A middle of the rotation starter
The final item on our Christmas Wishlist, is the most desired one by fans. With a team as powerful as the Braves, adding a middle of the rotation arm is the cherry on top. Not many of those guys are available, and good pitching is one of the most costly things to acquire.
However, Alex Anthopoulos has made Christmas miracles happen before, so why not one more? If he wants to go the free agent route it's going to cost him serious money. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are the last big fish out there and fit the mold of a number two starter more so. Probably best to assume they will be out of the Braves desired price range.
Marcus Stroman feels like a happy consolation in the 3/4 slot in your rotation, but at a soon to be 33 years-old, I'm not sure Anthopoulos will want to give him a deal with the amount of years he is looking for.
This is when we turn toward the trade market, and utilizing those trade chips you have. Dylan Cease comes with two years of control, and is going to cost you serious trade capital, but his talent makes such a deal very enticing. Shane Bieber wouldn't cost as much to acquire, but you wouldn't feel as comfortable giving him a postseason start.
As always, there are guys we haven't even listed that AA and his front office are looking at, so we're not ruling out a shocking blue-screen post with info on a pitcher we have yet to mention. All of it is wishful thinking for sure, and if the season started today the Braves would be one of the favorites. However, it's not impossible to get last minute Christmas shopping done.
With that said, all of us here at House That Hank Built, would like to thank all of you for following along with the content on our favorite team all year. Stay tuned for more Braves content in the very near future, and until then enjoy a very happy holiday season.