to just one start in 2025. Holmes pitched well over 115 innings (starting 21 of 22 games) last season, but his year was ended in late July by a partial UCL tear, and Holmes is attempting to pitch through the injury without a Tommy John or internal brace surgery. Since Sale and Strider also have notable injury histories, adding even a depth arm would still seem like a worthwhile endeavor for the Braves, especially since acquiring a front-of-the-rotation arm is always difficult.
Anthopoulos is known for swinging surprise trades out of the blue, so we can’t close the door on the Braves’ chances of finding a prominent arm. That said, it’s particularly tricky at this stage of the offseason to think of pitchers who might both be realistically available in trade talks, and who might be the kind of postseason-caliber starters Anthopoulos is seeking. It is also fair to think that Anthopoulos is engaging in some gamesmanship by downplaying his team’s need for a back-end rotation type, if he is in discussions with rival clubs about such types of pitchers.
Of the aforementioned names on Atlanta’s target list, Giolito is still available, but Gallen has re-signed with the Diamondbacks, Bassitt signed with the Orioles, and the Brewers traded Peralta to the Mets. Gallen and Bassitt just joined their new teams within the last few days, and it isn’t known if the Braves were still pursuing either of those pitchers right down to the wire.
Giolito is the closest available arm to playoff caliber
I watched most that Q&A, he basically said they aren’t adding anyone in free agency because he doesn’t want to ‘guarantee’ anyone a spot. So I’d imagine Giolito is out. And he specifically mentioned Martin Perez as well. Get ready for Elder, Perez and Carasco…What happened to ‘addressing the rotation’ this off-season? I wouldn’t count on trade deadline either, wasn’t 10-run Tommy Milone the last SP AA traded for at the deadline? AA is starting to wear thin, or has backed himself into a corner and Liberty Media won’t let him spend anymore.
Agreed, but Liberty Media has no power to determine their spending now how they’re set up. CEO McQuirk now has majority interest and final say. That could be all optics.
Terry McGuirk = Rich McKay…I hate Atl sports lol. Plus they look very similar and have the same last name commonality.
lol…I don’t disagree. I’m a Saints fan, so I love McKay the Trojan Horse.
I’ll say though, Zach Littel is still out there with a lower price tag. He may not be a “playoff starter”, but he also could be a long RP (not unlike Lopez, Holmes, etc.). Littel is also coming off 2 seasons of 150+, inc. 180+ IP last year, which would usurp ATL’s SP with most IP (Elder) by about ~30 IP. I understand ATL wants to have spots to give Lopez/Holmes every opp to be a SP, but it’d be nice to have someone like Jeff Hoffman last year (failed physical) that could have some spot starts and be great in pen. Nick Martinez just signed (for too much, imho), but that type would be a better use of funds, imho, than maybe a multi-year (or high-AAV 1-year deal) for Giolito coming off a shortened season.
Bah. I don’t mind the Braves take at all.
Sale, Strider, Holmes and Lopez are solid if healthy and only the Braves truly know on that one. Follow that up with SS, AJSS, and Waldrep and they are fine. I absolutely agree that none of these chumps floating around are a true upgrade on any of those except maybe AJSS because we have seen so little.
Do you really want the Braves throwing a roster spot at pitchers that are only slightly better than Elder, all while spending cash they shouldn’t as well as taking up starts for one of those young arms when they get back from injury?
I am ok with what the Braves have done. I am not sold on the Yaz deal, but to me, the rest of the offseason has been full of sensible deals (sadly the Kim deal went cold fast). Let’s put it this way, none of these deals or non-deals will make a bigger difference than the Braves hitters improving over the last two years. That is what must happen for the Braves to have a chance..
Key word…IF HEALTHY!
AJSS is gone for the year +
Can’t stay healthy! Best predictor of future outcomes is past outcomes.
Pitchers and catchers are already reporting for Spring Training. Seems like an odd time to be saying that you’d add a “playoff caliber starter” since all of the good ones would’ve already signed.
This pitching staff won’t last until May
All the good FA’s have signed. AA prefers trades to free agents.
Counting on those four will get you to the end of May, maybe. Then what?
We cannot be serious!!!
Surely they mean at the deadline
Gotta save money for trade deadline since at least 2 starters will be out for year by then for Braves and probably half the other teams.
Strider is being under-rated bc of his long rehab. He will finish higher in Cy Young voting then Sale this year, Braves will match up well with the
rest of league.
This could definitely happen. As long as “Wild Thing” Strider is fully healthy and back to his normal self!
Lol…that rotation is horrible.
We’re not horrible just volatile.
Pretty sure Zips has them as 10th best rotation. Not what a WS aspiring team wants but not horrible.
