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Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos
Don’t look now, but MLB spring training camps are about to open. It was a quick offseason for the Atlanta Braves and the rest of the league. It was an active one in terms of free agency, but there are still some free agents who have yet to sign.
As far as pitching goes, Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros has yet to sign. He is the biggest name remaining after Dylan Cease (Toronto Blue Jays) and Ranger Suárez (Boston Red Sox) signed. After Vladez, the other remaining arms are depth pieces for rotations, looking for them. The Braves could use another arm, whether that’s Valdez or someone else. If they look to add an arm, there is one who is available who could fill a massive need.
Atlanta Braves Predicted to Sign Lucas Giolito
When healthy, the Braves have as good a top-of-the-rotation as there is in the National League East. Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Spencer Strider are a legit top 3. Adding another arm would lengthen out the rotation, and Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has predicted Atlanta will sign Red Sox free agent right-hander Lucas Giolito to be their fourth starter on Opening Day.
“The Braves have recently been linked to veteran starters Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt, and both would provide a workhorse veteran presence to a staff that has its fair share of injury concerns and unproven young arms. Something in the two-year, $40 million range might get a deal done for either option,” Reuter wrote.
Atlanta can’t go wrong with either Giolito or Chris Bassitt, but Giolito is someone who could really solidify their rotation. There are health questions surrounding Giolito after he missed Boston’s American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees with an elbow injury. However, he’s expected to be ready for spring training.
If there is a rotation that is used to dealing with injuries and having to adjust, it’s the Braves. Despite all of that, Giolito is a depth piece that would help Atlanta compete in what is turning into a deep NL East.
Atlanta Braves Need Lucas Giolito For Rotation Depth
When Giolito signed with Boston, they knew he was missing the 2024 season with an injury. They still took a chance on him, and it paid off in 2025.
In 26 starts for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Giolito went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA. He worked 145 innings one year after surgery with 121 strikeouts and 56 walks. He had a 2.1 WAR, which was his best since 2023. Atlanta would sign up for those numbers as a No. 4 starter, as Reuter predicted.
Other internal candidates, according to Reuter, are Grant Holmes, Reynaldo López, Joey Wentz, Didier Fuentes, and Bryce Elder. Those are certainly options that the Braves have, but if they want to contend this season, adding a veteran arm, whether it’s Giolito, Bassitt, or Valdez, is the move they need to make. The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be good, and the New York Mets improved, but the Braves might still be the third-best in the division. Adding another arm could put them over the top when healthy.
Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche
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