It’s anyone’s guess at this point what the Atlanta Braves do about the fifth slot in their rotation.

When Spencer Strider comes back at some point early in the year, he’ll join Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Reynaldo López as rotation locks. But with the loss of Max Fried to the New York Yankees, it’s unclear how the final spot will be filled.

The Braves could look internally, but the options include a bunch of pitchers who spent last year in Triple-A. The alternatives are trades and free agency, and so far, the Braves have been awfully quiet on both fronts this winter.

As things stand, Jack Flaherty, formerly of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the biggest name left on the market. But big names often get big contracts, and that hasn’t been the Braves’ style with free agents as of late.

Instead, Erik Kratz of Foul Territory predicted earlier this week that Atlanta would sign former Boston Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta, who is often projected as a sneaky breakout candidate because of his high swing-and-miss rates.

“I feel like (the Braves aren’t) going to get Flaherty,” Kratz said. “Atlanta is a place where (Pivetta) can go in, they don’t need to expect too much of him, but I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by what he gets in free agency.”

Entering his age-32 season, Pivetta has never had a full, quality season in his big-league career. But he strikes out over 10 batters per nine innings and if he can cut down on his home run problem (28 allowed last season), he might turn into a star.

Pivetta was paid $7.5 million last season in his final year of arbitration, and declined the $21.05 million qualifying offer from Boston in November. That means any team that signs him forfeits their second-round pick, which is an unfortunate detractor that could be preventing teams from making their move.

Eventually, though, Pivetta will find a home. And if that home is in Atlanta, the rest of the league should be very worried about what the Braves can turn him into.

More MLB: Cubs projected as ‘biggest threat’ to Mets’ ability to keep 4-time All-Star