Another swing and a miss for the Atlanta Braves — and not a swing-and-miss pitcher that they’re acquiring. As has been a theme for Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves throughout the winter and free agency, another target, this time Max Scherzer, is off the board. On Thursday, Scherzer signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays and now Atlanta and Anthopoulos still need answers.

Armed with last year’s NL Cy Young winner, Chris Sale, at the top, the Braves rotation is something that fans can feel confident in when it comes to the first three days. Sale was dominant in 2024 with no signs of slowing back down, Reynaldo Lopez was a vision as he converted from reliever to starter, and young Spencer Schwellenbach came on extremely strong at the end of last season with high hopes going into 2025. We also know how dominant Spencer Strider was prior to his injury but his return date remains a bit uncertain.

It’s after that trio (plus Strider) at the top where things get a bit tricky. With the departures of Max Fried and Charlie Morton, the Braves would currently be relying on Grant Holmes, Hurston Waldrep and Ian Anderson to fill out the rest of the rotation. With the powerful state of the NL East, that’s almost definitely not going to cut it — or isn’t something to feel confident in going into the 2025 Braves season.

Having said that, missing on Scherzer doesn’t leave Anthopoulos and Atlanta out of options. They do, however, need to move quickly for one of these four backup plans (if not multiple) to avoid falling behind in the division race.

4. Nick Pivetta isn’t sexy but the Braves staff could maximize him

It’s always worth noting that the Braves don’t need a No. 1 or No. 2 starter. While no one in Atlanta would turn that down if it happened organically, it’s simply not necessary with what we can reasonably expect from Sale and Lopez at the top. Perhaps the bigger question is if the club would feel more confident in Schwellenbach as the No. 3 or 4 option in the rotation. Nick Pivetta could be the middle ground there.

Red Sox fans throughout baseball can tell you that Pivetta can be an infuriating proposition that even his 4.33 ERA and 1.242 WHIP over the past four seasons doesn’t fully indicate. There are times when he’s looked like a dominant right-handed force and others when he can’t get a single guy out. At the same time, the stuff continues to look like it has untapped potential.

The Braves have done an overall excellent job in developing pitchers and getting the best out of them in many capacities. Depending on the price tag for Pivetta, that could absolutely be a worthwhile risk for Atlanta, especially when only inserting him into the back end of this rotation.

3. Erick Fedde could be a smart trade if the Cardinals will listen

There are certainly more eye-popping potential trade targets who could be moved before Opening Day than Erick Fedde. However, the Cardinals right-hander offers an intriguing opportunity for the Braves, both in terms of what he could mean to their rotation and at how easily a deal could potentially be found with the situation that John Mozeliak and St. Louis currently find themselves in.

Between the Chicago White Sox and the Cards, who he was dealt to at the trade deadline, last season, Fedde pitched to a 3.30 ERA with a 1.162 WHIP over 31 starts after he played the 2023 season in Korea. He may not possess the untapped upside of someone like Pivetta but, at the same time, he does have a pretty obviously higher floor based on how he pitched last season.

2. Jack Flaherty is Atlanta’s best option remaining in free agency

Then we get to the St. Louis part of the equation, which can be to the Braves’ advantage. This is an organization actively looking to shed payroll and tear things down. It doesn’t appear that a Nolan Arenado trade will materialize, which ultimately would make someone like Fedde more expendable, even on an already reasonable salary. Anthopoulos could take advantage of that and upgrade the rotation in a meaningful way with the veteran.

There seems to be a pretty clear consensus that the best free agent starter still unsigned this offseason is Jack Flaherty, fresh off his World Series victory with the Dodgers. While that franchise certainly isn’t popular in Atlanta, the hard-throwing right-hander could be after putting together a true bounce-back effort overall between Detroit and LA last year after bouncing around quite a bit in playing for four teams in the past two years combined.

Flaherty threw to a 3.17 ERA and 1.068 WHIP last season across 28 regular-season starts for the Tigers and Dodgers. While he did have some questionable moments in the postseason, the Braves aren’t a team that would be eyeing to make him the face of their rotation. That’s something that could be mutually beneficial with a reasonable price tag for Atlanta but also far less pressure being put on Flaherty in joining the Braves rotation.

Perhaps the biggest downside with Flaherty given the time of the offseason and the pitching market might be potential competition for his services. Even still, that market should light a fire under Anthopoulos to answer one of the biggest questions about what Atlanta needs for the 2025 season.

1. Michael King or Dylan Cease trades are the white wale for the Braves

If the Braves want to think about just getting the best pitcher they possibly can, then calling the San Diego Padres about either Michael King or Dylan Cease, both of whom have been mentioned as potential trade candidates throughout the offseason. And while the reported asking price (the Cubs asked for Matt Shaw and more) will certainly be high, it could be a deal that ultimately works for Atlanta.

King, in the final year of club control, came over from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade to throw to a stellar 2.95 ERA and 1.192 WHIP over 30 starts last season, living up to his potential. Cease, already a Cy Young contender in his young career, is also in the final year of club control. His highs might’ve been higher with a no-hitter to his credit but still overall was phenomenal with a 3.47 ERA and 1.067 WHIP. Plus, who wouldn’t love the Milton, GA native coming back closer to home?

The Padres offer the chance for the Braves to upgrade their rotation. Having King or Cease with Sale, Lopez, Schwellenbach and hopefully Strider at some point would be nasty and give Atlanta the arsenal necessary to not just win the loaded division but perhaps even challenge the Dodgers for the NL pennant.