The Braves need to sign Seth Lugo
While a good chunk of the quality free agent starters are still available, a lot of the guys that felt like the best fits for the Braves are not. Sonny Gray signed with the Cardinals, the Braves tried for Aaron Nola and failed to steal him away from the Phillies, and Eduardo Rodriguez just recently inked a deal with the Diamondbacks. With the Braves being generally reluctant to hand out lengthy free agent deals to pitchers, one name that remains available and who could be very interesting is Seth Lugo.
Lugo isn't a name that has a lot of recognition nationally, but he was kinda awesome in San Diego last season after the Padres converted him back into a starter. In 26 starts in 2023, Lugo posted a 3.57 ERA while limiting walks and keeping the ball on the ground. While his ability to miss bats took a step backward after the transition back to starting, that could also mean that there is even more upside than that as he gets used to having a starter's workload.
While Atlanta is in the mix for Lugo, it is sounding like the Red Sox are pushing hard to bring him to Boston. Before the offseason, Lugo was expected to sign a two or three year deal at $10-12 million a year. At that price point, Atlanta needs to be players for him. If he somehow starts getting significantly more than that, evaluating other options on the free agent market may be wise as the allure of a 33 year old arm that only recently became a starter again drops off a good bit as his price goes up.