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Braves need to sign starting pitcher to counter Dodgers’ latest move

Published 10:49 am Friday, November 29, 2024

By Clint Thompson

The Atlanta Braves’ options for the starting rotation next season are one less after Tuesday’s development.

Left-hander Blake Snell, one of the better starters on the free agent market this offseason, has agreed to a five-year deal with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. That’s not a surprising development. After all, the Dodgers were very thin among starters last year, due to injuries, including Shohei Ohtani’s recovery from Tommy John surgery.

What that means is if the Braves can’t re-sign Max Fried — and it’s highly unlikely they fork over the kind of money it will require to retain his services — they will have one less option to choose from; at least one that is comparable to Fried’s pitching accomplishments.