10th best without Schwellenback
Both PECOTA and Fangraphs have the Braves as a 90-72 team.
Hurston Waldrep should be in the rotation as the #4 SP after the way he pitched last year. He’s better than Grant Holmes and all those other internal options.
Perhaps but Waldrep has something those other arms do not, minor league options!
I expect him to start at AAA for that reason alone. He will be first man up when needed and it will be up to him to pitch well enough to force his way into permanent rotation spot.
I agree and do understand the options he has left but he has proven himself and with a good Spring Training to support that, he deserves to a part of the starting rotation, IMO!
I do not disagree with you at all.
What fans believe a player deserves vs. how organizations manage their rosters do not always align.
Grant Holmes numbers the second time through the order are HORRIBLE. Have no idea why he’s not in the bullpen!??! I give Lopez until the end of May until he’s on the IL. Buckle up!
No. And he’s said he may wait until later in the season before signing with anyone. So even he realizes he isn’t able to pitch for a full season.
I see Max returning to Blue Jays or Tigers. And if not those teams, still returning for part of the season.
Needs 46 Ks to pass Walter Johnson and Gaylord Perry. Just 11 Ks to be the eleventh guy to get thirty-five hundred.
Needs three wins to pass Clayton Kershaw.
He was literally a playoff starter this past post season.
Pitching a full regular season is not a prerequisite for appearing in the post season either (see the Dodgers staff)
The whole reason a guy like Scherzer would want to shorten his regular season is so he can still be available for the post season.
@stuart: Scherzer literally started the final game of the baseball season, Game 7 of the WS. No idea how you can say ‘no’ to him being a playoff starter.
Yeah and they lost that Game 7
If you really want to be this technical about it Zack Littell is also a playoff starter
Braves 2032
Toronto Blue Jays
2025 WS Game 7
M. Scherzer
4.1 innings
4 hits
1 earned run
1 walk
Three strikeouts
Against a top hitting team
They did not lose game 7 because of Max
It wasn’t his fault.
@Braves2032: He pitched 4 1/3 innings of one run ball. They didn’t lose because of him. No need to get technical. He pitched the biggest game of the entire season and pitched very well. If you’re saying that Scherzer isn’t a playoff starter you’re just wrong.
All I said was “they” lost the game guys. Not that “he” lost the game. Some of you need to calm down.
Scherzer is a 41 year old pitcher going year to year. This isn’t a guy you pin your playoff hopes on.
It’s literally a coin flip when the bottom will fall out on him. Even if the bottom doesn’t fall out he’s certainly not prime Scherzer even in a best case.
I see none of you are too eager to mention his other World Series start where he went 4.1 IP and gave up 3 runs.
Everyone just trying to give a smart response to the reply that said Scherzer isn’t a playoff starter just because he did in fact start. We all know that comment was saying he’s not a strong playoff starting option and it’s a spot on analysis. He’s a mediocre playoff starter at best.
Also the fact he started game 7 is moot. You guys act like the Jays had the pick of anyone for the elimination game and chose Scherzer above everyone else. That’s not how this ever works and you all know it. Yesavage and Gausman were on 2 and 0 days of rest respectively. Even Bieber was on 3 days of rest, granted yes Yesavage and Bieber came on in relief roles but they obviously weren’t rested enough to start. He was maybe the Jays 3rd option, but more likely their 4th option to start that game.
Like I said Zack Littell is also a “playoff starter” that’s available too if we want to be super technical about making a start in the 2025 playoffs.
Braves
Scherzer also won Game 4 in the ALCS series against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Gave up two earned runs in five and two-thirds innings.
Overall, in the 2025 post-season Scherzer started three games and pitched 14.3 innings with a sub-4 era. Two of those games were against a powerful Dodgers lineup.
Sounds like a guy that I definitely want pitching in the post season, as a mid-rotation guy, but who I could only count on for four to six innings “Max” (pun intended).
MLB Top 100 Commenter, “Sounds like a guy that I definitely want pitching in the post season”
Glad you’re not a GM. Scherzer was good, but he’s very unreliable now thanks to age and injury…
There are better options available still
Brandon Beachy agrees
Beachy was never really a known prospect.
So does Mike Soroka
Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen going down this exact time in 2014 (I believe) still haunts me to this day smh.
He’s keeping an eye out for one. Got his ear to the ground. He’s remaining vigilant so as to stay informed. Stay tuned.
Imagine ATL swings a last minute trade for Skubal??
So many Braves fans really do seem to live in their own world of denial
Curious about your Braves2032 handle. What’s the derivation?
He used to post his long winded rants under the names Braves 2024 and Braves 2025. He was banned last year for trolling, childish name calling, and insult laden posts directed at the same couple of posters who disagreed w/his insistence (for the last 3 years) that he’s “the only person here who understands that the Braves should have started rebuilding after their World Series win in 2021.”
