"I have conflicted feelings on these comments. A guy like Chris Bassitt would have made this roster better on paper. That's not really something disputed. I think there is an argument if you think that Bryce Elder and/or Joey Wentz are 1-1.5 fWAR/162 starting pitchers, then adding a 2-2.5 fWAR/162 starter for just under $20 million isn't good return on investment and doesn't substantially improve depth when it results on the likely loss of a guy like Elder from the roster entirely."
"One counter-argument to that would be that Elder or perhaps a Holmes or Lopez could be stashed in the bullpen to preserve depth if a guy like Bassitt had been added, but I don't see Elder as a particularly strong bullpen candidate and that scenario wouldn't have made much sense until Schwellenbach's injury status was discovered. That said, adding a top 3 starter to the roster for reasonable cost is a very difficult task, so perhaps that is an unrealistic self-imposed bar for adding to the pitching staff."
Braves set a threshold to pursue only middle/top rotation starters rather than back-end rotation pieces. Adding a mid-cost starter like Chris Bassitt would have improved the roster on paper but could displace younger starters. If Bryce Elder or Joey Wentz project around 1–1.5 fWAR/162, acquiring a 2–2.5 fWAR/162 starter for roughly $20 million may not provide strong return on investment or depth improvement. One option would be shifting a starter such as Elder, Holmes, or Lopez to the bullpen, but that has fit limitations and depended on Schwellenbach's injury clarity. Finding affordable top-three starters remains difficult, and injury risk to the pitching staff remains a concern.
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