NEW YORK — The Braves need to address their rotation sooner rather than later. Otherwise, making an addition might be a moot point.
Didier Fuentes, who’s shown promise at age 20, isn’t ready to start regularly in a rotation. The Mets illustrated that, tagging him for six runs on eight hits in 3⅓ innings.
The Braves have been dealt a tough hand rotation-wise. A.J. Smith-Shawver is done for the season. Reynaldo Lopez wouldn’t return until later in the second half (and might be a reliever upon returning). Chris Sale is sidelined indefinitely with two fractured ribs. That’s how one ends up with a glaring hole in the rotation.
Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider are All-Star-caliber pitchers. Grant Holmes has been a revelation during his first season in a rotation. Bryce Elder is a back-end starter. Manager Brian Snitker didn’t commit to Fuentes making a start in his next turn, but the Braves don’t have many options.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Down in the minors, the Braves have Hurston Waldrep and Ian Anderson, pitchers with major league experience. But Anderson has been dreadful, sporting a 6.10 ERA while walking 27 in 31 innings. He’s no longer a viable option, which is an unfortunate arc for a player who once helped key multiple deep postseason runs.
Waldrep would be likelier, as he’s pitched better lately and offers more potential than Anderson.
Since Waldrep surrendered six runs while recording only one out in Nashville, he’s produced consecutive solid starts (three earned runs across 11⅔ innings). The command is spotty, though; he’s walked at least three hitters in three of his past four outings. That’s a recipe for disaster in the majors (where Waldrep looked overwhelmed last season).
This comes back to an obvious point: The Braves need external help. And they can’t afford to wait until the July 31 trade deadline, given their place in the standings. And there still are two more weeks until the All-Star break.
Most teams won’t be inclined to sell so early. It’s been popular to cite former Brave Charlie Morton as a trade candidate, but the Orioles have played better lately and might want to see how the next month goes before jettisoned veterans. The majority of clubs fall into that category, especially under this expanded playoff format.
Perhaps a team like the White Sox, which knows it’s going nowhere, would move a pitcher like Adrian Houser earlier. But those types of players probably are what the Braves would be examining in the current marketplace.
For now, the Braves have to figure out their fifth rotation spot. That’s one of several areas the team likely will explore upgrading in the next month, along with shortstop and bullpen.
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