There was a short window of time where it seemed possible that the Atlanta Braves would defy their own history with Japanese free agents and land Tatsuya Imai. Sadly, it was not to be as the Astros ended up signing Imai to a deal that was apparently outside of the Braves' comfort zone. With that development, the odds the Braves actually sign an impact starter this offseason plummeted unless they truly are willing to give up a first round pick for a guy like Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez.
However, it isn't just the external options that the Braves have to be weighing here. While a rotation upgrade would certainly be welcome, the fact is that Atlanta has enough starters to field a strong rotation right now with Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, and Hurston Waldrep along with a hopefully healthy Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes.
Complicating matters now that Imai is no longer an option is that prospect JR Ritchie has a clearer path to starting the 2026 season on the big league roster.
JR Ritchie could have an opening after Braves miss out on Tatsuya Imai
While some have Cam Caminiti ranked higher on their Braves' prospects lists, Ritchie is right there with him and is certainly the Atlanta starting pitching prospect who is the most ready for the big leagues at the moment. The 2025 season was Ritchie's breakout year when he not only started the Futures Game, but he put together a stellar full season of work with a 2.64 ERA across 26 starts.
Before the Imai saga was even on Braves' fans radars, Ritchie was already getting buzz as a potential 2026 rotation option either right out of camp or at some point next season. His combination of stuff, performance, and competitiveness has made him a sleeper candidate to push for Rookie of the Year votes whenever he gets called up. With the new PPI system that the Braves just benefitted from with Drake Baldwin's ROY win, the argument for giving Ritchie a shot early just keeps getting better and better.
Just like that, the Braves' best rotation option when you look at costs and benefits for one of those last two rotation spots may very well be Ritchie, but only if he shows up this season healthy and ready to shove. That is a lot of pressure for a young guy to have before the start of 2026, but passing on Imai took a major option off the table and now it is up to Ritchie to force his way further into the conversation.