If there’s one area of need for the Atlanta Braves this offseason, it remains on the mound.

What the Braves decide to do with the rest of free agency remains to be seen, but there are reasons to believe Alex Anthopoulos will be willing to open the checkbook for an ace-caliber arm.

Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball believes that starter could be one of the best on the market in Philadelphia Phillies free agent Ranger Suarez.

“The Braves could use a steady presence in the middle of their rotation, and also could use a second lefty to pair with Chris Sale. Likely priced out of the market for Framber Valdez, the Braves can shoot for Suarez, looking to poach from a division rival.

“Suarez fits in any rotation, giving him plenty of landing spots to choose from. You can make a case that Suarez should be the No. 1 priority for both the Braves and the Tigers this offseason; it is just a matter of which team aggressively bids to make it happen,” he wrote.

The Braves adding an arm of Suarez’s caliber would be one thing, but stealing him away from the Phillies would be an even bigger boost, both for the division race and potentially in October.

It’s always tough to say one player changes everything for an organization, but Suarez absolutely has the ability to change a postseason series if his stuff looks anything like it did in 2022 and 2023.

Braves predicted to steal Phillies ace with new $110 million contract image

If there’s one area of need for the Atlanta Braves this offseason, it remains on the mound.

What the Braves decide to do with the rest of free agency remains to be seen, but there are reasons to believe Alex Anthopoulos will be willing to open the checkbook for an ace-caliber arm.

Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball believes that starter could be one of the best on the market in Philadelphia Phillies free agent Ranger Suarez.

“The Braves could use a steady presence in the middle of their rotation, and also could use a second lefty to pair with Chris Sale. Likely priced out of the market for Framber Valdez, the Braves can shoot for Suarez, looking to poach from a division rival.

“Suarez fits in any rotation, giving him plenty of landing spots to choose from. You can make a case that Suarez should be the No. 1 priority for both the Braves and the Tigers this offseason; it is just a matter of which team aggressively bids to make it happen,” he wrote.

The Braves adding an arm of Suarez’s caliber would be one thing, but stealing him away from the Phillies would be an even bigger boost, both for the division race and potentially in October.

It’s always tough to say one player changes everything for an organization, but Suarez absolutely has the ability to change a postseason series if his stuff looks anything like it did in 2022 and 2023.