The Braves need to strengthen their rotation; it’s just a question of how Alex Anthopoulos plans to approach it.
Atlanta will not only be without Spencer Strider for part of the 2025 season, but they may also need to fill the gaps left by Charlie Morton and Max Fried. While Morton might return on a one-year contract to delay retirement, it’s widely anticipated that Fried will sign with another team in free agency.
In general, Anthopoulos tends to excel in the trade market, but that doesn’t rule out his interest in exploring free agency. If Atlanta’s GM opts for that route, there are multiple tiers of starting pitchers available to consider.
The Braves are set to replace Max Fried by signing Jack Flaherty to a three-year, $60 million deal, which includes an opt-out option after the 2026 season.
Ironically, in this scenario, Flaherty steps in to replace his former high school teammate in Atlanta. Back in 2019, he seemed poised to become one of baseball’s top pitchers, finishing in the top five of NL Cy Young voting at only 23 years old. However, like we’ve seen with many players, injuries and inconsistency have hindered his progress.
In the following four seasons from 2020 to 2023, he struggled with a disappointing 4.42 ERA. His performance hit a low point in Baltimore after being traded at the 2023 deadline, where he recorded a rough 6.75 ERA. He then entered free agency after the Orioles were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Rangers.
In free agency, the Tigers took a gamble last offseason, signing him to a one-year, $14 million deal, and it couldn’t have gone better for both parties. Splitting his season between Detroit and Los Angeles, Jack Flaherty achieved a 3.17 ERA over 162 innings, ultimately helping his hometown team reach the World Series.
The Braves rarely pay full price for talent, so any deal for Flaherty would come with the expectation that he could exceed his 2024 performance. And who could argue? The upside of a move like this is enormous.
As he approaches his age-29 season, one of the biggest perks of signing Flaherty is that the Braves wouldn’t have to forfeit draft compensation, since he wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer after his midseason trade.
The contract Flaherty signed with the Tigers has the feel of an Alex Anthopoulos move, but there are still plenty of reasons why the Braves might pursue him this offseason.
