While the options are dwindling by the day, there is still time in MLB free agency for the Braves to add a starter. At this point, it doesn’t seem like Alex Anthopoulos will break the bank for a starter, but there are still quality options on the open market that Atlanta could sign to help ease the early wounds of Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. Both Braves starters will start the 2026 season on the injured list, and the injuries have only highlighted the need for Atlanta to bring in a starter.
Among the top starters available, Zack Littell and Lucas Giolito might be a little bit outside the Braves’ price range, but there is still another group of low-cost starters that Atlanta might want to consider inking to a one-year deal.
Here are three low-cost starters the Braves could sign before Opening Day:
Patrick Corbin
Patrick Corbin’s 2025 stats: 30 starts, 4.40 ERA, 155.1 innings, 131 strikeouts, 4.25 FIP, 51 BB’s
Corbin is entering his 14th season in MLB, if an organization decides to give him another crack at a rotation spot. Patrick Corbin had a rough stretch from 2021 to 2024, where he was arguably the worst starter in baseball, but the Braves aren’t necessarily looking for a CY Young candidate to pick up. Atlanta needs an innings-eater and someone who will take the ball every fifth day.
That’s the one thing Corbin’s got going for him; he’s made 30+ starts in eight straight seasons (excluding 2020, where he still made the maximum amount of starts). Atlanta could ink Corbin to a one-year deal for less than $10 million.
Marcus Stroman
Marcus Stroman made just nine starts with the New York Yankees in 2025, but he remains a very under-the-radar free agent who has not carried a lot of buzz this offseason. He’s another arm whose prime is in the past, but when healthy, he can provide innings.
Before 2025, Stroman made 25+ starts in four straight seasons, including a strong 2021 campaign where he posted a 3.02 ERA over 179 innings with the Mets. He’s another option that would likely cost the Braves less than $10 million, and due to potential injury concerns, the Braves might even be able to take a flyer on him for less than $5 million.
Max Scherzer
GettyBlue Jays still showing interest in Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer’s 2025 stats: 17 starts, 85 innings, 5.19 ERA, 82 strikeouts, 4.99 FIP
Recent reports have indicated that Max Scherzer might be close to a deal with someone ahead of the 2026 season. He’s entering his 19th MLB season and is certainly a future Hall of Famer, but he could really help this Braves roster right now, at least until Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep return, and if the Braves reached a deal with Scherzer, it would be more of a stability signing than anything else.
His 2025 season with the Toronto Blue Jays is a total anomaly if you look at Scherzer’s full body of work. Given his age, he won’t receive anything other than a one-year contract, but is still a name Atlanta should have on its radar.
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