While the Atlanta Braves have been consistent in saying that they would like to add starting pitching this offseason, it has felt lately like the urgency of that search has been pretty low. Atlanta has shown little to no interest in getting involved in Framber Valdez's market and while they have been connected loosely to some arms, nothing has come of that interest. With the group they already have, the Braves don't have to settle nor should they. However, a couple of rotation pieces seem to still be catching their eye including a relatively new name.
For a long time, Chris Bassitt has made some sense as a target for the Braves to pursue. Bassitt is an innings eater who might not wow with his stat line, but he will make quality starts the vast majority of the time which could be a huge help to the Braves' bullpen that has been overworked at times.
A recent report from Jon Heyman recently confirmed that the Braves have shown interest in Bassitt. However, another name that hasn't been discussed much in Lucas Giolito was linked to the Braves as well. If true, perhaps Atlanta has been busier than we all thought.
Lucas Giolito appears to be on the Braves' radar as a potential signing in the closing weeks of the offseason
A few years ago, the Braves trading for Giolito was a hot topic as he was one of the most publicly available impact arms on the trade market at the time. However, Giolito flopped spectacularly after back-to-back trades in the middle of the 2023 and after the Red Sox signed him, he required elbow surgery which cost him the 2024 season. Giolito did rebound in 2025 somewhat with a 3.41 ERA across 26 starts, but his market has been weirdly quiet ever since he declined his option.
Assuming Giolito is completely healthy, he would certainly qualify as an upgrade over the back of the Braves' rotation and would allow Atlanta to manage the workloads of the injured Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez carefully. Giolito's metrics aren't exactly encouraging, so the Braves would have to have some confidence that they could unlock some more swing and miss again in him.
What will determine how serious the Braves get with Giolito is going to be price. If he is commanding a contract in the range of two years, $32 million as was predicted before the offseason, that feels pretty reasonable. If Giolito is wanting a longer term commitment or more AAV than that, Atlanta would be better served pivoting back to Bassitt or to other options entirely.