If you're the Atlanta Braves right now, you're walking a tightrope between patience and urgency. This is a team with the resources to make big moves, but also a front office that prefers to spread the wealth across the roster rather than sink it all into one splashy signing. That’s why when a mid-tier rotation arm like Cody Ponce signs a three-year, $30 million deal elsewhere, you have to wonder if Atlanta just let a golden opportunity slip through its fingers.
Let’s be clear: Ponce wasn’t going to be a frontline ace. But that’s not what the Braves were looking for.
They’ve already got Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and the promising Hurston Waldrep in the fold. What they needed was depth - a reliable, cost-effective middle-of-the-rotation arm who could eat innings and keep them competitive during the grind of a 162-game season.
Ponce checked a lot of those boxes.
And here’s the kicker: Ponce signed with the Blue Jays for $10 million a year. In today’s pitching market, that’s a bargain.
Sure, he’s coming off a stint in Korea, and there’s always some risk in how that success translates back to MLB. But that’s the kind of calculated risk that smart front offices - and the Braves usually qualify - should be willing to take.
Especially when the alternative is overpaying for a higher-profile arm or rolling the dice on unproven depth.
It’s not just about Ponce, either. The broader concern is how Atlanta is approaching this offseason.
The starting pitching market is getting thinner by the day, and while the Braves have been linked to various names, they haven’t pulled the trigger on much yet. With the Winter Meetings heating up, the window to make value-driven moves is closing fast.
There’s also the draft pick factor to consider. The Braves have been reluctant to sign players tied to qualifying offers, which makes sense - giving up a first-round pick is a steep price.
That narrows their options even further. And with Dylan Cease reportedly commanding a much heftier price tag, it’s easy to see why Atlanta passed on that front.
But that also makes missing out on a guy like Ponce sting a little more.
Of course, there are internal considerations at play. The health status of key arms, and the development timeline for someone like JR Ritchie, could influence how aggressive they feel they need to be. But banking too much on internal options can backfire - just ask any team that’s watched promising young arms hit the IL before they’ve had a chance to make an impact.
Last offseason, the Braves were relatively quiet in the pitching market, and it showed when the rotation depth got tested. This year, the stakes are higher.
The core is still in place, the window is wide open, and the expectations are sky-high. Waiting too long or playing it too safe could leave them scrambling once again.
The Ponce deal wasn’t flashy, but it was the kind of smart, low-risk move that could have paid off big. And if the Braves continue to sit on the sidelines while other teams scoop up value starters, they may find themselves looking back at this moment as one that got away.