Anthopoulos Announces Majority of Rotation for Opening Day

Welcome to The North Port Report, your nightly notebook from Braves spring training. Each evening, we’ll run through the biggest developments from camp: roster battles, injury updates, standout performances, and the small details that matter more than they seem in February. The games may not count yet, but the information does.

Alex Anthopoulos held his usual spring media availability, which we’ll have a recap of in your inboxes tomorrow morning, but one thing we now know is the majority of Atlanta’s starting rotation. Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lòpez, and Grant Holmes will be the one through four, with an open battle for the #5 spot. As Bryce Elder’s out of options, look for him to be the favorite in the clubhouse as of now.

I find it interesting that AA all but admitted the plan was always to have Grant Holmes in the rotation if he were healthy, though. Does that mean that Bryce Elder was originally going to begin in the pen? I’d honestly have swapped those two, simply because we’ve seen Holmes work out of the pen and be valuable, while it’s an unfamiliar setting for Elder. In his entire professional career, the sinkerballer’s made 141 starts and two relief appearances, with one of those being a piggyback situation in the minors behind a rehabbing big leaguer.

Is a Chris Sale extension on the way? Anthopoulos and Sale both discussed wanting the veteran to finish his career in Atlanta, with Sale telling reporters, “I really like being here. These guys obviously gave me a shot and picked me up off the ground. I ended ’23 kind of limping into the offseason. Everyone has been great to me here and I really enjoy being here.” The lefthander’s contract is up after this season, and while he admits not knowing if he has “five more years or five more days,” he expects to spend them in Atlanta.

Speaking of Sale, he also told reporters that he doesn’t plan to ever challenge what he thinks might be a bad ball or strike call under the new ABS challenge system. “Catchers nowadays, the way they catch the ball, the way they receive, they make them all look like strikes.” By request, we’ll break down how that ABS system works on an upcoming podcast episode.

Per the AJC’s Gabe Burns, the player generating the most buzz in spring training is pitching prospect JR Ritchie. Burns relayed that he’s “very mature” and that there’s excitement around his eventual debut, which is expected to be sometime during the 2026 season.

Manager Walt Weiss is apparently a serious weightlifter, with Matt Olson and Sale both randomly pointing out that not only does Weiss get in a workout every day, but he’s also apparently outlifting several of the active players with movements like 315 lb squats. For what it’s worth, Weiss called it his “old fat guy workout.”

Drake Baldwin will be the second Braves player to sport a golden MLB logo on the back of his jersey, in honor of his Rookie of the Year win. The first was Chris Sale after winning the 2024 Cy Young.

Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Braves

With the news that Grant Holmes will start the season in the Opening Day rotation, that’s one less arm in the mix in the bullpen. Both of these two provide either the versatility (Suarez) or the past history of exemplary high-leverage performance (Karinchak) to earn a job.

With only one open rotation spot and last year’s innings leader, Bryce Elder, out of options, Waldrep’s likely destined for Gwinnett. It’s not the worst idea in the world to manage the youngster’s innings – even pitching him once a week instead of every fifth day can shave off one to two starts and 7-15 innings off of his season total per month he’s in the minors.

Last year’s combined 148 innings was the longest season of his career, both by innings and in calendar length, stretching from early February through the end of September. Being cautious with him early could pay dividends down the stretch and (hopefully) into October.

Ozzie Albies, certified good dude.

Ahead of reporting to Braves camp, he and his wife visited an Atlanta-area elementary school class because they wrote to him asking for recommendations for a fish to be their new class pet. Instead of just writing them back, he visited in person, gifting them one of his own fish as well as the tank and other supplies for it. He even took the time to set up the tank and teach the class the proper care techniques.

Baseball really is the best.

Position players will be rolling in ahead of Sunday’s first full squad workout. Who is in the best shape of their lives? My bet is on Eli White having put on a few pounds of muscle, potentially leading to a breakout season as he combines his blazing speed with some more pop.