I am hoping Waldrep wins the #4 and Ritchie wins the #5. If Ritchie can prove he is ready in spring I think he needs to start the season with the team. Then either Lopez or Holmes moves to the bullpen.
Sale
Strider
Holmes/Lopez
Waldrep
Ritchie
Bullpen:
Iglesias
Suarez
Lee
Holmes/Lopez
Kinley
Bummer – although I would like to see him traded…even if it is just international bonus money
But I am sure somehow Elder will be the #5 starter and Wentz in the bullpen as the 3rd Lefty instead of Hayden Harris
My prediction for the rotation, assuming no more injuries:
Sale
Strider
Lopez
Waldrep
Elder
I think I would rather have Holmes in the rotation than Elder. I know Holmes struggles a little the 2nd time through the lineup, but he just has more upside than Elder. Elder is a great 6th starter though. Unfortunately he is out of options though.
Maybe trade Elder for international bonus money.
Waldrep should be in the rotation.
I think or hope we are going fishing for a Marlin. He would hep immensely.
They’re really gonna run it back with all these dudes who got hurt last year. Season hasn’t even started and the 2nd best pitcher is out for the year. I have been very positive about the Braves offseason, but it’s nuts that they didn’t add one veteran starter at the very least.
If you’re referring to Schwellenbach, he’s only out for probably 1.5 to 2 months.
If you believe he’s coming back this season you have more faith than me brother
If it’s just bone spurs and nothing structural, then yes, I have faith. Given your name, I probably have more faith in other things as well.
Fact is we have no idea when Schwellenbach will return.. nobody does at this point.
Same here. I’d say 3 months minimum is at best, imo. If at all which is more likely. Players don’t typically have elbow/shoulder surgery and return the same season in most situations.
You hope
Let’s hope Sale and Albies have strong first halves so we can trade them for something useful in July toward the rebuild.
A 2032 staff of…
Schwellenbach
Waldrep
Caminiti
???
???
C- Baldwin
1B- ???
2B- ???
3B- Riley
SS- Lodise?
LF- ???
CF- ???
RF- ???
DH- ???
Lots of work to do but plenty of time to fill in the gaps. If deals of Sale, Albies, Acuna, and Olson can help us fill 4 or 5 of those ??? with strong talent the rest can be filled in via free agency.
2032 could look bright but we have to start now.
Rebuild? Shirley you can’t be serious.
Schwellenbach and Baldwin are very realistic extension candidates. In comparison, someone like Acuna is not.
Even Strider would be a tougher extension candidate for this Braves team considering he’s already into contract years exceeding 20+ million by the end of his current deal.
So yes, Schwellenbach and Baldwin realistically have a chance to factor in to the 2032 roster and would be strong pieces to build around during the rebuild given their age and loosely projected contract estimates to retain them for at least a few years beyond 2032.
@pig — 18 y/o Tate looks like a non-factor after 66 PA facing guys that are 3 years older than him for the first time? Shocker. You mentioned already giving up on SS Lodise, though being a Golden Spikes finalist and only having ~100 AB at the pro level (first with a wood bat) and not being impressed by him either. Let them get unpacked.
If you really want to look that far down the road…
Rotation:
Caminiti
Ritchie
Fuentes
McKenzie
Murphy
Maybe Reyes
C-Baldwin
1B – Essenburg
2B – Gil
SS – Alfredo Sena (2027 international signee)
3B – Riley or Manon
LF – maybe Guinipa
CF – Southiscene
RF – Tornes
Same rebuild rants. Braves 2024…..Braves 2025………..Braves 2032…….only the name changed since you were banned last year.
If healthy maybe.
The Braves can win now, but we do need one more pitcher. My hope is Sandy to the rescue, would fit in nicely.
White Sox should trade for Elder.
White Sox:
(2B) Lenyn Sosa
(SP) Blake Larson
(SP) Jairo Iriarte
–for–
Braves:
(SP) Bryce Elder
Braves might make that trade. Elder is a good pitcher.
I’d probably take this deal for the Braves
elder will be needed right away as starter number 5. Bank on it
I’d buy Elder’s plane ticket.
Dead a$$, as the kids say.
The Braves are looking for a front line SP and I’m looking for the winning lottery ticket
I love that they think it might just be gamesmanship on the Braves part (that they are not looking for a back end starter). The moment they ask about a back end starter, wouldn’t that give it away?
A.A always talks a good game like last winter. Never learns; the injuries will come and he’ll be caught with pants down again. Where starters are concerned, so full of it.
