Braves linked to surprising pitching solution that would make up for losing Max Fried

The Atlanta Braves have to do something. They have do a whole lot of nothing up to this point in the MLB offseason. Atlanta has let popular players like Travis d'Arnaud, Max Fried and Charlie Morton all walk, leaving uncertainty in what was last year's team's strength: Starting pitching. Heading into 2025, Atlanta's rotation will feature Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Schwellenbach and then who else?

Yes, I would venture to guess that Ian Anderson will get a look now that he is another year removed from Tommy John surgery. At some point later this season, Spencer Strider will be back from his UCL injury. In the meantime, Atlanta simply cannot afford to rely on two former free-agent acquisitions who had career years in Sale and Lopez, as well as a rookie who did not hit the wall in Schwellenbach.

That is why I am totally convinced they will sign a pitcher. My new favorite target for them happens to be a guy who Fried knows well in his former high school teammate, Jack Flaherty. After breaking in with the St. Louis Cardinals, Flaherty split last season between the Detroit Tigers and his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. Jim Bowden of The Athletic tied Flaherty to the Braves in his latest article.

All I know is nothing ever leaks out of Alex Anthopoulos' front office, so maybe it could be Flaherty?

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Atlanta Braves have been connected to Jack Flaherty in MLB free agency

Not going to lie, it would be incredibly weird to see Flaherty replace his close friend and former high school teammate Fried in the Atlanta rotation. One would argue why not bring back Fried on a new deal. Conversely, we all saw what the New York Yankees were willing to pay him on the open market. Flaherty has some medical red tape, which could cause the Braves or others to balk at signing him.

Truth be told, Anthopoulos has read the pitching market well in recent years. He is never going to be a big spender in free agency, always looking for team-friendly contracts to help sustain excellence in Atlanta. We all understand that last year's team was plagued by injury. If the offense improves under new hitting coach Tim Hyers' guidance, we could see Atlanta win the NL East after failing to do so.

Overall, a pitcher like Flaherty checks many of the boxes Atlanta would want to have in its rotation. A savvy veteran with big-game experience, preferably one whose stock has taken a bit of a hit for varying reasons, justifiable or not. To be quite frank, I am sure Fried would say glowing things about the Braves organization, so the sell to Flaherty and his representation is not going to be that difficult.

Flaherty is not going to solve of Atlanta's emerging rotational issues, but he is the right fit for them.