The Atlanta Braves' quiet offseason was met with condemnation from the fanbase. Alex Anthopoulos has helpfully reminded folks that Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are coming back, but with the National League arms race ramping up, that's not really an excuse to sit idly while your top rivals stockpile talent.
The Mets went out and signed Juan Soto. The Dodgers added Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. Even the Phillies traded for Jesus Luzardo. The Jurickson Profar signing was a sneaky steal for Atlanta, but the pitching staff feels even more feeble than it was a season ago. Max Fried left for the Yankees. Charlie Morton is in Baltimore. Neither was adequately (or even inadequately) replaced. They just walked.
Strider's eventual return will help, but he's coming off major elbow surgery. Chris Sale is notoriously injury prone and he made it through most of last season healthy. Can he do it again? That's not a bet I'd want to make. The same can be said for Reynaldo Lopez, who has a tall task to prove last season's breakthrough was more than a flash in the pan.
Atlanta's staff should carry water at full strength, but as soon as injuries crop up, things will go south in a hurry. It would be quite beneficial for Atlanta to add another dependable arm before the trade deadline. Heck, before the season, if it's possible.
Look no further than their division foes, the Miami Marlins, for a prime candidate.
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Braves should dial up Marlins to gauge the market for Sandy Alcantara
Sandy Alcantara made 28 starts in 2023 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, which kept him out for the entire 2024 campaign. His last semi-full season of work was not his best. He finished with a 4.14 ERA and 151 strikeouts across 184.2 innings. Still, there's reason to believe Alcantara can contribute at a high level when healthy.
The 29-year-old won NL Cy Young in 2022, a season in which he posted a 2.28 ERA and pitched a league-leading 228.2 innings. He made 32 starts and pitched six complete games. Alcantara accrued at least 28 starts and 180-plus innings in four of his last five seasons before going under the knife in October of 2023.
There's still meat left on the bone here. He's in the penultimate year of an affordable contract, with a team option for 2027. The Braves should prioritize finding sustainable contributors with multiple years of club control. There has been plenty of Dylan Cease chatter, but that is pure fantasy for Atlanta. Alex Anthopoulos does not pay full price in free agency and Cease is on an expiring contract. The Braves aren't selling the farm for a surefire rental.
Right now, the bottom of Atlanta's rotation is comprised of unproven young talent, such as Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder. While there is some justified faith in the progression of Atlanta's top pitching prospects, we saw what happened when the Braves were forced to dip into their minor-league arms last season. Anderson, Elder, A.J. Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep — these are all unproven commodities on a team with immediate World Series aspirations. The Braves would do better to acquire a proven ace like Alcantara in the prime of his career.
This feels like a classic Anthopoulos heist job in the making. Alcantara's ceiling is much higher than his present trade value after a lost season. Now is the time to strike, before he's able to put together a few solid starts for Miami and his value spikes. The Braves shouldn't count on Alcantara to turn around and win Cy Young again out of the gate, but as the third starter behind Strider and Sale, there's a lot to like.