Atlanta Braves Spring Training Preview: Starting Rotation

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesFor each of the past several offseasons, we have heard a stated goal by the Atlanta Braves’ front office to add a top of the rotation arm. That happens to be a stated goal by many teams and isn’t an easy task to check off the to-do list. The Braves were never going to be an option for Gerrit Cole and fallback options like Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler and others did well in a surprisingly robust market. Atlanta’s lone rotation addition was veteran Cole Hamels, who was looking for an opportunity with a contender and signed on for a one-year deal worth $18 million. The Braves will be hoping that he can provide some veteran leadership for many of their young arms while eating innings as a mid-rotation piece. Atlanta lost two members of its 2019 rotation as Dallas Keuchel and Julio Teheran departed. Keuchel found a multi-year deal with the White Sox while the Braves declined Teheran’s $12 million option for the 2020 season.

…