Five free agent pitchers Braves could sign to replace Spencer Strider after injury news originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Atlanta Braves might be the most unlucky team in all of Major League Baseball already this season. Not only are they down Ha Seong Kim and Sena Murphy for most of the year, but their rotation has been decimated by injuries.
Before the season even started, the Braves were already down Spencer Schwellenbach, Joey Wentz, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep. But, to make matters even worse, Spencer Strider is now out for a while.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports Strider is beginning the season on the injured list with an oblique injury. That issue has made one thing clear: the Braves need pitching. These five free agent pitchers could be options for the Braves after the Strider news.
Braves could sign one of five SP free agents after Strider news
1. Lucas Giolito
The top option still on the free agent market is Lucas Giolito, the veteran righty who spent last season with the Boston Red Sox. Across 145 innings pitched last season for the Red Sox, Giolito had a 3.41 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 121 strikeouts.
If the Braves want to sign an impact starter this spring amid all of these pitching injuries, there’s no better option than Giolito.
2. Frankie Montas
Frankie Montas is another option the Braves could consider, as the 33-year-old veteran has been a decent starter in years past. However, last year with the New York Mets, he posted a 6.28 ERA in nine games.
He had a 4.84 ERA in 2024 with the Milwaukee Brewers and has, for the most part, been an okay pitcher in his MLB career. He’s a riskier signing with his struggles last year, but his experience makes him a viable option for the Braves.
More: Braves predicted to trade Bryce Elder for Lars Nootbaar
3. Nestor Cortes
The 31-year-old Nestor Cortes is a decent option for the Braves as well. While he didn’t pitch well for the San Diego Padres last season, posting a 6.29 ERA in eight games, his production in the previous few years was encouraging.
In the prior four years with the New York Yankees, Cortes posted ERAs of 3.77 in 2024, 4.97 in 2023, 2.44 in 2022, and 2.90 in 2021. He won’t be too expensive, and could be a solid veteran option to bolster the Braves’ injured rotation.
4. Tyler Anderson
While Montas and Cortes struggled last season, Tyler Anderson with the Los Angeles Angels wasn’t a terrible starter. In 27 starts, the 36-year-old had 104 strikeouts with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.
He’s not the best option, but the veteran starter wouldn’t be the worst option to get the Braves through the beginning of the year while they’re down a lot of key starters.
More: Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL for the Braves
5. Patrick Corbin
Lastly, the Braves could turn to an innings-eater in Patrick Corbin. He wouldn’t be the Braves’ best option, but the 36-year-old veteran has been one of the best in MLB, eating up innings in recent years.
This past season for the Texas Rangers, Corbin made 30 starts, posting 131 strikeouts, a 4.40 ERA over 151.1 innings pitched.
Braves’ best option in free agency is obvious
While they could sign any one of these starters, or find other options in free agency, the trade market, or call up a player from the minors, their best option is very obviously Giolito.
He makes too much sense for the Braves, as they needed starter help before the Strider injury, and Giolito would help stave off the injury issues, while also being a quality starter even once players return from injury.
More MLB news:
- Blue Jays sign Joe Mantiply to minor league contract
- Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki will return to rotation, not bullpen according Dave Roberts
- Alex Cora announces Caleb Durbin is Red Sox starting third baseman
- Reds’ Hunter Greene to be out until July amid brutal injury news
- Jesus Luzardo’s $135 million extension is a steal for Phillies
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