If you were to look at what the Atlanta Braves did during the regular season, you'd probably say, “What needs to be fixed?” The Braves were one of the most productive teams offensively in all of baseball in 2023. Yet, once everything was reset back to zero for the postseason, Atlanta's high-powered offense quickly lost juice and was put out in just four games in the NLDS to NL East rival, the Philadelphia Phillies. So how do you fix what is already a talented team that just can't seem to get past the first round of the playoffs now, after winning the World Series just two years ago?
The Braves are simply too talented not to be contending for the World Series for the next several seasons. They have a core group that's ready to compete every year. However, what's kept the Braves from moving past their division rivals and into the later stages of the MLB Playoffs the past two seasons has been their pitching.
Going into the 2022 postseason, the Braves had Spencer Strider coming off an oblique injury, while Max Fried was coming off illness. For the 2023 postseason, the Braves likewise had Fried coming off the injured list from a blister on his throwing hand, Charlie Morton completely out of the NLDS with another finger issue, and Kyle Wright done for the season.
The Braves seemed to reluctantly take on the club option for the 40-year-old Morton a few weeks ago, knowing that starting pitching is a glaring issue coming into 2024. They'll once again be without Kyle Wright, who will miss the entire 2024 season coming off shoulder surgery, with only Strider, Fried, and Morton as for sure starters. The once-promising Ian Anderson will still be recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Bryce Elder, who had a solid first half that earned him an All-Star appearance, was shaky down the stretch, including the postseason, where he gave up six earned runs on five hits in 2 2/3 innings pitched, per StatMuse.
So what do the Braves need to do to fix these pitching woes? It's pretty simple, really: go get starting pitching.
Go get Jordan Montgomery
Jordan Montgomery is coming off winning the World Series with the Texas Rangers, where he was all too impressive. During the 2023 postseason, he was 3-1, with a 2.90 ERA and 17 strikeouts. The question with Montgomery and seemingly anyone that the Braves attempt to sign is their price. The Braves aren't big spenders, and if they are, it's on short-term deals. Plus, they're on the cusp of hitting the luxury tax threshold, which I'm sure general manager Alex Anthopoulos is wanting to avoid.
Out of the available pitchers on the free-agent market this offseason, which includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the Japanese League, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, and Jordan Montgomery, the former Rangers pitcher could be the best option.
For one, it certainly wouldn't hurt having another left-hander in the rotation. Also, Montgomery is nearly a completely different pitcher than anyone on the Braves rotation currently. Strider, Fried, and Morton are known mostly as swing-and-miss pitchers, while Montgomery is a contact pitcher that can wear down opposing lineups.
Make necessary trades where possible
While the Braves' beat writer Jeff Schultz made some eye-popping trade suggestions over at The Athletic that included trading the likes of Ozzie Albies and/or Michael Harris II, I'm not going that extreme. While the Braves certainly need to look into the trade market, most likely for another starting pitcher, if one of the available free agents isn't in their price range, they don't have to trade away their most valuable offensive pieces.
Maybe the Braves look into trading Vaughn Grissom, Marcell Ozuna, or one of their top prospects in AJ Smith-Shawver. One name to look at in a potential trade would be Boston Red Sox's pitcher Nick Pivetta.
Pivetta will be 31 years old in February and is projected to make $6.9 million. He's certainly not the sexiest of picks like that of Montgomery, given that he split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation, posting a 4.04 ERA and a 10-9 record, but he could still be valuable on the back end of the rotation.
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