The holes in the Braves starting rotation and bullpen could be next. That’s what general manager Alex Anthopoulos indicated following the Profar signing on Jan. 23.
There’s no guarantee, though, that the Braves will add a free agent pitcher to their staff this offseason. Anthopoulos suggested to reporters that any starting pitcher they sign has to be clearly better than Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson.
As the Braves starting rotation stands, Holmes and Anderson are projected to be the No. 4 and 5 starters on Opening Day. One of them will then presumably move into the team’s spot starter role once Spencer Strider returns from Tommy John surgery.
Holmes pitched well in limited opportunities for the Braves in 2024. He went 2-1 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.185 WHIP and 70 strikeouts over 68.1 innings in 26 appearances. Seven of those appearances were starts.
As a starter, he registered a 4.01 ERA, 1.248 WHIP and .250 batting average against in 33.2 innings.
It makes sense for the Braves not to pursue a starting pitcher unless he is an upgrade over Holmes. If the starting pitcher Atlanta could sign isn’t significantly better, it’s not a good use of financial resources.
However, there are likely few in Braves Country who don’t consider free agent pitchers such as Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta significantly better than Anderson.
Anderson last pitched to a 5.00 ERA in 22 games during the 2022 season. He went 10-6 but also had a 1.513 WHIP and 4.4 BB/9 rate. He averaged under eight strikeouts per nine innings too.
The 26-year-old fared a little better in the minor leagues last year. He posted a 3.96 ERA and 1.433 WHIP in 10 outings at Triple-A. But he continued to struggle with walks, giving out 4.6 free bases every nine innings.
Still, The Athletic’s David O’Brien tweeted that if had to guess, the Braves will sign a reliever and not a starter before Opening Day.
The Braves lost A.J. Minter to the New York Mets in free agency and haven’t re-signed veteran middle reliever Jesse Chavez. Furthermore, setup man Joe Jiménez underwent offseason knee surgery and could miss the entire 2025 season.
At least in the rotation, the Braves have some upside for the back end of their rotation with Holmes and Anderson. The bullpen just has holes.
But having officially joined the MLB free agency party after signing Profar, there’s still time for the Braves to make another signing for bullpen depth.