The Braves chased Tarik Skubal at the deadline, but one young arm apparently stayed off the table.
According to the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham, Atlanta “wouldn’t part with” Didier Fuentes in its talks with Detroit. That detail adds another layer to a deadline pursuit that, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, never really got close despite the Braves making “virtually all of their young players available, including right-handers AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie.”
Fuentes’ status inside the organization has changed fast. He was signed internationally in January 2022 and turned 21 in June, but the Braves had already moved him aggressively through the system. His contract was selected to the active roster in June 2025, just after his 20th birthday and after only one Triple-A appearance.
The early results were rough. With Atlanta hit hard by pitching injuries that season, Fuentes was thrust into the majors and struggled badly, putting up a 13.85 ERA in four starts and 13 innings before being optioned back to Triple-A in less than three weeks. He then settled in a bit more at Gwinnett, posting a 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3 innings and four starts before an injury ended his season in early August.
He came back healthy and kept climbing. Fuentes made the Opening Day roster in a long relief role, got sent down a couple of times, and then returned for good in late April.
From there, the numbers looked nothing like his 2025 debut: a 2.45 ERA, 31% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate, and several other strong indicators across 73 1/3 innings and 58 appearances. He also worked 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in Atlanta’s 3-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS, part of a postseason line that included a 3.86 ERA in seven innings over five games.
That matters because Skubal was on the other side of that matchup. The Dodgers won the bidding war by sending a three-player package to Detroit, and Skubal kept rolling in Los Angeles. He posted a 2.61 ERA in 62 regular-season innings for the Dodgers and then beat the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS, allowing one earned run on two hits and two walks over six innings.
Even so, it’s hard to know how different Atlanta’s season would have looked with Skubal instead of Fuentes and whatever else Detroit wanted. Tyler Mahle ended up giving the Braves exactly the kind of jolt they needed after the deadline, which made Skubal something of a consolation prize that never arrived. Mahle was acquired from the Giants for reliever Anthony Molina and went on to pitch like an ace after arriving in Atlanta, a sharp turn from his 5.13 ERA in 94 2/3 innings for San Francisco.
That’s why the Fuentes piece still matters. Trading him for Skubal could have been a painful decision if Fuentes develops into a strong big leaguer, especially with Skubal set to hit free agency this winter and command a record contract. And even if Atlanta had landed the left-hander, it likely wouldn’t have fixed the bigger issue that has dogged the club: the lineup going ice cold late in the season and through the playoffs.
For now, Fuentes looks like someone the Braves still view as more than bullpen depth. If Raisel Iglesias leaves in free agency, Robert Suarez could move into the closer role and Fuentes could become the top setup man.
But the fact Atlanta was willing to move so many young pitchers and still held onto Fuentes suggests the club sees a starter, not just a reliever, when it looks at him. Depending on how the rest of the rotation shakes out, he could be stretched back out as a candidate as soon as next spring.
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