The Braves have been aggressive so far in free agency. They started their offseason with a resurgence in closeness Raisel Iglesias on a one-year contract before his age-36 season. From there, they bolstered their bullpen by bringing in a veteran pitcher Robert Suarez on a three-year contract. In addition to those measures, the offense has been corrected in some important ways. Mike Yastrzemski brought in to improve the team’s outfield depth Marcell Ozuna‘s to go in free agency. Ha-Seong Kim he re-signed with the team to be the everyday shortstop through 2026, and the team even brought in Mauricio Dubon giving depth to the scope of work.
Coming off the 76-86 season, Atlanta was understandably aggressive as they looked to get back into contention and take full advantage. Ronald Acuna Jr.Years remaining under club management. Bringing back Iglesias and adding Suarez to the bullpen he already had Dylan Lee again Aaron Bummer in the late inning mix is sure to give Atlanta one of the most intimidating bulls in the league, and a perfect season from Kim should also be as impactful as the Braves are counting on. Nick Allen as their most cutoff for the 2025 season. That might be enough of a face lift for the offense itself if Austin Riley, Michael Harris IIagain Ozzie Albies they played closer to their strengths than last year, but the additions of Yastrzemski and Dubon should be able to provide a more established support system than last year’s team to keep the offense going.
As solid as the bullpen and front office seem to be at this point, they weren’t part of the team that bothered the Braves the most last year. It’s hard to argue with last year’s team’s biggest weakness in starting rotation, despite the talent it boasts on paper. Chris Sale he won the Cy Young Award in 2024 and spent much of 2025 looking poised to repeat. Spencer Strider It was widely considered perhaps the most exciting new arm of the game in the past few years. Spencer Schwellenbach he has done nothing but deliver since his big league debut, too Reynaldo Lopez he has been outstanding since his return to swing after years on the field.
Unfortunately, each of those players spent significant time on the injured list last year. Lopez made just one start, while Schwellenbach and Sale combined for 37 more. Strider made 24 starts but didn’t look like himself in his return from UCL surgery, with a subpar 4.45 ERA and a 24.3% strikeout rate well below his usual norms. That average production still made Strider one of the most reliable pitchers in Atlanta’s rotation for much of the year, as injuries were needed to start giving deep arms like . Bryce Elder, Grant Holmesagain Joey Wentz.
That’s a lot to go wrong with one rotation in one year. With as much talent loaded into that rotation as the Braves have, it wouldn’t be a shock if their starters were among the best in baseball next year. Auction remains a future hall of famer who should be elite if healthy. Schwellenbach has a career 3.23 ERA with peripherals to match. Strider could easily regain his Cy Young caliber form as he moves forward with surgery, and Lopez earned Cy Young votes himself in 2024 for his career as a starter. At the same time, the life of a starting pitcher is less reliable than it used to be, and assuming that any of those players will make 30 starts might prove foolish. It doesn’t seem like an accident that Atlanta’s starting rotation lacked consistency in its first year back from the loss. Fried Maxone of the most reliable innings eaters in the entire game. While depth types like Holmes and Elder remain on the roster to pick up the slack, they certainly weren’t enough last year.
That makes adding a quality, reliable launcher seem like an obvious choice. The startup market has been relatively quiet so far with no major signings Dylan Cease back in November, and many options remain on the market. Someone who likes Framber Valdez or Guard Suarez could provide a reasonable facsimile of the stability Fried offers years at the top of the Braves’ rotation, but Atlanta doesn’t need to aim that high. Even add an arm like Zac Gallen or Lucas Giolito it would go a long way toward providing reliable innings in the rotation, and that kind of deal would be more affordable than nine players with contracts like Valdez and Suarez could command.
While signing a starter can make sense, there is an opportunity cost to doing so. That’s because you’re right-handed Hurston Waldrep it has the potential to be a huge ix-factor if given the first chance. After a rough 2024, the leadoff hitter enjoyed a ten-game hitting streak in 2025 where he pitched to a 2.88 ERA in 56 1/3 innings of work. Waldrep won’t turn 24 until March and could be a fun addition to the rotation if given the chance, but that opportunity may only come to him if the team doesn’t sign a starter. Of course, the team’s uncertain health conditions throughout the rotation provide a logical counterpoint to that; Waldrep may not have to wait long to grab a rotation spot even if he is pushed out of the team’s starting five on paper.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to a team delivering a reliable start is payroll. Atlanta is currently expected to pay a $256MM luxury tax liability, according to RosterResource. That’s about a $40MM jump from last year, though it’s actually about $20MM less than Atlanta put forward in 2024. If the Braves are willing to stay aggressive and spend at that rate through 2024, maybe adding someone like Giolito to the mix might be possible. Failing that, however, the Braves will likely turn to the trade market to add an impact starter. Doing so would mean giving up a young talent (like Waldrep or an infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr.) a group that seems reluctant to part with. Low level beginners like it Jose Quintana again Zack Littell they could be options as well, but it’s an open question whether they’ll be more effective than internal options like Waldrep or Holmes.
How do MLBTR readers think Atlanta will assemble their rotation for the 2026 season? Will they make a definite addition like Valdez or Giolito, or will they enter the season with the same team they have now? Have your say in the poll below:
