There are a few questions for the Atlanta Braves to answer this offseason, and the starting rotation may be one of the most important. Atlanta dealt with too many injuries to their starters last season, and the front office surely learned from that. They'll need to find as much depth as possible for 2026.
The core of the rotation will include Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Hurston Waldrep. AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Grant Holmes are all healing from elbow injuries and Reynaldo Lopez is a wild card with his own injury issues. Their timelines are not yet known, so Atlanta will have to find a pitcher or two to fill the void.
To get that starting pitching depth, the Braves can be obviously turn to free agency or potentially the trade market. Atlanta has been tied to Cardinals starter Sonny Gray over the years and some MLB experts seem to think he will land with the Braves next season. St. Louis has been looking to move some big-money contracts, including Gray and Nolan Arenado.
Sonny Gray's massive contract could be a major deterrent for the Braves this offseason
While Gray has the experience Atlanta is looking for, there are a couple of reasons to be hesitant about a trade. The first is the amount owed on his contract, which sits at a staggering $35 million for the 2026 season.
Gray also has a club option worth $30 million for 2027, including a $5 million buyout. If the Braves decide to trade for him, St. Louis will likely have to cover a decent chunk of the salary. If we ignore the salary aspect, there are a couple of other things that could deter the Braves from signing Gray. The three-time All-Star is 36 years old and is coming off a down year.
He pitched to a 4.28 ERA over 32 starts in 2025, with 38 walks and 201 strikeouts. Gray was elite with his walk, strikeout, whiff, and chase rates. So, it's easy to see why he has value, along with his career 3.58 ERA.
However, the main hang-up is going to be the cost of his contract. That's a lot to risk on a pitcher his age. The Cardinals could also want a good bit in return to part ways with Gray.
Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom, stated, "It’s not a surprise. I mean, he’s still one of the better pitchers in the league. We value him very highly." Bloom also mentioned they have talked with Gray and feel they could find something that makes sense trade-wise, but that they will "continue to explore that."
If the deal makes sense, we know Alex Anthopoulos will go for it. However, he's been very open about not making a deal if he feels the cost is too steep. Gray would be nice for the backend of the rotation, but only if his cost won't hinder Atlanta from making more important additions.