Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos met with reporters (including ) on Monday. MLBTR some of those comments on , and Brian Snitker this morning. Anthopoulos also spoke about the rotation, which figures to be an offseason priority. The Braves didnt make any rotation moves of note last winter. Atlantas only significant offseason expenditure was the three-year signing. Anthopoulos pointed out that pitched well before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. Atlanta entered the season with a strong top four of , (once he completed his rehab from last years elbow surgery), and . That would be a good group if everyone had stayed healthy, but thats obviously not Jaylen Nowell Jersey how things played out. Atlanta will need to do a much better job stockpiling depth beyond their top five if they expect to compete in 2026. Anthopoulos acknowledged as much, saying the rotation definitely will be a point of emphasis for us this winter. Smith-Shawver is already out for most or all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. Holmes has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. Hes hoping to avoid surgery but admitted last month that he wont really know whether thats viable until he begins ramping up a early in the offseason. Even if Holmes is able to avoid the knife, his elbow health will be something of a question mark next spring. Lpez made one start before undergoing shoulder surgery thatll probably end his season. Schwellenach is coming back from a broken elbow. Sale mi sed two months with a fractured ribcage, and while that can be written off as a freak occurrence, hes going into his age-37 campaign. Strider has had a terrible second half and now spots a 4.86 ERA in 20 starts. has looked great since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett last month, but hes nine games into his MLB career. Anthopoulos said the Braves arent currently thinking about pushing Lpez back into relief. I have no idea how the offseason goes, but this was an All-Star starter with a sub-2 ERA (in 2024), the GM said. Thats not what Im projecting for him going forward, but even if you think theres a regre sion into the 3s, thats still an outstanding starter, whos proven as a young starter with the White Sox, back-to-back years of 33 and 34 starts, logging innings over 180 twice. Our thought is definitely him as (a) starter. But what if we have a bunch of starter trades that present themselves and so on? It would be a great problem to have. Theres still a decent amount of in-house talent. The Braves need more stability in the middle to the back of the staff. Atlanta has given multiple starts to the likes of , , , , and 20-year-old this season. has taken the ball 25 times and leads the club in both starts and innings. Thats clearly not going to cut it. Itd be a surprise if the Braves dont add at least one pitcher who is guaranteed to be in the Opening Day rotation. They could use two starters, especially if Holmes rehab doesnt pan out, and a swingman who could also provide length for one of the leagues thinner bullpens. The Braves have and ($16MM apiece) coming off the books this winter. Kim would make the same amount if he exercises his player option. Striders salary jumps from $4MM to $20MM, accounting for the other $16MM. Theyll have a light arbitration cla s with a number of non-tender candidates, but their slate of guaranteed commitments could limit their financial flexibility. The front office has been far more inclined to operate through the trade market than via big free agency splashes. Naz Reid Jersey