The Atlanta Braves have had a solid offseason in terms of making additions. Atlanta is coming off a forgettable season, one that simply got away from them. The biggest priority for the Braves this year is staying healthy and avoiding the injury bug. Still, their largest need remains adding another starting pitcher — and it can’t be just anyone.
“We’ve explored the starting rotation, adding and getting some type of starter, whether that’s a trade or signing. We’d like for it to be someone impactful, someone we think can start a playoff game,” Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos said.
The Braves were hit with more unfortunate news to open Spring Training when new manager Walt Weiss announced that Spencer Schwellenbach will begin the season on the 60-day injured list.
“The Braves opened camp this morning with an unwelcome update on talented young righty Spencer Schwellenbach. He’s been placed on the 60-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The team’s hope is that the 25-year-old is dealing with bone spurs and not something more nefarious,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams wrote.
With the injury, the Braves now have even more urgency to add a starter from the market. FanSided’s Christopher Kline believes Chris Bassitt would be a strong candidate.
“Bassitt didn’t finish the 2025 season in Toronto’s rotation, but he hit the ground running in relief during the team’s run to the World Series. And while he doesn’t offer much upside as a guy in his late 30s with exceedingly average stuff, he should still hold plenty of value for a team in need of some stability at the back of its rotation. His deep arsenal gives him several different ways to get hitters out, even if he’s not missing a ton of bats,” Kline wrote.
Anthopoulos knows the clock is ticking, and adding a starting arm is now a must, especially with other teams trying to outbid one another for the remaining options. The Braves have already been bitten by the injury bug on the first day of Spring Training.
Atlanta is aiming to compete at a high level this season, and that starts with having a healthy rotation — something that was lacking last year. Anthopoulos is now faced with a tough task ahead before the Braves play their first Spring Training game.
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