Let’s be real it’s highly unlikely this group stays relatively healthy all season. They didn’t add the depth needed. I’d move Acuña for a massive haul.
I’d send off Acuna for Jackson Chourio and Logan Henderson plus maybe some smaller stuff.
Brewers get a more complete player for the next 3 year window. Braves get more years on the backend with Chourio controlled through 2033, albeit a bit more expensive in those backend years but by then will still be a good bargain. Plus they pick up Henderson who the Brewers can’t even find a spot for in their rotation now.
I don’t know if the Brewers would do it because they aren’t the type to sacrifice control for a better short term option. In theory though I think it could make sense for both
Acuna could be in that walking boot in August. If the Braves are out of contention and Acuna doesn’t have a new deal in place, he is going to put the boot on and hobble into the off-season.
No, you start with people like Acuna. Acuna is the best player for the Braves, maybe in all of baseball. If I was AA I would call his agent and tell him let’s make a deal. You do not trade players like him, you build around him. Forrest Gump once said stupid is, stupid does. Trading Acuna is stupid.
Sure in a perfect world they would extend him. Do you honestly think they’ll do that though?
So let’s now think about this with the more probable outcome where they don’t extend him. Are you still saying they shouldn’t trade him and just hang on to him the next 3 season to watch him walk away?
You gotta understand it’s not as black and white as Acuna is a great player so let’s build around him. It’s very unlikely the Braves pay him what he’ll want.
They actually already DID build around him. That’s what the last 5 years or so has been. But that window is fading. You can hang on to him for the next 3 years if you like but when they don’t win and they don’t resign him don’t come back in here surprised.
If anyone thinks the Braves will pay Acuña $40m/year they’re living in fantasy land.
Trade him before the trade deadline in his last year of control
He actually said “Stupid is *as* stupid does.”
Got to be in the playoff hunt to add a “playoff starter”. Right now I’m not sure if the Braves are a playoff caliber team
Same OL’ Braves . Same BS every year . We haven’t had a playoff starter , since Smoltz .
That’s not true. Morton and Hudson were both playoff caliber pitchers. They just struggled to ever get Hudson there. Sale is also a playoff caliber pitcher but again they’ve struggled to get him there, partly due to injuries and the other part not making it in the two years here.
Nonetheless they’ve had a couple along the way, but I get your point they tend to to be few and far between.
Not true w/that “the other part not making it in the two years here.” In Sale’s first season w/Atlanta, 2024, the Braves made the playoffs. He was unable to pitch in the two games in San Diego due to a back issue that he said wouldn’t have stopped him from pitching in the next series had they advanced.
I like your style.
Pretty nice handle you have there
Agree . Hudson was Awesome . Fried was solid too . But oh well .
Sherzer is still getting paid from at least 3 other teams. Last year it was something like $47M
Scherzer, Littell and Giolito are left.
I’m the biggest AA fanboy but this stems from Alex from the years 2020 to 2024 not using his premium draft capital on SS especially when you knew you probably were not going to resign Dansby Swanson after the 2021 season when Freddie left. But we viewed pitching as “currency” and some years would not even draft a hitter until the 5th round. Now we have had some good pitchers like Schwellenbach and Strider and AJ Smith Shawver but we have had tons of busts and the cubbard is bare in the lineup especially when the best middle infielder you’ve drafted is Nacho Alvarez. Now we had to allocate money that should have went to a premier starter to a lower mid level SS for 20 mil a season who also got hurt and could be out until June and we also used money 14 mil for a backup OF and that money to sign a top of the rotation starter welp that went there and now we are going to have to hope that the same people that got hurt last season stay healthy and that Hurston Waldrep gets more starts and and plays at the level he did last season. Because AA for whatever reason will not spend big money on a starter.
Max Fried would fit in nicely in this rotation
Lol
ATL wasn’t going to offer Fried a record contract (for a southpaw — about to be replaced by Skubal’s) in which he signed with 2 straight years of missing time with arm issues. Good for him having a nice regular season last year, but ATL shouldn’t have gone anywhere near that contract.
What’s the over/under on combined starts from Sale, Strider, Lopez, and Holmes?
80? 90?
Like hurricane trajectory predictions, this will be a year of health for the Braves. Acuña and Riley will both compete for NL MVP. Strider will return to dominance and guys like Waldrep, Richey (even Didier) will shine with each opportunity behind a dominant season from Sale. 90-72? Closer to 98-64. Kick your feet up and watch. Gonna be exciting.
They need to sign someone. I mean the current staff just isn’t enough. It just isn’t. It wasn’t before SS got injured and it isn’t now. Lopez and Holmes are ticking time bombs, Sale seems to always be injured, and strider just came back bad pitched poorly from a serious injury.
It’s time for a new GM in Atlanta .