Chris Sale, who was named the NL Cy Young award winner last night for the first time in his career, will go down as one of the best acquisitions of Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure as Braves GM. But Reynaldo Lopez, who was also brought in last offseason, might not be far behind.
At 30 years old, Lopez turned in a career year in his first season with the Braves. Anthopoulos saw something in him that most clubs likely didn’t even consider, trying him out as a starter again after spending nearly a half-decade as a reliever for the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians. It was an experiment that started out as a fun idea but quickly turned into something serious.
Lopez would go on to finish April with a 1.50 ERA, and somehow, he was able to remain that consistent for essentially the entire season, finishing the year with a 1.99 ERA over 25 starts. Had he been able to remain healthy the entire season, he might have given his teammate Chris Sale a real run for his money for the NL Cy Young award.
However, health, in regards to the rotation, has to be something the Braves consider this offseason. In each of the last three seasons, Atlanta’s starting staff has hobbled into the postseason, and their current rotation doesn’t exactly come with a track record of durability.
Chris Sale has a lengthy injury history. Spencer Strider is coming off internal brace surgery and won’t be ready for the start of the season. Spencer Schwellenbach has never pitched a full season at the major-league level, and Reynaldo Lopez spent two stints on the IL due to fatigue.
That could result in the Braves overkilling the rotation this offseason, adding not only one starting arm but possibly even two, especially when considering that Reynaldo Lopez has had a lot of success as both a starter and a reliever.
Obviously, the Braves will want to see if Lopez can replicate his success from 2024 in the rotation next year. However, if fatigue becomes a problem, or he’s not quite as effective, he could end up being just as valuable as a hybrid arm in the bullpen, a guy that can go multiple innings in high-leverage situations. That kind of pitcher has become extraordinarily valuable in today’s game, especially when October arrives, and there are few arms better suited for that role than Reynaldo Lopez.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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