Braves concerned about pitching rotation heading into the season

Injuries to the Braves starting rotation are going to be a key factors as Opening Day 2025 inches closer. Even having one of the best starting rotations last year with an ERA of 3.03, the starting rotation started early down a pitcher. Early last season, Cy Young candidate Spencer Strider felt discomfort against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 5, and on April 12, he had UCL surgery and was done for the year. Late last year in September, pitcher Reynaldo Lopez was placed on the 15-day injury list, thus ending his 2024 campaign with shoulder inflammation. The pick me up last year was Chris Sale (2.38 ERA, best in MLB) winning the Cy Young.

Move to 2025 as the team prepares for the season in spring training in North Port, Florida. Hoping to be back around May is Strider, gone are both pitchers Max Fried and Charlie Morton, Fried to the New York Yankees and Morton to the Baltimore Orioles. Not only are the Braves losing valuable innings from both those players, they are losing valuable leadership that both veterans bring to the locker room as well. To me, filling those two roles are going to be the biggest hurdles for this pitching staff. I thought going into this season the Braves would look at some veteran arms to replace Fried and Morton, but instead, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has chosen to stay within the organization, for now anyway. Midway through the season last year the Braves called up Spencer Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes to fill in for the six spot for spot starts here and there. Schwellenbach caught on fast and earned his right to stay in the rotation, especially after Strider and later Lopez went down. Holmes was good as a spot starter when need be, but he earned his money in the bullpen. One of the 2021 World Series heroes Ian Anderson, who spent most of the last two seasons going through rehab and minor leagues due to Tommy John surgery, will be back this year. Schwellenbach will be in the rotation as the number three pitcher and Holmes and Anderson will take the fourth and fifth spots. A sixth starter could be used if need be, in which AJ Smith-Shawver would be the ideal choice.

Me on the other hand would have tried to pursue proven free agents Sonny Gray and Jack Flaherty because of leadership and innings. Guess that is why I’m writing and not managing in the major leagues. Braves addressed their need for the starting pitching the best way they know how, by not spending a lot of money. At the end of the day, Anthopoulos is known for making good roster decisions to gel a roster together. Time will only tell if this decision is going to be good for the Braves. Going into opening day, the starting rotation will look like this:

Pitcher                                     2024 ERA

• -LHP Chris Sale:                               2.38
• -RHP Reynaldo Lopez                      1.99  
• -RHP Spencer Schwellenbach          3.35      
• -RHP Grant Holmes                          3.56 
• -RHP Ian Anderson                           5.00 (2022)

I think the Braves would benefit by plugging another left hander in the rotation as well. But this is a good start and let the season play out the first two weeks and see if the Braves need to rethink the rotation. The team might have to dig back into the farm system, or wait until the end of July for the trade deadline. 

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