More so than any other position, the Atlanta Braves starting rotation will have plenty of questions that will need to be answered this offseason.
It seems almost insulting to this year’s Atlanta Braves to begin thinking about NEXT YEAR’s team.
But wondering about who might fill out the Braves starting rotation is an intriguing thought and one that has many different and difficult options.
The lineup is set or will be set in the near future with the emerging Cristian Pache and Drew Waters on the way.
With the additions of Mark Melancon and Shane Greene coupled with Luke Jackson and Sean Newcomb, the bullpen seems set, too.
So that leaves the starting pitching as the area where the Braves could stand to upgrade and in my opinion, a frontline ace-type pitcher is the final addition they need to make.
In this piece, I will look at those who are locks to be in next year’s rotation, which seems to be fairly obvious at this point.
There are also a couple of pitchers who are question marks for either performance or financial reasons.
Of course, with the Braves upcoming 40-man roster crunch, there are some other pitchers who just don’t have a place and might be traded.
It is no secret that the Braves have some high-level starting pitchers getting real close to Atlanta, but when will they be ready?
Then, of course, are the pitchers outside of the organization. The Atlanta Braves are going to have money to spend on free agents and still have plenty of prospect capital to use in trades. To put it mildly, there are several intriguing options that could potentially be in play.
First, let’s take a look at the locks.