The Braves quiet offseason has been well-documented, with the only notable acquisition being Jurickson Profar. Granted, the Profar signing did fill Atlanta’s biggest hole. However, it was far from the only hole on the roster.
The pitching staff has more questions than answers heading into the season. In Alex Anthopoulos’ mind, the rotation will work itself out. Despite losing Max Fried and Charlie Morton, the Braves GM believes they’ll be effectively replaced by Spencer Strider and Grant Holmes.
Strider is returning from internal brace surgery and is targeting an April return. If he returns to form immediately, the loss of Max Fried will sting much less, and it’s not like Charlie Morton was a frontline starter in 2024. The organization is high on Grant Holmes, and there’s confidence he can be even better than Morton was last year.
However, the relief core isn’t as cut and dry. The Braves lost A.J Minter to free agency and Joe Jimenez to an injury. Alex Anthopoulos believes the only loss they haven’t accounted for is Jimenez, which begs the question: is a move coming down the pike?
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As of right now, the Braves bullpen could look something like — Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, Dylan Lee, Aaron Bummer, Daysbel Hernandez, Angel Perdomo, Anderson Pilar, and Dany Jimenez. Three of those guys don’t spark a ton of confidence in Atlanta fans.
If there’s one facet of the roster that is in clear need of an influx of talent, it’s the bullpen. It’s simply not World Series-caliber. The club could obviously bolster that area at the trade deadline, but I think I speak for everyone in Braves Country when I say adding a high-leverage arm would ease a lot of concerns.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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