Chris Sale became the Atlanta Braves' ace in 2024 and has consistently pitched well since. However, he hasn’t pitched well in postseason play since 2018, and as I’ve written in earlier posts, the rest of the rotation doesn’t inspire confidence. Even if Spencer Schwellenbach gets back, it’s time for the Braves to do what’s necessary to win now because the team isn't getting younger soon.
My last post looked at rental arms for this postseason and that the club might extend. There are only two controllable top-of-the-rotation pitchers with team control potentially available: Joe Ryan and Logan Webb. Their respective teams have indicated that they are reluctant to trade them, even though neither team will be a serious challenger before the pitchers are well into their 30s or lost to free agency. It will cost the Braves multiple highly rated prospects to make an offer the team can’t refuse.
Braves must acquire a controllable frontline starter to secure their future
Lets first take a look at some of the Braves options that fit the bill along with the pros and cons.
Joe Ryan
Ryan (30) is one of baseball’s best arms. He earns just over a million a month, and his remaining arbitration year (2027) will cost his team at least $25 million, and the Twins aren’t likely to offer that.
Ryan’s pitching to a 2.85 ERA, 2.83 FIP, with a 1.04 WHIP, 28% K-rate, and 5.4% walk rate. He throws a 93.4mph 4-seamer (46%) that plays up because of his excellent extension, and each of his sweeper, split, curve, and slider roughly 10% of the time. His heater, split, and sinker have heavy arm-side run while his slider, curve and sweeper move just as hard glove-side. Ryan made his only postseason start in game four of the 2023 ALDS, allowing one run on two hits in 2 IP.
The Twins will want a Major League starter as well as a handful of prospects in return. The price could include Holmes or Bryce Elder, along with Ritchie or Caminiti, Owen Murphy, Alex Lodise and a non-prospect or two. The Braves might coax a non-prospect player out of the Twins along with Ryan, but nothing exciting.
Logan Webb
Logan Webb (29) is no stranger to the Braves; he threw eight innings against us a couple of weeks back and is 5-1 with a 2.32 ERA over 66 innings and 10 starts when facing Atlanta. He signed a five-year $90 million extension in 2024 and doesn’t hit free agency until 2029.
Webb’s currently pitching to a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 3.02 FIP, with a career-low 19.5% K-rate and a 6.3% walk rate in 100+ IP. He’s a groundball pitcher who relies on his defense while throwing a sinker (31%), change (24%), sweeper (19%), 4-seamer (13%), and cutter (12%).
Like Ryan, playing at home saves Webb 12 homers a season, and his pitches his 92.4 four-seamer and the rest of his pitches play up, with movement that generates an 80th percentile WHIFF rate. Webb’s only postseason games came against the Dodgers in 2024, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings in a 4-0 win of game one and seven innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 loss to LA.
Webb will cost more than Ryan because he’s younger and has an extra year of control. The price would include at least Elder, Ritchie, Caminiti, Conor Essenburg and quite possibly one or two non-prospects.
Add us as a preferred source on Google