The Atlanta Braves were heavily connected to American League Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray. Alex Anthopoulos aggressively cleared the Braves' cap sheet to generate room for a splashy move. Alas, Gray is on his way to a different southern franchise, signing a three-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $75 million.
If the Braves still aspire to a major addition on the pitching front, there are other options out there — both in free agency and via trade. Atlanta has to be confident in Spencer Strider, but look past him and the Braves' pitching staff quickly loses its luster. Max Fried is immensely talent, but he already has one foot out the door based on previous contract negotiations with Atlanta. Bryce Elder made the All-Star team, then completely fell apart down the stretch of last season. Charlie Morton is 40 years old. A.J. Smith-Shawver is 21 years old.
In short, the Braves need an experienced pitcher still in his prime. A second ace to anchor the rotation behind Strider and ensure that Atlanta has enough firepower on the mound once the playoffs roll around. Another NLDS exit won't cut it. The Braves were the best offense in baseball last season but couldn't get the job done on the big stage. The front office must make sure the pitching is on par with the hitting in 2024.
Here are the best options left.
Braves can swing blockbuster trade for Dylan Cease
The Chicago White Sox are expected to listen to trade offers for Dylan Cease. It was an inconsistent 2023 campaign for Cease, who posted a 7-9 record with a 4.58 ERA and 1.418 WHIP. On the other hand, he finished second in Cy Young voting the season prior, posting a 2.20 ERA and 1.109 WHIP. The upside is undeniable.
One has to imagine Cease would benefit from a change of scenery, and the robust pitching market could mean a pricey contract awaits him in the future. Cease is under contract through 2025 and at 27 years old, he's relatively young for his position.
Unfortunately, FanSided's Robert Murray pointed to Cease's contract as a potential hangup for the Braves. Anthoupoulos tends to target players he believes he can extend prior to free agency. Cease is a client of Scott Boras, whose M.O. is to incite a bidding war on the open market. Cease is from the Atlanta area and could be inclined to stick around because of that, but Boras and the Braves present a potential clash of styles.
Still, that shouldn't stop the Braves from considering a young arm with Cease's innate ability. Atlanta would have to unearth the necessary trade capital from their farm system, but Cease is a remarkable talent. He packs potent 95.6 MPH heat and encourages a high whiff rate (31.0 percent) by packaging his fastball with a dangerous slider. He would make a mighty fine middle starter behind Strider and Fried.
Braves can push all their chips in for Cy Young winner Blake Snell
Blake Snell is the most accomplished pitcher left on the free agent market, with the obvious exception of Clayton Kershaw (who the Braves have zero chance of acquiring). Snell finished last season with a league-best 2.25 ERA and 1.189 WHIP, posting a 14-9 record for the painfully average San Diego Padres and winning his second Cy Young award.
It's impossible not to embrace the idea of adding a player like Snell. The Braves would have to spend top dollar — not Anthopoulos' typical strategy — but Snell tore through the league in 2023. He packs 95.5 MPH heat and some of the best breaking stuff in the MLB. He's a strikeout machine, with a 31.5 percent K rate that landed in the 94th percentile, per Baseball Savant. There are concerns tied to his 13.3 percent walk rate (fourth percentile), but Snell is otherwise elite when it comes to keeping runners off the bases.
The Braves' other ace, Spencer Strider, finished last season in the 99th percentile for strikeout rate. There's something to be said for establishing an intimidation factor on the mound. Strider and Snell both force swings and misses. There is a mild risk of explosive hits with Strider-Snell as your primary duo, but at that point, you're nitpicking. The Braves would have two of the best pitchers in baseball. Snell is 30, Strider is 25. There's a chance for that duo to control the next decade of National League baseball.
The expectation is that Snell could make upward of $100 million on his next contract. The Braves can rest easy knowing Snell is primed to deliver on that investment. He would greatly improve Atlanta's postseason odds.
Braves can shock the world and sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Braves have been floated as a sleeper for Shohei Ohtani, but the financial strain of such a move is borderline unfeasible given how Atlanta tends to operate. The same could be said for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was recently posted by his NPB team, the Orix Buffaloes. He has until Jan. 4 to land a contract in the MLB.
That said, Ohtani's next contract is estimated to approach $500 million. Yamamoto will demand more in the range of $200 million, perhaps similar to the deal Aaron Nola signed with the Philadelphia Phillies — a deal the Braves may have been willing to beat, had Nola not preferred to stay with the franchise that drafted him.
Yamamoto stands an unassuming 5-foot-10, but he is one of the best pitchers in the world. He accomplished the pitching Triple Crown in each of the last three NPB seasons. He is widely celebrated overseas, and perhaps more importantly, he is only 25 years old. Anthopoulos and the Braves aren't traditionally heavy spenders, but the Braves do love to target young players under team control. Atlanta can lay the groundwork for Yamamoto to man the mound for the next decade of Braves baseball, right alongside 25-year-old Strider.
Known to have six different pitches and pristine control over his location, Yamamoto would make a prolific complement to Strider atop the Braves' rotation. Factor in Fried, the veteran steadiness of Morton, and the up-and-coming nature of Smith-Shawver, and the Braves would have to feel pretty good about their bullpen setup.
