It has been beaten to death at this point that the Atlanta Braves could use some more starting pitching. That was the case before the start of spring training when they were constantly connected to almost every free agent arm, and that urgency was redoubled after early spring training injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. The problem, of course, is that the offseason is all but over, and there are few available pitchers left worth having.
Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt were popular names in the rumor mill late in the offseason, but the Braves apparently have had little interest in Giolito, and Bassitt ended up landing with the Orioles. After that, you get into the Max Scherzer's ghost tier, although it sounds like he is more likely to sign at midseason and is definitely way past his prime.
However, there is one free agent arm that is still available and, given what the Braves need for their rotation, he could be exactly what Atlanta has been looking for. That arm's name is Zach Littell, and he would give the Braves a reliable, if unexciting, rotation arm when they need one the most.
Free agent Zach Littell may be the arm the Braves need right now, even if he wasn't what they were hoping for
Here is the problem the Braves currently face. When they had some starting pitching depth, they could afford to be picky. If a free agent wasn't an upgrade over their viable internal starter options or were marginal upgrades accompanied by high cost, there was little reason to sign them. However, that depth is gone now, and so are most of the arms that would fit the bill for the Braves at this moment in time.
Littell isn't a perfect fit for Atlanta. He doesn't have power stuff, nor does he strike out a lot of batters. However, what he DOES do is throw a ton of strikes, get guys to swing at what pitches he does throw out of the zone, and eat innings. Is that sexy? No, it is not, but the Braves are just trying to survive the early portion of the season and avoid a repeat of the dumpster fire that was the first half of 2025.
That said, there is a tweak that needs to be made to Littell's game. Despite not being a flamethrower, Littell's four-seam fastball grades out pretty well, and his splitter is a nice change of pace. However, opposing hitters hit .290 against his slider with a .549 slugging percentage, and that is the pitch he has thrown the most over the last three seasons. He either needs to change how he is throwing it or needs to throw it less. Otherwise, Littell isn't going to be as helpful as the Braves would need him to be.
Again, those looking for the perfect solution are going to be disappointed at this point. The Braves still need to hope that Waldrep and Schwellenbach rebound quickly from their respective surgeries. In the meantime, Atlanta could do a lot worse than Littell.