Braves Pitching Dilemma have put to an end with new signing
If the Atlanta Braves decide to trade for a starting pitcher this offseason, the immediate gain might not cover the long-term damage.
Anytime you make a big trade and ship off your best prospects, you have to worry if that decision will come back to haunt you. Some Braves still get upset thinking about the haul they gave up for Mark Teixeira. And don’t even get them started on the J.D. Drew trade that sent Hall of Fame pitcher Adam Wainwright to the St. Louis Cardinals.
And while now we look back on what we gave up, some forget J.D. Drew put up an MVP-like season for the Braves in 2004 leading them to the postseason.
Tex had a .943 OPS over parts of two seasons with the Braves, but unfortunately didn’t get them to the postseason in 2007 and then was traded at the 2008 deadline for Casey Kotchman.
As the Braves clearly need help in the starting rotation now — and certainly after the 2024 season — they’re faced with that ever-present dilemma that all GMs face in going for short-term gain or building for the future.
Obviously, the Braves are in a position to win and should be at a point of going all-in.
But when it comes to the starting rotation, it goes a little deeper than that.
Pitchers are so volatile that if you traded for a Dylan Cease or Corbin Burnes, the odds are decent you might get next to nothing out of them and lose them after either one or two years.
If the Braves did trade for one of those starters, they’d likely have to give up at least one of AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep. Those are the Braves top two pitching prospects who have already advanced to the upper levels and on the verge of making a big league impact.
They both also come with pretty high ceilings as top of the rotation arms. It’s been a little bit since the Braves had a pair of arms like this in their system you could really get excited about.
Of course, my volatile comment regarding pitchers remains for pitching prospects. There is no guarantee that Smith-Shawver or Waldrep reach their high level of potential.
