Who is going to be the Braves' fifth starter?
This is the big decision the Braves have to make this spring regarding their big league roster. Right now, Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, and Charlie Morton are pretty much locked in for the first four spots in the Braves' starting rotation, but the fifth spot is very much up in the air.
The favorites for the fifth spot in the rotation right now are Bryce Elder and Reynaldo Lopez. While a certain amount of caution is warranted when it comes to Lopez converting back into being a starter, some beat writers are already predicting Lopez will be the choice early in the season given that Elder faded badly in the second half and the fact that he also has minor league options left, so the team can bring him back up if/when he is needed.
Then we have have the dark horse rotation candidates coming into camp in Dylan Dodd, AJ Smith-Shawver, Darius Vines, Allan Winans, and possible Huascar Ynoa who all are on the 40-man roster and who all have some level of experience in the big leagues already. If the Braves decide that they want to go with a six man rotation early in the year to help give guys like Fried, Morton, and Sale some more rest early in the season, one of those guys will likely get the nod based on how they perform in camp.
The elephant in the room here is 2023 first round pick Hurston Waldrep who blasted his way through the minor leagues during his first pro season. Putting him in the rotation right out of spring training would be extremely aggressive even for the Braves, but he also has the highest ceiling of any of the Braves options for their 2024 rotation. With a strong camp where he shows he can command his impressive stuff consistently, don't be surprised if the Braves think long and hard about going with his upside.