As the Atlanta Braves navigate the final days of the trade deadline, GM Alex Anthopoulos has been candid about his desire to land a starting pitcher. Atlanta's rotation has sustained a myriad of injuries, but an early season decision is looming just as impactful.
Didier Fuentes has been a standout in Atlanta's bullpen this season, but his opportunity given to him to stick in the rotation was limited to say the least. Fuentes made just one start this season (against a dynamic Nationals offense) before he was ultimately shifted to the bullpen. The 21-year-old flamethrower has been electric out of the bullpen, but Atlanta's shortcomings in the rotation make us wish he got a longer look as a starter.
Didier Fuentes, 98mph ⛽️
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2026
With his 3 finger fastball grip. pic.twitter.com/dXG5bO1Uwg
Decision to place Didier Fuentes in the bullpen has made this a difficult trade deadline to navigate for the Braves
Back in April, moving Fuentes to the bullpen in an effort to limit the innings of the young arm and further develop his secondary pitches made sense. However, as the season has progressed, Fuentes' impressive outings and the struggles of Atlanta's rotation have created a little bit of hindsight. His last few outings in particular show how dynamic his arm is, regularly touching triple digits on his fastball.
Fuentes' 2.60 ERA and 2.37 FIP this season in 45 innings this season, and his 90th percentile strikeout percentage makes it easy to dream on that production in Atlanta's rotation. Sadly, the Braves opted to let Fuentes learn the big league ropes in the bullpen, with the idea of reintroducing him as a starter next season.
Because of this decision, Alex Anthopoulos has a pressing need to acquire a serious starter for the stretch run. The rumored pitchers on the market obviously offer more experience than Fuentes, but only a few offer the same upside in terms of stuff.
Trades are yet to snowball around the league, but over the coming days we will find out just how many impact starting pitchers are moved. If the market shifts toward only a few guys getting traded (and the Braves are stuck with Chris Sale plus a bunch of internal question marks), how Atlanta handled Didier Fuentes this season will be a bigger talking point than any of us anticipated.
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