It has been a tough spring for the Atlanta Braves, who play their first exhibition game on Saturday. They’ve already lost righties Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep to elbow surgery after getting hit so hard by injuries last year. Both are having loose bodies removed from their elbows and their recovery will be measured in months, not weeks.
“There’s nothing you can do,” new manager Walt Weiss said (via MLB.com). “These guys get hurt doing what they do. You go out there and pitch enough, at some point, something is bound to happen. So I don’t beat my head against the wall with stuff like this. I just know it’s part of the deal. I wish it hadn’t happened. But, we put our heads down and keep going.”
In the grand scheme of things, getting loose bodies taken out of your elbow isn’t that bad. It’s not Tommy John surgery, it’s nothing to do with ligaments or tendons. The prognosis for a full recovery is very good. It’s just that surgery will keep them on the sidelines for a big chunk of the season. Schwellenbach is already on the 60-day injured list. Waldrep will join him soon enough.
At one point last season all five members of Atlanta’s Opening Day rotation were on the injured list. A starting pitcher seemed to be a clear need in the offseason, at least a back-end innings guy, but the Braves instead focused their efforts on improving the bullpen and the lineup. Here is the club’s rotation depth chart:
- LHP Chris Sale
- RHP Spencer Strider
RHP Spencer Schwellenbach(out with elbow surgery)- RHP Reynaldo López (missed most of 2025 with shoulder surgery)
- RHP Grant Holmes (coming back from a partial UCL tear)
RHP Hurston Waldrep(out with elbow surgery)- RHP Bryce Elder
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver(will miss most or all of 2026 with Tommy John surgery)- LHP José Suarez
- LHP Martín Pérez (minor-league contract)
- RHP Carlos Carrasco (minor-league contract)
There is an awful lot of age/injury risk in that group. Elder is probably Atlanta’s safest bet to take the ball every fifth day, and he has a 5.26 ERA with poor under-the-hood numbers in close to 300 big-league innings since going to the 2023 All-Star Game. The Braves threw 20-year-old Didier Fuentes into the fire last summer and the result was 20 runs in 13 innings.
Schwellenbach has performed at a near-ace level when healthy the last two years. Waldrep was so impressive down the stretch last season. Those two were expected to be a significant part of the rotation this year (especially Schwellenbach) and now Atlanta is scrambling to fill their innings. Not the best start to the spring for a team looking to bounce back from a 76-win season.
Where can the Braves turn to add pitching between now and Opening Day? Here’s a look at their pitching options.
Free agency
It’s too late now, but I thought Chris Bassitt was an excellent fit for the Braves dating back to the start of the offseason. Bassitt — who signed with the Orioles — is a steady presence you can reasonably count on to take the ball every fifth day, and you needn’t try hard to see him being worthy of a start come the postseason. The Braves never seemed to show much interest though. So it goes.
Anyway, there are still some solid pitchers sitting in free agency and waiting for a contract. No one who will swing a division race or a postseason series, but pitchers who are plenty qualified to help a contending team get through the grind of the 162-game regular season. Here are the top unsigned starters according to FanGraphs’ projected 2026 WAR:
- RHP Zack Littell: 1.6 WAR
- RHP Lucas Giolito: 1.2 WAR
- RHP Max Scherzer: 1.2 WAR
- LHP Patrick Corbin: 0.9 WAR
- LHP Tyler Anderson: 0.5 WAR
It’s frankly ridiculous Littell is still unsigned. He’s not a frontline starter or anything, but he’s thrown the 24th most innings the last two years (just ahead of Bassitt and Zac Gallen) and has been roughly league average. He’s only 30, too. This isn’t a veteran in his mid-30s trying to hang on. Guys who can give you 30 league average-ish starts should not still be unemployed in February.
Giolito was unable to pitch in the postseason last year because of an elbow injury, though he declined his end of a $19 million mutual option to become a free agent, so the elbow must be in good shape. Giolito received a $1.5 million buyout. Will he be able to recoup the $17.5 million he walked away from? I’m not sure. Would the Braves pay that anyway? I don’t think so.
Scherzer is nearing the end of the line and has hinted at signing at midseason, so file him away for later. If Anderson or Corbin will take a minor-league contract, sure, sign them, otherwise I wouldn’t guarantee them a rotation spot. Littell seems like such an obvious fit, especially since he has bullpen experience and can shift into a relief role in the event everyone gets healthy.
