As the premier free agents in this season’s class find new homes in new cities, the Braves are still without the starting pitcher addition they’ll surely add prior to Spring Training.
The good news for us is, of the twelve (counting Ohtani) starters signed so far, the only realistic Braves targets were Sonny Gray & Seth Lugo; even the former is a bit of a stretch.
Aaron Nola never legitimately entertained leaving Pennsylvania.
Shohei’s asking price wasn’t even remotely a possibility.
Sonny Gray’s injury history is too murky to entice Anthopoulos to dip his toe into the multi-year contract bidding war it would’ve turned into versus the Cardinals.
That leaves Seth Lugo as the lone realistic possibility that’s signed already. His new deal with the Royals includes a player option after the 2025 season, something Anthopoulos definitely wouldn’t have agreed to. One would imagine Lugo would be more apt to accept a more team-friendly contract from a team who looks to contend for a World Series in 2024, like the Braves.
Should we be upset - as a fanbase - that we “missed out on” Seth Lugo?
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Before I start naming names, let’s establish what Alex Anthopoulos looks for in a starting pitcher acquisition: