The Braves will regret not improving their rotation at the trade deadline

The pressure was on GM Alex Anthopoulos all week to improve the Braves starting rotation for the stretch run in 2020, and despite all the rumors, only one move was made — the acquisition of LHP Tommy Milone. That trade happened yesterday, and Milone quickly showed he was not much of an upgrade over what the Braves already had.

There was hope that Milone’s abysmal performance in his Braves debut would put even more pressure on Anthopoulos leading up to today’s 4:00 PM deadline. But as Braves country patiently waited for some news, none came, and Buster Olney finally reported that Atlanta did not acquire another starting pitcher before the deadline.

The Braves did not add a starting before the trade deadline.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 31, 2020

There’s really no way to put it other than this is incredibly disappointing. The Braves seem to have all the pieces to make a real run at a World Series if they could only get their starting pitching in line. Their bullpen is one of the best in the majors, and their offense is loaded from top to bottom. But with a rotation featuring Tommy Milone, Robbie Erlin, and Josh Tomlin, there is no way they can expect to make it very far.

So here we are — in the prime of Freddie Freeman’s career, with the likes of Ronald Acuña, Ozzie Albies, and Max Fried making a fraction of what they are worth, and the Braves seem to be waving the white flag on the 2020 season. Sure, they’ll tell you that they believe Milone, some of the younger arms, and their tremendous bullpen are enough to get the job done. But the reality is, with their starting rotation, they will be lucky to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.