The start of Spring Training is supposed to be a time for reckless optimism. Unfortunately for the Atlanta Braves, however, that optimism didn’t even last a single day: As pitchers and catchers reported to camp in North Port on Tuesday, word broke that righty Spencer Schwellenbach would start the season on the 60-day IL with elbow inflammation.
The good news is that the team doesn’t believe the issue has anything to do with Schwellenbach’s UCL. But even if it turns out not to require major surgery, the best-case timeline for his return to the Braves rotation would be some time in late May or early June. That’s a huge blow for an Atlanta team that was already dealing with injury risk in its rotation — and that was already hoping to add one more starter to the mix before Opening Day
That job just got more pressing, to say the least. And it also got more difficult: Justin Verlander removed his name from consideration by signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale didn’t list Atlanta among the known suitors for Zac Gallen either. Alex Anthopoulos has his work cut out for him.
Projected Braves rotation without Spencer Schwellenbach
|
Position |
Pitcher |
|---|---|
|
SP1 |
LHP Chris Sale |
|
SP2 |
RHP Spencer Strider |
|
SP3 |
RHP Reynaldo Lopez |
|
SP4 |
LHP Joey Wentz |
|
SP5 |
RHP Bryce Elder |
|
SP6 |
RHP Hurston Waldrep |
|
SP7 |
RHP Grant Holmes |
Strictly in terms of volume, Atlanta still isn’t hurting for options. But Schwellenbach’s injury just further underscores how fragile this pitching ecosystem is right now: Of the above names, only Elder threw more than 125 innings last year at the big-league level, and that came with a 5.30 ERA. Elder, Sale, Strider and Holmes are the only four who threw more than 100.
Sale’s injury history needs no introduction. Strider missed most of 2024 and the start of 2025 due to elbow surgery, and looked like a shell of himself when he returned. Lopez made exactly one start last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Holmes ended the year on the IL with a partially torn UCL the team is praying won’t require Tommy John to fix.
Sure, if everything breaks right — if the injury gods cooperate and Strider and Lopez can both find their old forms — the Braves could have one heck of a rotation. But nothing about how the last couple years have gone for this team suggests that health luck is in their favor, and losing Schwellenbach makes things even more fragile. This team is in desperate need of a stabilizing force, someone who might not be flashy but can at least come in and soak up innings while giving Atlanta’s star-studded offense a chance every fifth day. There are plenty of those still on the market in free agency, even if there isn’t another Schwellenbach available.
Braves best options in MLB free agency to after Spencer Schwellenbach injury
Lucas Giolito
It might seem counterintuitive to recommend someone who just missed the entire 2024 season due to major surgery, but Giolito bounced back reasonably well last year. Sure, his stuff wasn’t as dynamic as before, but he managed to post a 3.41 ERA across 26 starts for the Red Sox despite missing fewer bats than we’d become accustomed to. Another year removed from his procedure, he should hopefully get back toward the guy he was with the Chicago White Sox once upon a time.
Giolito is a veteran who knows how to navigate a lineup, and most importantly, he should be available for cheap as he seeks out a one-year deal to rebuild his value and prove to teams that he’s still got plenty left in the tank. Home runs will always give him problems, and you shouldn’t expect too much, but he comes with a reasonably high floor.
Zac Gallen
Gallen is far and away the most qualified of the remaining free agent pitchers, even after a dismal contract year in 2025. He’s been remarkably durable in recent years, and he showed signs down the stretch last season of looking more like the guy who earned Cy Young votes in 2022 and 2023.
So why isn’t he the first option listed? Well, because he comes with a qualifying offer attached, complicating things for any team looking to sign him to a short-term deal. At this point, Gallen figures to be looking for a pillow contract that will allow him to pitch well and hit the market again next winter. But he’ll cost significant draft capital to sign, and is that really a price Atlanta is willing to pay for just one year of service?
Chris Bassitt
Bassitt didn’t finish the 2025 season in Toronto’s rotation, but he hit the ground running in relief during the team’s run to the World Series. And while he doesn’t offer much upside as a guy in his late 30s with exceedingly average stuff, he should still hold plenty of value for a team in need of some stability at the back of its rotation. His deep arsenal gives him several different ways to get hitters out, even if he’s not missing a ton of bats. You could do a lot worse than ~160 innings of a ~4.00 ERA.
Max Scherzer
We have to throw Scherzer’s name in here, although the fit would appear to be questionable. It’s unclear just how much the 41-year-old (who will turn 42 in July) still has left in the tank; he’s battled nagging injuries for the last few seasons, and he’s openly flirting with the idea of sitting out until the middle of the season in order to keep his body fresh — and make sure he’s signing with a World Series contender.
What the Braves need is something of the opposite, someone who can staunch the bleeding early on and hold down the fort until Schwellenbach returns later in the year. Scherzer can still be effective on the right day, but Atlanta needs more innings than his body can provide at this point.
Zack Littell
Littell isn’t going to light up any radar guns or miss many bats. He’s a bit of a high-wire act, nibbling on the edges and relying on his defense to make plays behind him. But the righty has figured out a way to make that work for him, with ERAs south of 4 in three of the last four years. Again, floor and stability are the names of the game here, and Littell brings both.
