![\"Arizona](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P46XXNHG2ZA2DO52FB5RJJVWG4.jpg\")
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)(Rick Scuteri | AP)Trade candidates<\/p>\nATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – General Manager and President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos, in light of a successful offseason, has emphasized that the Atlanta Braves are still in the market for at least one more starting pitcher.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been slow as of late \u2014 your typical offseason lull \u2014 but the Braves came out firing on all cylinders and accomplished nearly everything on their checklist.<\/p>\n
They went out and signed Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias \u2014 two of the top relievers in the game \u2014 to anchor the bullpen. They also re-signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, one of the best free-agent shortstops available, and improved the lineup\u2019s flexibility with the additions of infielder Mauricio Dub\u00f3n and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski.<\/p>\n
The Braves\u2019 rotation currently consists of Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider and a mix of Reynaldo L\u00f3pez, Hurston Waldrep, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Joey Wentz. Due to season-ending injuries to L\u00f3pez and Holmes, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see either in the bullpen come opening day. Elder, who was strong down the stretch in 2025, is out of minor league options. The 23-year-old Waldrep, who turned heads with his performance during his rookie campaign, would likely fill that fifth spot on opening day if the team opts to work with its internal options.<\/p>\n
There are numerous possibilities, but after the team saw nearly every arm go down with an injury in 2025, it\u2019s no surprise the Braves are looking for another arm to bolster an already impressive rotation.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at potential additions the Braves could make as the offseason nears its end.<\/p>\n
Top three free agents<\/p>\n
An addition of Zac Gallen, Ranger Suarez or Framber Valdez would immediately put the Braves among the league\u2019s top contenders, but these three are seeking a good sum of money for a reason.<\/p>\n
The only issue is that each of these three starters received a qualifying offer, meaning that by signing any of these starters, the Braves would lose their 26th overall pick in next summer\u2019s MLB draft as well as the bonus pool money attached to this pick.<\/p>\n
Gallen, following two Cy Young-caliber seasons for Arizona from 2022-23, accumulated just 3.7 WAR during the last two seasons, but has a track record of eating innings and showing durability. Suarez, an ace with the division rival Philadelphia Phillies, is also 30, but pitched much better than Gallen did last season, recording a 3.20 ERA in 157.1 innings and dominating the first two months of the season (1.30 ERA in June). Valdez pitched to a 3.66 ERA in 192 innings and is one of two hurlers (Logan Webb) to complete at least 175 innings while recording an ERA under 3.70 in each of the last four seasons.<\/p>\n
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)(Rick Scuteri | AP)Trade candidates<\/p>\n
Multiple starters have surfaced in the rumor mill. Tarik Skubal (Tigers), MacKenzie Gore (Nationals), Freddy Peralta (Brewers), Mitch Keller (Pirates), Kris Bubic (Royals), Nick Pivetta (Padres) and Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos (Blue Jays) have all been mentioned.<\/p>\n
There is a growing expectation that Milwaukee will move Peralta before the start of the season, and his acquisition would likely require a smaller return than a top-tier arm such as Skubal or Gore. Peralta posted a career-best 2.70 ERA in 33 starts for Milwaukee last year and will be a free agent after the 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n
![\"Milwaukee](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/YYGTBCLZRNAD7E3UQDRV34MF6U.jpg\")
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta walks to the dugout after the top of the fifth inning in Game 2 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo\/Brynn Anderson)(Brynn Anderson | AP)<\/p>\n
Keller is currently under contract through 2028 and is owed roughly $55 million until then. The Pirates are likely looking for a decent return for a right-hander who has pitched more than 175 innings in each of the last three seasons.<\/p>\n
The veterans<\/p>\n
Chris Bassitt, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are strong candidates for one-year deals. Verlander and Scherzer, two future Hall of Famers, are on the brink of retirement and are likely looking for one-year deals to extend their careers.<\/p>\n
Verlander finished strong in 2025, posting a 1.78 ERA in his final six starts of the season. Scherzer, however, dealt with a hand injury for most of the year, posting a 5.19 ERA in 17 regular-season starts for Toronto. Bassitt is 37, but has made 30 or more starts over the last four seasons.<\/p>\n
Right-handers Zack Littell and Lucas Giolito could also fill the back end of the rotation for a reasonable price. Littell, 30, recorded a 3.81 ERA in 186.2 innings for Tampa Bay last season, while Giolito, 31, had a 1.29 WHIP in 145 innings with Boston.<\/p>\n
OFFSEASON COVERAGE<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – General Manager and President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos, in light of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":512278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2394],"tags":[191,46,67779,67778,37307,4206,4166,67780,5,192,19637,51900,10567,67784,4914,79,67788,67783,62104,7906,388,67785,771,19,381,67789,4,2046,51898,67782,67781,90,67787,10212,86,67786,5170],"class_list":{"0":"post-512277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-braves","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-braves","10":"tag-atlanta-braves-mascot","11":"tag-atlanta-braves-pitchers","12":"tag-atlanta-braves-rumors","13":"tag-atlanta-braves-news","14":"tag-atlantabraves","15":"tag-atlantabraves-com","16":"tag-baseball","17":"tag-braves","18":"tag-braves-news","19":"tag-braves-offseason","20":"tag-braves-pitchers","21":"tag-chris-bassitt-stats","22":"tag-edward-cabrera","23":"tag-framber-valdez","24":"tag-framber-valdez-orioles","25":"tag-freddy-peralta-trade","26":"tag-free-agent-pitchers","27":"tag-jordan-montgomery","28":"tag-justin-verlander","29":"tag-littel","30":"tag-mackenzie-gore","31":"tag-major-league-baseball","32":"tag-max-scherzer","33":"tag-max-scherzer-news","34":"tag-mlb","35":"tag-mlb-free-agency","36":"tag-mlb-free-agents","37":"tag-mlb-offseason-grades","38":"tag-mlb-trades-this-offseason","39":"tag-ranger-suarez","40":"tag-ranger-suarez-contract","41":"tag-scherzer","42":"tag-zac-gallen","43":"tag-zac-gallen-stats","44":"tag-zack-littell"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=512277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/512277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/512278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=512277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=512277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=512277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}