Braves Named A Top Landing Spot for Dodgers Free-Agent Starter

The Atlanta Braves are still seen as a top landing spot for one of the top free-agent starting pitchers remaining on the market. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly named them the No. 2 landing spot for Jack Flaherty.

Only the Detroit Tigers, who signed and ultimately traded Flaherty last season, are ahead of them. The Braves were ranked ahead of the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres.

“Considering they've lost both Morton and Max Fried this winter, Atlanta still makes a ton of sense for the 29-year-old righty,” Kelly wrote.

Kelly already likes the Braves starting rotation as is, saying that it could be “one of the best in baseball.”

However, there is always an injury risk, especially with Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez. The pitching depth they have, the better.

“And if the Braves...end up with six or seven starters, so be it. As they found out last season, health can be fleeting in baseball.”

No argument there. No team ever needs just five starters in a season. The Braves could end up needing more than six or seven starters. So, the Braves would benefit from signing Flaherty.

They’ve shown some interest recently, but it has yet to materialize into any serious push to sign him.

Flaherty is coming off a strong bounce-back season with the Detroit Tigers and then the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was flipped to the Dodgers at the deadline and went on to win his first career World Series ring.

Across 28 regular season starts, Flaherty had a 3.17 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, a 127 ERA+ and 194 strikeouts in 162 innings pitched. He did struggle come postseason time with a 7.36 ERA in five starts.

The Braves' lack of activity also means they have money at their disposal to sign him that other teams might no longer have. A recent change in his approach to free agency could open the door to a friendlier deal for the Braves.

He, alongside free-agent outfielder Jack Flaherty, is willing to take a short-term contract with high average annual value if it comes down to it. In the report from Ken Rosenthal, this would likely entail a multi-year deal that has a one-year opt-out.

A shorter-term deal would be much better for the Braves, even if it pushes them past the luxury tax threshold for next season. But they’ve shown a willingness to do so in the right scenario - and being strategic is why nothing has happened so far.