3 pitchers for Alex Anthopoulos to pivot toward after Justin Verlander whiff

The San Francisco Giants officially signed Justin Verlander to a one-year contract on Tuesday, removing the most accomplished free agent pitcher from the market.

That is one less option available to Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves front office. While the Braves don't appear particularly desperate, the fanbase is getting anxious. After such a disappointing 2024 campaign, there was an expectation — or at least a hope — that Anthopoulos would deal aggressively to improve Atlanta's standing in 2025.

To be clear, the Braves are almost certainly going to be "better" next season. A clean bill of health for Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider will help, a lot. Atlanta was beset by injuries from the jump last season. Barring another historically bad season of injury luck, the Braves should improve by virtue of having their stars available.

That said, the rest of the National League heavyweights have been engaged in a fervent arms race. The Dodgers signed Blake Snell. The Diamondbacks landed Corbin Burnes. The Phillies dealt for Jesus Luzardo. And, of course, the Mets went out and got Juan Soto on a $765 million contract. Atlanta's competition is going for it. The Braves are taking a far more reserved approach, which feels destined to backfire.

Verlander presented the opportunity to acquire All-Star value on a discounted, short-term deal. Without the former MVP in the mix, here is where the Braves can turn for much-needed rotation depth.

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3. Braves can target Justin Verlander's former teammate, Max Scherzer

The Braves were an ideal landing spot for Justin Verlander on paper — an established contender with a clear need for pitching depth, but with enough established star-power to insulate him and protect him in the event of injuries. Verlander probably isn't the 160-plus inning workhorse of yesteryear, but the Braves would have benefitted from his two decades of MLB experience.

Why not follow a similar path with Max Scherzer, the 40-year-old free agent who once shared a clubhouse with Verlander in New York? Scherzer, another three-time Cy Young winner and two-time champ, would bring decades of winning experience and a recent track record of success to Atlanta. He, too, dealt with injuries last season, but Scherzer was an All-Star as recently as 2021. He posted a 3.95 ERA across nine starts and 43.1 innings in 2024, which is perfectly respectable, if a small sample size.

If anything, Scherzer might have a bit more gas left in the tank than Verlander as he approaches his 18th MLB season. The Braves wouldn't be looking for vintage Scherzer at the top of the rotation, but if he ekes out 140-160 innings and operates as a functional middle-rotation starter, Atlanta would be elated. It helps that Scherzer has so much postseason experience. There's reason to believe the Braves could rely on him in October.

With Max Fried and Charlie Morton both leaving in free agency, the Braves might benefit from some proper veteran wisdom.

2. Jack Flaherty is the best free agent left for Braves

If Atlanta is truly willing to spend aggressively on the free agent market, Jack Flaherty is an obvious target. He has a complicated postseason track record, but the Dodgers quite literally don't reach the mountaintop without Flaherty last season. He held a patchwork rotation together in October when Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and others were out due to injury.

At 29 years old, Flaherty is probably underrated at this point. A tough second half of the 2023 campaign in Baltimore has unfairly tainted his reputation. Flaherty was more or less dominant all of last season, netting 194 strikeouts across 164.0 innings and finishing with a 3.17 ERA. He was dominant for most of 2023, too. He packs some of the best punch-out stuff in baseball, he limits walks, and he keeps hard contact to a minimum.

Flaherty's free agency has drawn out longer than expected, but he's still due for a considerable payday. The Braves aren't going to get him at a discount. That said, he won't command close to the same price tag as Fried. Atlanta has seldom operated near the top of the free agent market — Anthopoulos prefers to develop talent in-house and extend his guys — but Flaherty would make a worthy exception to the rule as the Braves attempt, perhaps in vain, to keep up with a talent-rich National League.

1. Braves can swing a trade for postseason foe Dylan Cease

Dylan Cease's San Diego Padres eliminated the Braves from postseason contention in 2024. Now, there's a chance for Atlanta to reach across the aisle and acquire the Cy Young candidate as he enters the final year of his contract. The Padres clearly don't feel good about their chances of extending Cease. This is the team that let Blake Snell saunter out the door. It's a great opportunity for the Braves.

This is more in line with how Anthopoulos likes to operate. He would love to get Cease in the building and extend him before he even reaches the open market, although the likelihood of such an arrangement is slim. The Braves would need to be weary of Cease's status as a potential rental, but even so, Atlanta has a limited window to contend with its current core. Cease would meaningfully move the needle in the Braves' favor.

Last season was a tale of two halves for Cease, who started a bit slow out of the gate before settling into a groove down the stretch. After the All-Star break, few MLB hitters could touch Cease. He completed the second no-hitter in Padres history in July and finished the campaign with a whopping 224 strikeouts across 189.1 innings of work.

Cease is a workhorse, with at least 32 starts and 165 innings in each of the last four seasons. For a Braves team that was ravaged by injuries throughout 2024, Cease's history of durability ought to be appealing. If the Braves can muster the financial liquidity to re-sign Cease next winter, even better.