Any Braves pursuit of Logan Gilbert has a strong statistical foundation

The Atlanta Braves were dealt a devastating blow with their ace, Spencer Strider, suffering an elbow injury that would end his season after just two starts. Strider has emerged as one of the game's very best pitchers and one of the best strikeout artists in recent memory. Losing him is just crushing.

Yes, the Braves still have a team capable of making a deep postseason run, but it'll be hard for them to pull it off without a rotation reinforcement.

ESPN's David Schoenfield listed early-season trade candidates, and Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert found his way onto that list. Gilbert has been mentioned in trade talks for years now, and he'd make sense for the Braves for a variety of reasons. One particular statistic sticks out, though.

The Braves should strongly pursue Logan Gilbert with this statistic in mind

According to Mariners PR, the right-hander is 30-0 when given three runs of support. Yes, he has 30 wins without a loss in his MLB career when his team scores just three runs. For this Braves offense, that's nothing.

There were times last season when a three-run first inning would be seen as a little disappointing for this Braves offense. It's that lethal. Adding a starter who finds a way to win when given just about any support would be huge.

Gilbert might not have the numbers of guys like Luis Castillo and George Kirby in his Mariners rotation, but he's still rock-solid and is just 26 years old. He's durable - making 32 starts in each of the last two seasons - and consistent, keeping his team in games just about every time he takes the ball.

By adding Gilbert, the Braves would give themselves a starter to plug in right behind Max Fried for their run into October, and they would give themselves Fried's replacement for if/when he walks in free agency. Gilbert is under team control through the 2027 campaign and is a prime candidate to sign one of Alex Anthopoulos' patented extensions.

No, he's not Strider, but there is no replacing a pitcher of his magnitude. Gilbert is still a really strong No. 2 or No. 3 starter who'd fit in perfectly with this Braves team. If Anthopoulos has a chance, he should do whatever he can to get this done. It wouldn't come cheap, but it'd be worthwhile.