Per FanGraphs, the Braves have a $260 million competitive balance tax payroll, eighth-highest in baseball and just under the $264 million second penalty tier. If the Braves want to stay under $264 million and avoid escalating tax rates, it won’t be possible to add a starter, especially not one of Littell’s or Giolito’s or Scherzer’s caliber. Money could be an issue.
Trades
Spring training is a bad time to need starting pitchers. First and foremost, very few teams are willing to trade pitchers this time of the year. There’s just not much out there. Also, the teams that are willing to move arms know the Braves are in a bind and perhaps a bit desperate, and will raise their asking prices accordingly. Spring trades for pitching can be tough to swing.
“We’re going to continue to have discussions all spring training,” POBO Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com about the team’s pitching search. “There’s still guys out there and guys you can get through trade. But again, we like the four (veteran starters we have) and we like the guys competing for the fifth spot as well.”
It’s easy to connect the dots on a Joe Ryan trade given A) his place in trade rumors the last year or so, and B) Pablo López’s elbow injury putting a big dent in the Minnesota Twins’ contention hopes. If the Twins seriously consider offers for Ryan, there will be a fierce bidding war, and I’m not sure Atlanta has the prospects to make that happen. Try though, for sure.
Lefty Bailey Falter has been pushed pretty far down the depth chart in Kansas City and the Royals could move him if they’d rather not pay him $3.6 million to be a swingman/spot starter. Righties Landon Knack (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Keider Montero (Detroit Tigers), and lefty Jordan Wicks (Chicago Cubs), stand out as possibly available depth starters.
I wonder about Patrick Sandoval. The left-hander missed last season with Tommy John surgery and is facing hitters now, but even after all their offseason trades, he’s no higher than sixth on the Boston Red Sox depth chart. Boston is right up against the $264 million second competitive balance tax penalty tier and may want to move Sandoval’s $12.75 million salary.
Unless there really is a way to make Ryan happen or someone unexpectedly shakes loose, a trade probably isn’t the best way for the Braves to reinforce their rotation. Few teams are looking to move starters in the spring and the pitchers who are available will cost you a pretty penny because supply is low and demand is high. I’d consider a trade a last resort.
The scrap heap
Walker Buehler
SP
ERA4.93
WHIP1.52
IP126
BB61
K92
Most likely, Anthopoulos will scour the waiver wire and see whether any cheap depth arms become available. Righty Osvaldo Bido, who had a solid 2024 and a not-so-good 2025 with the Athletics, seems unlikely to win a job with the New York Yankees. He was with the Braves for a few weeks between waiver claims in December, and they could circle back if he hits the wire again.
Right-handers Cooper Criswell (Seattle Mariners), Janson Junk (Miami Marlins), Luis Medina (A’s), and Matt Waldron (San Diego Padres) are out of options (i.e. must go through waivers to go to Triple-A), on the 40-man roster chopping block, or both. Those are exactly the kind of pitchers who shuffle around the league on waivers in the weeks leading up to Opening Day.
Walker Buehler (Padres), Austin Gomber (Texas Rangers), Marco Gonzales (Padres), and Cal Quantrill (Rangers) are veterans on minor-league contracts with an opt out at the end of spring training. If they don’t get a big-league roster spot with their current teams, they could opt out, and which point the Braves could sign them for something close to the league minimum.
That is more or less the scrap heap market. Waivers, veterans who opt out, etc. The Braves already have a few players like this in camp (Carrasco, Pérez, etc.) and may feel covered there, but Atlanta has some 40-man roster flexibility. They can throw a few darts throughout the spring and see whether anyone sticks. There’s no risk in giving a player a spring audition.
Do nothing
Doing nothing is always an option, sometimes even a good one. Is a good option for the Braves? I’m inclined to say no — I’d rather have too much pitching than not enough — but, if you believe FanGraphs projections, the Braves have the 10th-best rotation in baseball even after baking in the Schwellenbach and Waldrep injuries. Tenth is not amazing, but it’s not a disaster either.
Sale, Strider, López, Holmes, and Elder is a credible rotation and it’s reasonable to expect Schwellenbach and Waldrep back later in the year giving the timing and nature of their surgeries. The risk is losing another starter and having to turn to Carrasco, Pérez, et al. The Braves are already pushing the limits of their depth. They don’t have to add pitching now, but it would be wise.