WANTED: Braves need starting pitching

The Braves have played only five games in this weird, shortened season. And yet, there is one thing we can already say with certainty.

They are going to need another starting pitcher.

The depth that we thought was there has disappeared. Cole Hamels is hurt. Felix Hernandez opted out. Mike Foltynewicz is gone.

Touki Toussaint could get the first shot to replace Foltynewicz in the rotation, but he gave up six runs in 2.2 innings Monday night. When Kyle Wright could have cemented his spot in the rotation if he had pitched well Tuesday night, he failed by giving up five runs in 2.2 innings.

The first two spots in the rotation, held by Mike Soroka and Max Fried, are fine. The bullpen looks great. But the weakness in the three, four and five spots in the rotation could bring down this team if something doesn’t change.

The Braves can’t wait around. One-twelfth of this season is already over. In another two weeks, one-third of the season will be over. That urgency is why the Braves designated Foltynewicz for assignment after one bad start.

Sean Newcomb, Foltynewicz, and Wright – the bottom three starters - combined for 9.1 innings and allowed 12 runs. While Soroka and Fried allowed just two runs in 11 innings in the first two games.

So, now what? Well, Newcomb will get another chance on Friday night against the Mets. GM Alex Anthopoulos hinted Tuesday in a radio interview that Toussaint could get the start Sunday to replace Foltynewicz, and that is no certainty. Even if those two and Wright gave the Braves good starts, will it be enough to make you think the Braves’ rotation can be a strength for 55 more games?

Probably not. Anthopoulos is going to have no choice but to go after another starting pitcher.

He’s not going to be able to count on Hamels. Sure, right now they say he could be back in September. Isn’t that the sixth different time the Braves have had some sort of timeline for Hamels’ return? So, counting on Hamels is dangerous.

When will teams decide to start trading players? Obviously, it’s got to happen before August 31, so there’s a full month to go. It might take a couple of weeks before we start seeing teams that are not going to be in the hunt start dumping salaries.

Can the Braves survive until then? Well, they’ve got to. Of course, we need to see if the Braves can get anything for Foltynewicz, but could that be something worthwhile that could help the rotation? That seems unlikely.

And do teams want to risk making a trade not knowing whether they will even finish the season? Would the Braves, for example, want to give up a prospect even for a pitcher who may be a free agent at the end of the season when the season could come to a screeching halt and they may not even have time to use a newly-acquired pitcher?

That’s the dilemma all general managers are going to face. Considering how aggressive Anthopoulos has been when the Braves have needed something, it would be a shock if he doesn’t find some way to help the rotation.

Of course, we could see teams just drop players who they no longer want to pay. Would the Giants, for instance, just give pending free agent Jeff Samardzija away instead of paying him the rest of his contract for this season?

That seems like the type of pitcher who could help the Braves – someone who is facing free agency that is currently on a team that has little chance of making the postseason.

Texas is expected to be competitive, so the chances of them giving up former Braves lefty Mike Minor seem slim. Would the Diamondbacks give up Robbie Ray? Not yet probably.

Teams are going to think that with 16 of the 30 teams able to make the postseason they’re going to have a chance, even if they start slow. It makes you wonder if the only real reason teams will let go of pitching would be to decrease payroll.

And with all the pitchers getting hurt, there is going to be a ton of teams searching for pitching. The chances of a team making a Justin Verlander-to-Houston late-season deal seem remote.

Anthopoulos will ask every team about pitching. He’s diligent and aggressive, and he really has no choice. He more than anyone knows the Braves need help in the rotation. And if these bottom-of-the-rotation guys don’t quickly turn things around, Anthopoulos won’t have any option but to take what he can get.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.