Spencer Strider has landed on a list no Braves fan wants to see him on: Mark Feinsand’s group of the 11 most intriguing offseason trade candidates.
That alone says plenty about where this conversation is headed. Atlanta is not exactly cruising toward October, and the bigger concern is that this has not felt like the best version of the Braves for months. If that holds and the postseason goes sideways, the front office could be forced into some hard choices about the roster it has built.
Feinsand’s report makes clear why Strider is at least part of that conversation. He wrote, “The Braves tried to send Strider to Texas in a contract swap trade for Jacob deGrom before the Trade Deadline, and although deGrom blocked the deal with his no-trade clause, it’s clear that Atlanta is open to moving its former ace,” Feinsand writes.
“Strider has been out since mid-June with right elbow inflammation, and while it’s unlikely that he will return this season, there is an outside chance he could be available out of the bullpen during the postseason. Strider is owed $22 million in each of the next two seasons with a $22 million club option ($5 million buyout) for 2029, so if the Braves can find a team willing to bet he can return to his previous form, they could look to move him.”
The contract is a major part of the story, but the performance concerns go even deeper. Strider has not been a productive pitcher for three years, and his 2024 InternalBrace surgery only adds another layer to the uncertainty. Since then, he has made just 31 starts and posted a 4.66 ERA.
The numbers are one thing. The stuff is another.
Strider’s fastball velocity has fallen several ticks, and without that once-elite pitch, the path back to sustained success looks a lot steeper. He has had to remake himself on the fly, and doing that while also dealing with multiple injuries has made the challenge even tougher.
There is still the possibility of a bullpen role, at least in theory. A shorter workload might help him stay healthier and maybe squeeze out some effectiveness in bursts. But that would still leave Atlanta with a very expensive reliever, one who would be owed $44 million over the next two seasons and probably not be closing games.
So where does that leave the Braves? Feinsand’s framing suggests Atlanta would love to find a club willing to bet on a rebound and take on some or all of the money.
The problem is that belief may be hard to find right now. If the Braves do move Strider, it may take either a bad contract coming back the other way or a willingness to absorb a significant chunk of the deal themselves.
Otherwise, this is the kind of situation they may simply have to ride out.
In Other News...
Braves Add Catching Depth As Their October Plan Gets More Interesting
The Braves added a familiar type of late-season insurance on Sept. 1, signing catcher Eric Haase to a minor league contract and sending him to their Florida complex. It is the kind of move contending clubs often make when the calendar flips into September, especially with postseason roster flexibility in play and every position on the bench carrying a little more weight.
Haase gives Atlanta another experienced option behind the plate and a bat with some pop, even if his profile has long come with plenty of swing-and-miss. He has already been with three organizations this season, including the Giants and White Sox, while the Braves still appear set to lean on Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy as their catching duo for now, leaving Haase as a depth piece who could become more relevant if the October picture shifts. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Outfield Uncertainty May Not Last As New Internal Options Emerge
The Braves outfield picture has been murky enough that it has become one of the easier roster questions to circle on the calendar. Between the players already under contract and the free agents in the mix, the short-term answer is still hazy, but the organization is not short on internal candidates who could eventually help smooth it out. Eric Hartman, AJ Gracia, Carter Beck and Owen Carey all stand out as names worth tracking, and each brings a different kind of fit for the outfield or designated hitter picture.
What makes the situation more interesting is the timeline. Atlanta may not need all of those answers right away, but the next year and a half could be enough for one or more of these prospects to push into real consideration. If even a couple of them keep trending upward, the Braves current uncertainty in the grass could look a lot less like a long-term problem and more like a temporary bridge to the next wave of homegrown depth. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Took Another Hit To Their Pitching Depth
The Braves lost another arm from their pitching inventory when the Giants claimed right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco cleared a spot on its 40-man roster by designating Spencer Bivens for assignment, while Atlanta is still trying to manage its own staff with Bryce Elder landing on the injured list and Reynaldo Lpez returning from the injured list.
For a club trying to stay geared toward October, every piece of depth matters, and Davitt had at least given the Braves another option to keep on hand. The move comes as Atlanta continues shuffling arms to cover the present while keeping an eye on the postseason, leaving the organization with one fewer fallback as the stretch run tightens. [Read more 🡒]