"I saw Dane Dunning pitch in the minors in the pre-COVID times. He was facing a decent Southern League lineup. And they wanted nothing to do with his slider. It was an (untrue) three-outcome pitch: either a pop-up, soft groundout, or a whiff. He looked every bit the first-round pick from 2016. He had a decent two years in Texas, but it's been a minute since he's been that well regarded."
"The Braves placed AJ Smith-Shawver, Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day Injured List in the space of five weeks. Grant Holmes followed shortly thereafter. So the Braves figurately had a "pitching help wanted" posted on the wall outside Truist Park. There were suddenly many innings to soak up. As part of that effort, Dane Dunning was acquired by the Braves on July 18 from Texas for RHP José Ruiz and cash."
"His season FIP- since 2021 were mostly trending down: 91 in 2021, 111 in 2022, a brief reprieve to 99 in 2023, and then way up to 126 in 2024, when he was relieved of his starting role. (The xFIP- was 90 in 2021, then 102 in each of 2022 and 2023, then up to 108 in 2024.) With his pedigree as a top prospect and a career 5.4 fWAR in 477 2/3 innings in 2020-2023,"
Dane Dunning showed frontline prospect stuff in the minors, featuring a slider that produced pop-ups, soft groundouts, or whiffs. The Braves faced multiple long-term pitching injuries and needed innings, prompting the July 18 trade for Dunning from Texas for RHP José Ruiz and cash. The Braves planned to use Dunning out of the bullpen initially while assessing his fit. Dunning's performance metrics deteriorated in 2024, with FIP- and xFIP- rising from earlier years despite a 5.4 career fWAR across 2020–2023. The immediate priority was securing innings and a chance for Dunning to regain form.
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