Braves vs Dodgers: 3 positions where Atlanta has clear edge in NL arms race

1. Braves are better than Dodgers on the mound

Let's focus specifically on the starting pitchers. The Braves' rotation ranks No. 1 overall in the National League, per FanGraphs. Both Atlanta and Los Angeles made significant moves to address perceived weakness on the mound this offseason. The Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the biggest pitching contract of all time and traded for Tyler Glasnow. The Braves dealt the injured Kyle Wright to Kansas City, then acquired Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox.

Both teams got drastically better. While the Dodgers easily made the splashier moves, Atlanta still holds the narrow edge here. The reason is twofold — depth and experience.

The Dodgers are going to hand the ball to Yamamoto on opening night. There is every reason to believe the 25-year-old will deliver on the hype. His high-90s heat, combined with a notoriously slick 12-6 curve and a wide array of off-speed pitches, should keep MLB batters guessing. Yamamoto won three straight Nippon Professional Baseball MVP awards prior to signing in Los Angeles, tying Ichiro's record. That should not be discounted.

At the end of the day, however, the Braves' own 25-year-old ace is a proven commodity with multiple postseason runs under his belt. Spencer Strider is, beyond a doubt, one of the best pitchers in baseball. He can touch 100 MPH on his fastball and his sliders often feel unhittable. Strider's strikeout percentage (36.8) landed in the 99th percentile last season. He's a flyball pitcher, but he encourages soft contact and he doesn't give up walks. No matter how strong Yamamoto is out of the gates, Strider should be viewed as the superior arm until proven otherwise.

Atlanta is extremely solid 1-4. Behind Strider, there is Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and Chris Sale. Both Fried and Sale have Cy Young upside when healthy. Morton is 40 years old, but he's still a paragon of reliability entering what is presumably his final season. Even the Braves' fifth starter, Bryce Elder, made the All-Star game last season. He is 24 years old with sneaky room for growth. The Braves' rotation has few holes.

The Braves will have to deal with injury concerns tied to Fried and Sale, but the Dodgers will have the same concerns about Glasnow, who hasn't pitched more than 120 innings in a single season. Bobby Miller is on the come-up, but he hasn't fully achieved stardom yet. Walker Buehler's peak is formidable, but he's coming off Tommy John surgery. On the backend, 23-year-old Emmet Sheehan still needs time.

Atlanta has the edge on the mound. Not a huge edge, but a notable one when projecting toward a potential postseason showdown, when experience and health are paramount.