Brutal Braves injury update makes trade deadline plans even tougher to hide

The Atlanta Braves can ill-afford another injury to their starting rotation, let alone to Max Fried, who is in a contract year and made the NL All-Star Team for the second time in 2024. Fried is just one of a three-headed monster that includes Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez atop the Atlanta rotation.

The Braves started the year receiving one tough injury update about their then-unquestioned ace, Spencer Strider. Since, the likes of Sale, Lopez, Fried, Morton and more have stepped in and then some, becoming the strength of a team that many pundits thought had to acquire a starting pitcher to make a legitimate postseason run.

After losing Fried to the 15-day injured list (and perhaps more down the line), Alex Anthopoulos will have a hard time hiding what he needs from selling general managers.

Fried's injury is sudden and unexpected, as he was a member of the National League squad in Arlington, and surely wouldn't have accepted an invite had he been dealing with any lingering injury issues.

In Fried's absence, the Braves will first call upon Dylan Dodd, a 26-year-old in the Gwinnett rotation who has plenty of experience in the bigs. So far this season, Dodd has made seven starts for the Braves, collecting a 2-2 record and 7.60 ERA in the process.

What the Braves starting rotation will look like without Max Fried

Without Spencer Strider and now Fried for the foreseeable future, the Braves rotation is virtually unrecognizable from the 2023 Atlanta squad.

Even without Fried, the Braves starting pitching is formidable at the top. However, it's tough to ignore some looming problems with both Sale and Lopez. Sale has an extensive injury history and therefore is impossible to rely upon for a full season. Hopefully he makes it through unscathed, but expecting it is unwise. Lopez is a former relief pitcher turned starter. He's one of Anthopoulos's best additions from last winter. However, Atlanta is closely watching his innings.

Alex Anthopoulos can't hide the Braves trade deadline plans

As Mark Bowman wrote in his recent newsletter, the Braves coaching staff is monitoring the innings of several starting pitchers.

"The rotation is one of the game’s strongest. But Spencer Schwellenbach could start to fatigue and there will be a need to monitor the workloads of Chris Sale and Reynaldo López as they attempt to complete their first full season as a starter since 2019," Bowman wrote.

This, essentially, make the Braves plans by the end of July obvious -- they must acquire a starting pitcher, or else they'll fall short of their World Series expectations. Starting pitcher isn't their only need by July 30, but it is clearly their most important addition.