"The Braves have made offseason additions in the bullpen, the infield and the outfield thus far, bringing in veterans Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Ha-Seong Kim, Mauricio Dubon, Jorge Mateo and Mike Yastrzemski via free agency or trade. (Kim suffered a hand injury after signing and will miss several months of the season.) The rotation, however, remains untouched as January nears its conclusion."
"Giolito, 31, started 26 games for the Red Sox in 2025 after missing the 2024 season due to a UCL procedure. He pitched well enough to convert his 2026 club option into a mutual option, which he declined in order to return to the open market. Giolito started the season in rocky fashion (6.42 ERA through seven starts) before rebounding to the tune of a 2.51 ERA in his final 19 starts and 111 1/3 innings."
"His 20.3% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate over that dominant run of 19 starts don't support such a strong earned run average, and metrics like SIERA (4.67) and FIP (3.97) were much more bearish. Still, Giolito performed like a capable midrotation arm at the very least. Were it not for a late elbow injury, Giolito's market might have been more aggressive."
The Braves added bullpen, infield and outfield veterans Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Ha-Seong Kim, Mauricio Dubon, Jorge Mateo and Mike Yastrzemski, though Kim will miss several months with a hand injury. The starting rotation remains unchanged as January nears its end. Atlanta is pursuing a rotation upgrade and is specifically interested in free-agent right-handers Lucas Giolito and Chris Bassitt; neither received qualifying offers, so signings would not require draft pick forfeitures. The Braves sit over the luxury tax threshold but were not tax payors in 2025, so penalties for additions would be minimal. Giolito, 31, returned from UCL surgery, showed mixed metrics in 2025, and underwent late testing that revealed some elbow irritation and a bone concern.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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