The Atlanta Braves struggled with pitching depth in 2024 and their situation has only gotten worse. Ace Spencer Strider likely won’t be back until around the mid-season mark. Max Fried and Charlie Morton have both left in free agency and the Braves haven’t done anything to replace this production.
Atlanta will need to add a few pitchers before the season begins if it plans on competing with the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently predicted the Braves to swing a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire starting pitcher Erick Fedde.
Here’s the deal pitched by Reuter that would send Fedde to the Braves:
- Atlanta Braves receive: RHP Erick Fedde
- St. Louis Cardinals receive: RHP Bryce Elder
“Right-hander Erick Fedde returned from a wildly successful stint in the KBO last season on a two-year, $15 million deal with the Chicago White Sox, and he pitched well enough to be an in-demand trade chip, eventually landing in St. Louis on his way to posting a 3.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 154 strikeouts in 177.1 innings,” Reuter wrote. “With a team-friendly $7.5 million salary, he is a logical target for any team looking to add a quality arm to the middle of the rotation.
“The Atlanta Braves could opt to rely on some combination of Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Dylan Dodd, and Davis Daniel to fill the holes in the rotation created by the departures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton.”
The Braves need stability in their starting rotation more than anything. While Fedde is still a bit of a question mark, he’s much more of a sure thing than Elder is.
Elder pitched himself out of Atlanta with his performance in 2024. A career reset with a rebuilding team like the Cardinals would be best for the young righty.
This is the kind of trade that pushes both teams in the direction they’re trying to go.
