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1. RHP Bryce Elder, Triple-A Gwinnett

The Braves, who have started the season with a record of 8-4, are facing the daunting task of finding a solution to a nearly impossible question: how can they fill the void left by one of their top pitchers in the league?

Since the owner-imposed lockout ended in the spring of 2022, Blackburn has been an obvious candidate for trade. He is a former All-Star who is already past the age of 30. In his last 45 appearances, he has mostly been used as a starter and has maintained a 98 ERA+ and a 2.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Blackburn may not have a flashy pitching style (his fastest pitch this season was only 94.8 mph), but he has a versatile pitching repertoire and is still under team control for another season. The Braves and Athletics have engaged in multiple trades in recent years, including those involving Matt Olson and Sean Murphy. (Considering the success of those trades for the Athletics, perhaps they should consider looking for trade partners elsewhere.)

Luzardo currently has a poor ERA due to a disastrous start against the New York Yankees, however we are confident that this will not be a permanent issue. We believe that Luzardo will be in high demand during the trade season because of his successful history as a starting pitcher and the fact that he has two more seasons of team control. If the Marlins are truly looking to trade him – which is likely since their new boss, Peter Bendix, has no reason to keep him given the state of their team – they have the potential to receive a significant return. It is uncertain whether the Braves would be the highest bidder in this scenario.

Internal options

2. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver, Triple-A GwinnettWe’ll end with a wild card who may not make sense at first blush — after all, the Rays themselves are likely to be contenders — but hear us out. The Rays expect to have several injured pitchers return throughout the year, including Taj Bradley, Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, and Shane Baz. If all goes well, the Rays will have more pitchers than spots. Should that come to pass, it reasons they could move someone from their surplus. We’re highlighting Eflin here because he’s slated to earn million next year in the final season of his contract. Anytime a Rays player is making that kind of bank, you can be sure they’re going to be floated in trade talks. Moving Eflin at the deadline would be risky for obvious reasons — you don’t want to set off a clubhouse mutiny during a playoff chase — but it’s the kind of unconventional deal that the Rays front office always has to weigh given their owner-imposed financial restraints. 

Waldrep, the first player chosen by Atlanta in the initial round last year, has impressive strikeout abilities. He combines a fastball that reaches mid-90s with a splitter that was among the top offerings in his class. However, his problem has been his lack of control, which caused him to slide to the lower end of the first round. During the draft year, he averaged five walks per nine innings, and as a professional, he has maintained a similar trend. Perhaps the Braves are content with Waldrep’s potential as a right-handed version of Blake Snell, or a slightly less consistent Dylan Cease. However, it is likely they would prefer to see him improve his accuracy before introducing him as a starter in major league games.4. LHP Jesús Luzardo, Miami Marlins

Smith-Shawver made his debut last season at age 20 and recorded an ERA of 4.26 (105 ERA+) with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.82 in six games. He has not performed well in Triple-A, having walked four batters and given up six runs in just three innings. His pitching arsenal consists of a fastball with a speed in the mid-90s and a slider that had a whiff rate of almost 40% against Triple-A competition in 2023. The Braves may prefer to see him succeed in the minor leagues before promoting him to the major leagues. However, his superior abilities compared to Elder make him a more enticing long-term option.

3. Minor league pitcher, Hurston Waldrep, playing for Double-A Mississippi.

Do you remember Elder? It’s strange that he isn’t currently on a Major League Baseball team’s rotation. He was even selected for the All-Star Game last season and has maintained a solid career 119 ERA+ over 228 innings. The reason he’s in Triple-A instead of the majors is due to his sustainability. Many teams, including the Braves, use analytical models to assess the quality of pitches and Elder’s style of pitching doesn’t seem to match up with these models. His second-half performance last season was also quite poor, with a 5.11 ERA in 13 starts, which gives evaluators reason to overlook his previous accomplishments and view him as unfit for a starting position in the big leagues.

External options

The Atlanta Braves have stated that Spencer Strider, their star player, will be out for the rest of the season due to an elbow surgery to insert an internal brace. Strider, who participated in his first All-Star Game in 2023, had voiced concerns about elbow discomfort and a decline in performance during his second start this year.

Now, let’s move on to the potential candidates for trading.

In this article, CBS Sports has identified six practical options to fill in for Strider in the rotation for the remainder of the season. Our choices consist of both in-house candidates and potential trade targets that are reasonable. (It goes without saying, but we will mention it anyway: the potential trade targets may vary depending on team performance.) It is important to note that this is more of a subjective decision rather than an objective one. Now, let’s get started.

The Braves will try out different internal candidates in the near future. Although Allan Winans was the first to take the place of a player, he will not be taking over again after giving up seven runs in five innings against the New York Mets. On Friday, the Braves sent Winans to the minors and chose Darius Vines instead. We will see how Vines does – he had some success in a small amount of time last season – but what will the Braves do if he does not secure the job? Who will they have to rely on? 5. RHP Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics6. RHP Zach Eflin, Tampa Bay Rays