It was already a brutal offseason for the Atlanta Braves' rotation, which will be without right handers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurtson Waldrep for at least two months after they each had cleanup surgery on their throwing elbows.
But now, in light of Monday's news that Spencer Strider has to begin the season on the IL with an oblique strain, the Braves are faced with an undeniable truth: if they are serious about contending, they need to acquire a dependable starting pitcher. Enter Lucas Giolito.
There is no clear timeline for Strider's return, and all manager Walt Weiss could offer was hopes that he'd be healthy in a few weeks (h/t Noah Nussbaum, New York Post). The Braves were already banking heavily on a return to form for the 27-year-old Strider, who looked shaky and posted a 4.45 ERA in 125 and 1/3 innings in 2025 after returning from elbow surgery.
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The hazy, hopeful timeline of Strider only missing a few weeks could no doubt be extended, but even in the best of scenarios the Braves simply need more starting pitching with the combined injuries to Strider, Schwellenbach, Waldrep, and LHP Joey Wentz, who may have been more of a depth option but will miss all of 2026 with a torn right ACL.
All offseason long, the Braves were surrounded with speculation around adding a starting pitcher. But nothing ever came to fruition there, and now 31-year-old Giolito is the best option available for a team in desperate need of dependability.
2025 was an important season for Giolito, who pitched for the first time since missing all of 2024 to injury. And although he experienced some shakiness on the mound, the end result was encouraging: across 145 innings pitched, the right-hander had a 3.41 ERA and accumulated 2.1 bWAR.
In a rotation that features more questions than answers, as was laid out by MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Giolito's unexciting but dependable mid-3s ERA would be a considerable upgrade over many of the current Braves' rotation options.
This late in the offseason, Giolito likely isn't looking for anything more than a one-year prove-it deal as he needs an opportunity to pitch just as badly as the Braves need a pitcher. And as the New York Post's Jon Heyman noted while urging the Braves to sign Giolito, the Braves' public financial records show that they absolutely have enough money to spend on the starter.
All due respect to the current members of the Braves pitching staff, but that group is almost certainly not capable of keeping up with the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Giolito would be a step in the right direction and would make for a luxury four starter after Strider's eventual return.
Giolito is available, comparatively dependable, and likely inexpensive. The Braves have no excuse not to sign him.
