Dream Atlanta Braves starting rotation for the 2024 season

Braves No. 4 starter: Sonny Gray, RHP

Essentially since the playoffs ended prematurely for the Braves, the talk about the team being in the lucrative starting pitching market in free agency has been present. And one name that has consistently come up in connection with Atlanta is veteran hurler Sonny Gray.

Gray, who spent the last two seasons with the Minnesota Twins, is as good as gone from the Twin Cities after reports indicated that the Twins are looking to cut payroll. Thus, re-signing Gray to what is likely to be his final big payday in his career at 34 years old doesn't appear to be a prudent use of their seemingly limited resources.

The Braves, on the other hand, are said to be in this market and could be willing to pony up and give the veteran right-hander a deal. And it would be worth it to really round out the middle or bottom of this rotation.

Though his 8-8 win-loss record might not indicate it, Gray was stellar in the 2023 season with Minnesota, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 184 innings and 32 starts. He was a split bag in the postseason, dominating the Blue Jays in a Twins win in the AL Wild Card, but then getting shelled for four earned runs (five total) over 4.0 innings in the ALDS against the Astros.

Gray appears to be one of the top targets for Atlanta in free agency and he should be. He's not going to break the bnk to the level of Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Aaron Nola or several others. However, for what the Braves need, he can still have a substantial impact if they can strike a deal with the veteran.