The Braves’ trade deadline search for a starter has been made a lot trickier by one decision from earlier in the season: keeping Didier Fuentes in the bullpen.
Atlanta has been open about its need. GM Alex Anthopoulos has said he wants to add a starting pitcher, and that urgency has only grown as injuries have piled up in the rotation. At the same time, Fuentes has been one of the brighter arms on the roster, which makes the path the Braves chose for him look a little different in hindsight.
Fuentes, 21, got only one start this season before Atlanta moved him out of the rotation and into relief. That lone outing came against a dangerous Nationals offense.
Since then, he has been electric out of the bullpen, and his most recent appearances have only reinforced how lively his arm is. He’s regularly been hitting triple digits with his fastball.
The numbers back up the buzz. Fuentes has posted a 2.60 ERA and a 2.37 FIP across 45 innings this season, along with a 90th percentile strikeout percentage.
That’s the kind of production that makes it easy to imagine him turning lineup cards over in the rotation. Instead, the Braves chose to let him get his feet under him in relief, with the plan of bringing him back as a starter next season.
Back in April, that move made sense. Atlanta wanted to manage his innings and keep developing his secondary pitches. But with the season moving along and the rotation still in trouble, the trade-off has become harder to ignore.
Now the Braves have a very specific problem to solve. Anthopoulos needs a real starter for the stretch run, and the market will decide how difficult that becomes. The names available would bring more experience than Fuentes, but not all of them can match the kind of upside his stuff offers.
If only a small group of impact starters actually changes teams, and Atlanta is left leaning on Chris Sale and a collection of internal question marks, the decision to keep Fuentes in the bullpen may end up being one of the bigger Braves storylines of the deadline.
In Other News...
Braves Just Cleared Two Roster Spots For A Bigger Deadline Shift
The Braves used the deadline to shuffle the margins of their roster, dealing catcher Joey Bart to the White Sox and sending outfielder Eli White to the Red Sox in separate moves. In return, Atlanta picked up right-hander Duncan Davitt and minor league reliever Tyler Uberstine, with the latter optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, a sign these were as much about clearing space as adding immediate help.
Those openings matter because the roster is not done changing. Atlanta has a potential return behind the plate looming in Sean Murphy, and another outfield addition in Lane Thomas could soon fit into the mix as well, giving the club a little more flexibility for the stretch run. For a team trying to line up the right pieces after deadline day, the next round of moves may end up being the more interesting part of this one. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Catching Picture Is Finally Changing At The Right Time
Joey Barts brief run as Atlantas backup catcher has come to an end after the Braves and White Sox struck a trade that sends him to Chicago for rookie right-hander Duncan Davitt. Bart had been filling in behind the plate for Atlanta, but the clubs catching picture is now shifting with the roster moving toward a different look.
Davitt arrives with a little bit of big league experience already, having made two major league appearances with Chicago before the deal. For the Braves, the rookie is expected to work out of the bullpen, giving them another arm as they reshape the back end of the staff and prepare for the next step in the catching rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Take Another Rotation Gamble With Tyler Mahle
The Braves dipped back into the rotation market with another move aimed at stabilizing the back end of their staff, acquiring right-hander Tyler Mahle from the Giants for right-hander Anthony Molina. Mahle has logged 18 starts this season in San Francisco, and while the results have been uneven, Atlanta is clearly banking on a change of scenery and a different voice to get more out of him down the stretch.
Jeremy Hefner now gets the challenge of helping Mahle sharpen things up in Atlanta, where the Braves have made it a priority to keep searching for usable innings. Molina had only thrown five innings for the club in 2026, so this is the kind of deal that says the Braves are willing to keep tinkering if they think there is still a path to more reliable starting help. [Read more 🡒]