The Braves didn’t have too many players set to test free agency this offseason, but the ones that did were integral pieces that have all been with the organization for at least four years.
Two of those guys have already signed with new teams — Max Fried and Charlie Morton — creating a massive void in the rotation. Fried was always expected to garner a contract that was too rich for the Braves’ blood, but Charlie Morton on a one-year, $15 million deal seemed like a more than fair offer for a durable veteran that has made 30 or more starts in each of his four seasons with the team.
Regardless, both are off to greener pastures now, and the Braves have a lot of production to replace. Max Fried made 29 starts in 2024, compiling a 3.25 ERA over 174.1 innings. Charlie Morton made 30 starts with a 4.19 ERA over 165.1 innings. Combined, the two pitchers accounted for 59 starts over 162 regular season games and 339.2 innings that have to be replaced next season, and to this point, the Braves haven’t made a single addition to their pitching staff.
That’s not even including the additional innings the Braves stand to lose with A.J. Minter potentially leaving in free agency, and Joe Jiménez possibly out for the season. Those two covered 103 innings for the Braves last season, bringing the total to 442.2 innings that need to be replaced by new faces in 2025.
Of course, the expectation is for Spencer Strider to cover a lot of those, but there’s really no way of knowing how effective he’ll be after such a significant injury. On top of that, he’ll surely be monitored closely and likely on some sort of innings limit. Considering Strider is already projected to miss the first month of the season, he’ll likely be good for somewhere around 130 innings at most next season if he stays healthy.
That still leaves over 300 innings left to cover, and while some internal candidates offer some promise, asking the likes of AJ Smith-Shawver, Grant Holmes, and Daysbel Hernandez to reliably cover 300+ innings isn’t even wishful thinking. It’s insanity. The Braves must make some additions to their pitching staff before the start of the season.
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
