Braves face rotation questions and major decisions entering 2027 offseason

ATLANTA — The Braves won another division championship because they refused to go away.

Then October arrived and reminded them that perseverance is an admirable quality, not a postseason pitching plan.

Atlanta survived enough injuries to win the National League East for the seventh time in nine seasons. It escaped the wild-card round, too. Against the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, however, the Braves finally encountered a problem they could not outlast.

They ran short of healthy pitchers. They also ran short of answers.

That makes the rotation the first and largest question confronting president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos.

Chris Sale is the closest thing Atlanta has to a certainty. Spencer Schwellenbach recently had a screw placed in his pitching elbow. Spencer Strider has resumed throwing bullpen sessions, but his recent history makes projecting 30 starts an act of faith rather than responsible planning.

Anthopoulos knows the difference.

“I don’t think it’d be responsible to sit here and say, ‘OK, those guys are going to start 30 games and throw 180 innings,’” he said Sunday.

That is executive language for this: Help is needed.

Grant Holmes remains a possibility. So does Didier Fuentes, whose electric arm played well in the bullpen and might eventually become even more valuable in the rotation. The issue is not whether Fuentes has starter-quality talent. It is whether a pitcher who worked slightly more than 70 innings can suddenly carry 150 or more.

That is a bridge to cross carefully, not leap blindly.

Tyler Mahle offers a more immediate solution. Acquired from San Francisco on Aug. 2, he gave the Braves exactly what they needed during the stretch run: dependable innings and reasons to want him back.

Atlanta has an exclusive negotiating window with Mahle until the World Series ends. Anthopoulos did not promise a reunion, but he did not hide his appreciation.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with what he did,” he said.

Pitching will dominate the offseason, but it is not Atlanta’s only concern.

Jurickson Profar has now had performance-enhancing drug suspensions derail the Braves’ plans in consecutive seasons. Whether there should be a third attempt is among the internal discussions awaiting the front office.

Then there is Austin Riley.

For two years, injuries provided a reasonable explanation for Riley’s decline. This season removed that defense without restoring his offense. Anthopoulos praised Riley as a defender and teammate, and both descriptions are fair. The Braves, however, are not paying Riley merely to be pleasant and sure-handed.

They need the hitter who once appeared capable of anchoring the middle of their order.

“He’s still a young player and is capable of so much more,” Anthopoulos said.

Mauricio Dubón created a different dilemma by doing nearly everything Atlanta asked. Injuries to Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. forced him into the outfield, but Anthopoulos said he would be comfortable with Dubón at shortstop. The complication is that Dubón is headed for free agency, where versatility tends to become expensive.

The coaching staff appears likely to remain intact. Anthopoulos said continuity matters and expressed satisfaction with manager Walt Weiss’ staff.

Continuity is useful. Reinforcements would be better.

The Braves proved they still know how to survive a regular season. They won the East despite injuries that might have broken a lesser club. That deserves credit.

The Dodgers provided the less comfortable lesson.

Surviving long enough to reach October is one achievement. Building a roster equipped to win once it gets there is another.

Information for this article came from Mark Bowman, Braves.com