Braves Rumors: Soroka on the block, Alex Anthopoulos risk, Mets upset
By Mark Powell
Braves Rumors: Could Michael Soroka be on the outs in Atlanta?
Michael Soroka has been a rumored cut candidate prior to Friday's non-tender deadline, assuming the Braves cannot trade him before then. Soroka is a former ace and AL Rookie of the Year candidate. He even made the NL All-Star team at one point. Then came the injuries.
Soroka missed the better part of two full seasons and has been working his way back ever since. In 2023, he finally returned to the major leagues, though the Braves watched his innings. He struggled initially against big leaguers, but did have productive innings both in MLB and especially in Triple-A Gwinnett. Soroka provides rotation depth to a club that desperately needs it, as they found out just last season thanks to injuries suffered by Kyle Wright (who remains out for 2024) and Max Fried.
While Soroka likely will not reach All-Star status again with Atlanta, he could start the season in the MLB rotation if he pitches well in spring training. At the very least, he's minor-league depth in Gwinett, and another arm if Atlanta needs it. Chase Owens of The House That Hank Built made the same argument. You can't have too much pitching depth:
"The Braves main priority this offseason is starting pitching. Adding one or two big names is not enough. Atlanta used 16 different guys as starters last season and struggled to find consistency outside of Morton, Strider, and Fried (when healthy). Last year (like most years) was an example of how you can never have enough starting pitching," Owens wrote.
While Atlanta could add some big arms this offseason, Soroka has a role to play on next year's Braves team.