The Braves didn’t do much to bolster their pitching staff this past offseason. In fact, their only major move was signing Jurickson Profar to a $42 million deal — hardly a splash that satisfied fans’ expectations. Addressing the outfield was necessary, but ignoring the pitching seemed like a misstep.
Atlanta let Joe Jimenez undergo surgery, watched A.J. Minter sign with the Mets, and made no significant bullpen additions beyond a minor-league arm. That lack of urgency already cost the Braves in several early-season games.
The rotation also raised red flags. With Max Fried and Charlie Morton departing in free agency, GM Alex Anthopoulos pointed to Spencer Strider’s return and Grant Holmes’ emergence as reasons not to panic. But early on, it looked like that plan had failed.
Reynaldo Lopez landed on the IL with a potentially season-ending injury. Chris Sale struggled early. Ian Anderson was traded after a rough spring, and A.J. Smith-Shawver battled control issues. Even Spencer Strider’s return was short-lived due to a hamstring strain.
However, the narrative quickly flipped. Sale has looked like a Cy Young contender with a 1.72 ERA over his last five starts. Smith-Shawver has emerged as a Rookie of the Year favorite, and even Schwellenbach, despite some inconsistency, has posted a solid 3.57 ERA. Strider has returned from the IL, and the rotation is now one of Atlanta’s strengths.
Offensively, the Braves are also trending up. Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return will round out a lineup with seven strong bats. While Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies have underperformed, their track records suggest better days ahead. Anthopoulos has once again assembled a formidable roster.
Still, things could have been even better. In a recent interview on 680 The Fan, Anthopoulos revealed the team pursued a major free agent in November that would’ve pushed them past the luxury tax threshold.
“We explored a deal — I won’t say when because the timing would give it away — but we were right there,” Anthopoulos said. “It wasn’t about the money; it was about the length of the deal.”
This led to speculation that the mystery player might have been Max Fried, who signed an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees in December. The AAV on that contract—$27.25 million—was likely within Atlanta’s range. Perhaps the Braves offered a shorter, higher-AAV deal that Fried passed on in favor of long-term security, similar to what happened with Freddie Freeman.
Anthopoulos likely wasn’t referring to the failed Jeff Hoffman deal, which has been well reported. Hoffman reportedly failed a physical with both the Braves and Orioles before signing with Toronto.
Other free agents who fit the timeline include Blake Snell, Willy Adames, Nathan Eovaldi, and Corbin Burnes. Some have paid off handsomely for their new teams; others less so. Whether Anthopoulos narrowly missed out on a game-changer or smartly avoided a long-term burden remains open to debate.
