The Atlanta Braves may not need to make a significant trade before Opening Day, but it’s safe to assume Braves fans would enjoy one.
After a season marred by injuries in 2024, Atlanta’s prognosis for 2025 is significantly brighter if all of their stars return healthy. However, there is one area that clearly requires improvement.
Max Fried, a two-time All-Star starting pitcher, left Atlanta this winter to join the New York Yankees, leaving a void in the Braves’ rotation. While there are internal candidates to replace Fried, the most of them will play in Triple-A during the 2024 season.
If the Braves are still looking for a free agent to replace Fried, Jack Flaherty must be toward the top of their list. The 2024 World Series winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be the best starting pitcher who has yet to find a team for the next season.
In a recent TikTok video, content creator Steven Russell predicted that the Braves will sign Flaherty, who is expected to sign a four-year contract worth $92 million (The Athletic).
“The Braves have been awfully quiet, which is why I think they’re going to swoop in and get Jack Flaherty,” Russell told me.
Flaherty, 29, had a rebound season in 2024 after signing a one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers. In 29 starts and 162 innings, he posted a 3.17 ERA and 194 strikeouts, his highest total since 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s usually risky to spend a large sum of money to a free agent who recently had a successful walk year but has somewhat erratic career statistics. The Braves, on the other hand, are known for getting the most out of their seasoned starting pitchers.
Consider a Braves rotation that includes Flaherty, Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Spencer Strider. Nobody wants to face that squad in a seven-game series in October.
