Following several roster moves over the last few days, there aren’t too many more tough decisions for the Braves to make ahead of Opening Day. The final spot in the bullpen is a bit of a question mark, as is the final spot in the rotation, which manager Brian Snitker had some very interesting comments about on Wednesday night.
“We’re cutting down pretty close right now. There’s not that many decisions to make. You never know, I may get into the clubhouse tomorrow and somebody popped up who’s not even here now,” Snitker said, via David O’Brien of The Athletic.Â
Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but that final sentence caught my eye pretty quickly.
Following the trade of Angel Perdomo and subsequent releases of Jake Diekman and Anderson Pilar, the Braves have a couple of 40-man roster spots open. With the current shape of their bullpen, they could certainly use another proven arm, if not multiple. It’s the one area of the team that’s really puzzling considering how inexpensive relief arms can be to acquire, whether it be free agency or trade. At some point, the Braves will have to add to their bullpen, and something in my gut still has me believing a move is coming down the pike sooner than we might expect.
Brian Snitker also had some interesting comments about Ian Anderson’s performance this Spring Training, more specifically, his control issues.
Snitker gave, let's say, much less than a full-throated endorsement of Ian Anderson's spring. Said the obvious, that the walks have been the issue, and that he's still got work to do,
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 19, 2025
Because Ian Anderson is out of options, most expect him to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Braves don’t want to lose a valuable depth piece with some upside before the season even begins. With that being said, Anderson’s control problems combined with his inability to miss bats is an alarming red flag Alex Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker might not be able to ignore.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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