The Atlanta Braves have already had a fairly successful offseason, re-signing closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year deal, and inking All-Star reliever Robert Suarez and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to multi-year deals. However, the teams still have not checked off starting pitching from their wish list.
Although starting pitcher Merrill Kelly was never explicitly linked to the Braves, his reliability as a middle-of-the-rotation arm was no doubt along the lines of what Atlanta was searching for. However, after the DBacks reunited with Kelly, the true price of starting pitching started to reveal itself.
Merrill Kelly's new deal might have set the price tag for starters into uncomfortable territory for the Braves
It would be selling Kelly slightly short if he was lumped in with starters like his new teammate and former Brave Michael Soroka, who just signed for $7.