7 Free Agent starters the Atlanta Braves should target this offseason
A look at free-agent starting pitchers who could give the Atlanta Braves some much-needed rotation depth in 2024.
The Atlanta Braves are coming off a rough NLDS in which we saw the bats go silent. Despite the poor showing in the 2024 Postseason, the Braves will attempt to solidify the starting rotation this offseason. Here's a rundown of a few pitchers that will be on the market.
Atlanta currently has three guys locked in as starters for next season.
Bryce Elder is a soft-tossing pitcher who relies on getting groundballs, and things fell apart for him in the second half. Elder posted a 5.75 ERA over his final 14 starts. He added six earned runs allowed over 2.2 innings in the NLDS against the Phillies.
Charlie Morton has a $20 million club option. Morton will be 40 next season and we aren't even sure if he wants to return. Should Morton leave, that opens up some budget space. Should Morton decide to call it a career, the Braves will need some quality arms and some mid-level starting pitching depth.
Unless there are any setbacks, Max Fried will be back with Atlanta in his contract season in 2024. The Braves have yet to have extension talks with Fried so it has potential to be his final year with Atlanta.
The Braves had a club record 16 different pitchers start for them in 2024. A team with World Series aspirations doesn't want a pitcher parade or rotating rotation spots. So, the Braves need depth.
Braves Starting Rotation Suffers Injury Setbacks
Kyle Wright had shoulder surgery just as the Braves began their postseason pursuit and will miss the entire 2024 season. Michael Soroka wasn't able to get back to his old form in 2023. However, there were real positives in the fact that he stayed healthy all year and won the International League Pitcher of the Month in August. He just couldn't make it work at the big-league level. He is not a lock to be a big-league quality pitcher in 2024.
What are the Braves Internal Starting Pitching Options in 2024?
Well, they have guys like Jared Schuster, Dylan Dodd, Darius Vines, and AJ Smith-Shawver, but those guys would need to make some progress from where they are now. AJSS had a small sample size and made the postseason roster but he's only 20 years of age. He is by no means a lock for consistency. Michael Soroka is certainly an option, but he has to prove he can pitch quality major-league innings and stay healthy.
The point is, with the internal options there will be a lot of finger-crossing. Ideally, we'd like to see the team put together a roster with proven pitching depth and hope a couple of young guys overtake them when they show they are really ready.
Let's see the external options available to the Braves in 2024.
7. Alex Wood
Alex Wood isn't going to win a Cy Young but he is a veteran pitcher with great career numbers who can provide quality innings until he gets hurt. Wood has been a fun story since he began his career with the Braves in 2013. In 2015, Wood set his career high in innings with 189.2 and hasn't has only surpassed 150 innings twice since then.
He has averaged 122.1 innings per season over the last three years. He wouldn't be more than a depth piece but he should be pretty affordable considering his inability to stay healthy for a full season. Wood only made $12.5 million last season. The 11-year veteran has a career 3.74 ERA and will turn just 33 years old in January. He's at a point where he needs to prove he can stay healthy and be effective.
AA is just the guy to give a player like Wood a one-year prove-it deal. This one could be really affordable and return real value if he can stay healthy.
6. Jordan Montgomery
Jordan Montgomery is coming off of the best season of his career. He pitched 188.2 innings and posted a 3.20 ERA. He was traded to the Rangers and has helped lead them to the ALCS where they are currently up 2-0 on the Astros, thanks in part to Montgomery's 6.1 shutout innings in Game One.
Montgomery is driving his value higher as we speak but at just 30, he might provide a solution to next season's depth and in the future since Max Fried's contract ends after 2024. The lefty has a 3.68 ERA over seven seasons. If Morton retires the Braves will need to make a splashier move in free agency and Jordan Montgomery could be the answer.
The hangup with Montgomery could be the price tag and the number of years he seeks. The Braves aren't likely to overpay or over-commit to a deal that takes him too far past his prime.
5. Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray will turn 34 soon and is coming off the best season of his career. He's a veteran pitcher with 11 years under his belt. Over those 11 seasons, he has an impressive 3.47 ERA with a 2.79 ERA last season. Gray is the sort of frontline starter the Braves need to add with the loss of Kyle Wright, especially if Morton doesn't return. Since Gray will be entering his age-34 season he might be looking for more money up front to take a short-term deal.
4. Jack Flaherty
Jack Flaherty has posted a 4.84 ERA over the past two seasons. He has dealt with a myriad of injuries and the effects show up in his performance. However, last year he showed signs of his old self. Between May 9th to June 7th, he had a 2.06 ERA in six starts. Then, in July he posted a 3.03 ERA in five July starts before he was traded to Baltimore.
Flaherty turned 28 on October 15th and was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In 2019 he finished fourth in Cy Young voting with 196.1 innings and a 2.75 ERA. He struck out 231 hitters with a .097 WHIP that year. Flaherty will be looking for a platform to show he can get back to who he was a few years ago.
He should be affordable and in need of a place to prove himself. Atlanta has studs at the top and needs depth. If he is mid-level this year, that will be okay with the Braves. If he breaks out, that will be a cherry on top. Jack Flaherty seems like a good risk, on the surface.
3. Kenta Maeda
Kenta Maeda is entering his age-36 season and is coming off of a couple of years of injuries. He missed all of 2022 after having Tommy John surgery and only pitched 104.1 innings in 2023. He pitched to 4.23 ERA last season and could provide value if he can hang around a four-ERA. The seven-year veteran has a 3.92 career ERA and struck out 10.1 batters per nine innings last season.
2. Frankie Montas
Frankie Montas has only pitched 1.1 innings last season. He is just 30 years old. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting in 2021. Following his phenomenal 2021 he was traded to the Yankees in 2022. At the time of the trade, he had a 3.18 ERA. He had a rough go with the Yankees, as it turns out because he was dealing with a shoulder injury. That injury would shelve him for most of 2023 as well.
If Montas is healthy heading into 2024, which appears to be the case) he could be a huge bounce-back candidate. A healthy Montas would offer much more than just quality pitching depth. He gives the Braves a potential frontline starter to add to the mix.
1. Julio Teheran
This isn't just a nostalgia act. Julio Teheran's last full season came with the Atlanta Braves in 2019. He posted a 3.81 ERA. If you recall, Teheran was the Braves' Opening Day starter in six consecutive years. In 2020, the Angels gave up on him after just 31.1 innings. Detroit gave him just one start the next season. In that one start, he allowed one run over five innings. He didn't see the big leagues again until last year with Milwaukee.
In 2023, He walked just 1.6 hitters per nine while posting a 4.40 ERA over 71.2 innings. Teheran posted a 1.53 ERA over his first six starts last season. He had pretty good numbers until he ran into his former team on July 29th. The Braves rocked Julio for nine earned runs over five innings pitched. In just 11 starts, a nine-run outing can make a huge difference on the ERA.
Julio can provide depth and potentially some quality innings at a low price. Yes, it will also be a bit of a nostalgia act. He made just $1.5 million last season.