The Braves got one encouraging answer on their rotation puzzle Tuesday, but the other Spencer came with a much tougher read.
At the GM meetings, Alex Anthopoulos said Spencer Strider is on track to be ready for spring training and the start of the 2027 season, according to the AJC’s Chad Bishop. That’s a welcome development for Atlanta after Strider’s 2026 season ended in June with elbow soreness.
The Braves took the cautious route with Strider after he avoided surgery, and he didn’t even begin throwing a baseball until August. That patience appears to have worked. Strider, the Braves’ 2024 Opening Day starter, is now expected to be available when the 2027 season begins.
Strider still hasn’t fully recaptured the level he reached in 2022 and 2023 after missing almost all of 2024 with an elbow injury, though he has shown flashes since then. He is owed $22 million over the next two seasons.
The outlook is less upbeat for Spencer Schwellenbach. He had started to emerge as one of baseball’s best pitchers in 2025 before a fractured elbow ended his season in the second half. In 2026, he seemed to be moving toward a spring return, but setback after setback pushed him to elbow surgery at the end of August.
Because of that surgery, the Braves now want Schwellenbach to take his comeback much more slowly, and right now it’s unlikely he’ll be ready for the start of the 2027 season. That’s a blow on paper, but Atlanta would still rather wait for a fully healthy Schwellenbach than rush him back before he’s ready.
In Other News...
Braves Just Drew A Hard Line Around Ronald Acua Jr
Ronald Acua Jr. is not going anywhere this winter, and Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos made the clubs stance unmistakable as the offseason gets underway. For a team that still sees Acua as a centerpiece when healthy, the message was less about drama than direction: Atlanta wants to keep building around its star while also sorting through a list of needs that stretches across the roster.
The Braves are still looking at ways to strengthen the rotation, settle the shortstop spot, upgrade left field and deepen the bullpen, all while weighing the need for more right-handed offense and other positional help. Acuas injury-marred season only underscored how much the lineup misses him, which is why his place in the organization feels settled even as the rest of the winter remains very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]
Walt Weiss Just Missed A Major Honor After Atlantas Toughest Year
Walt Weiss came up just short in the BBWAA voting for National League Manager of the Year, but his first season steering Atlanta still carried plenty of weight around the league. In a year when the Braves were forced to navigate a long list of injuries and other challenges, Weiss guided them to 94 wins and an NL East title, a strong enough showing to put him firmly in the conversation for one of the sports top managerial honors.
The award went to Milwaukees Pat Murphy, leaving Weiss as the runner-up in a vote that was completed before the postseason began. Even without the trophy, the result underscored how quickly Weiss earned credibility in his new role and how much Atlanta accomplished under difficult circumstances. For a club that spent much of the year dealing with adversity, simply getting back atop the division was a notable statement in itself. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Shortstop Search Just Got A Lot More Complicated
The Braves search for a shortstop has already been one of the biggest questions of the offseason, and it only got more complicated with Corey Seager suddenly in the mix. Texas is reportedly willing to explore a trade, which naturally puts a player of Seagers caliber on the radar for a club like Atlanta, but the fit is far from simple. His contract is massive, his injury history is part of the conversation, and the no-trade clause gives him another layer of control over where this goes.
For Atlanta, the appeal is obvious because shortstop remains a clear need and Seager would instantly change the look of the infield. The problem is figuring out whether a deal of that size is even realistic, especially when the Braves would have to weigh premium talent against what it would take to pry him loose. The offseason plan at shortstop is still very much unsettled, and this latest twist only adds another difficult choice to a search that was already going to shape the roster. [Read more 🡒]