The Atlanta Braves have their way of operating under general manager Alex Anthopoulos. While they have been willing to spend money and trade prospects for some of the best players in the league, they also tend to shop towards the lower end of the market and bank on potential. This offseason, the Braves notably didn't make major moves for their starting rotation. But with Spencer Strider returning, Chris Sale coming off an NL Cy Young Award campaign, and the resurgence of Reynaldo Lopez, there wasn't exactly a pressing need from the Braves' standpoint.
On Sunday, the Braves decided to shake things up. According to multiple reports, the Braves traded starting pitcher Ian Anderson to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for relief pitcher Jose Suarez.
With this deal, the Braves starting rotation options have been reduced. WIth Opening Day on the horizon, here's what Atlanta's starting rotation looks like.
Projected Braves starting rotation after trading Ian Anderson to Angels
Order | Player |
|---|---|
1. | Chris Sale |
2. | Reynaldo Lopez |
3. | Spencer Schwellenbach |
4. | Grant Holmes |
5. | AJ Smith-Shawver |
This will be the rotation, barring any last-minute deal before Opening Day on March 27.
Strider isn't ready to start by Opening Day, as he continues to recover from a damaged right UCL suffered early last season. Given the timeline it takes to recover from having an internal brace inserted instead of Tommy John surgery, he could return by the end of April.
With that, it's pretty obvious that Sale was named the Opening Day starter against the San Diego Padres. After a rough tenure with the Boston Red Sox, Sale posted a 2.38 ERA, 1.013 WHIP, and an 18-3 record in 29 starts. That helped Sale win the Cy Young Award for the first time in his career.
Slated behind Sale is Lopez, who recorded a 1.99 ERA, a 1.106 WHIP, 148 strikeouts, and 42 walks in 135.2 innings (26 games, 25 starts). It was a great season for Lopez, who became a primary starter for the first time since 2019, and earned his first career trip to the All-Star Game.
Schwellenbach is entering his second season as a major league pitcher, and easily slots in as a middle of the rotation arm. Through 21 starts in 2024, Schwellenbach recorded a 3.35 ERA, a 1.043 WHIP, 127 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 123.2 innings.
With Bryce Elder optioned to Triple-A on Sunday, the back-end of the rotation, per the Braves official depth chart, is Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver.
Holmes was primarily a bullpen arm for Atlanta during his short major league stint last season. This spring, Holmes recorded a 1.76 ERA, a1.04 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 15.1 innings (four games, two starts). As for Smtih-Shawver, he spent the majority of last season in Triple-A, making just one start in the majors. In spring training, Smith-Shawver recorded a 3.94 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts over 16.0 innings (five games, four starts).