The 2025 season was undoubtedly a year to forget for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves struggled in a major way this past season, as they finished the campaign with a 76-86 record and fourth in the National League East. With this, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017, which was certainly not expected.
In response to their disappointing 2025 season, the Braves made several moves this offseason to try to bolster their roster. They most notably signed relief pitcher Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45 million contract, and he is now expected to be a key part of their bullpen because of it. Suarez is not the only newcomer on the Braves, though, as they also brought in multiple players like Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubon, Martin Perez, Jorge Mateo, and Jonah Heim.
The Braves also kept some players around from last season’s roster. The two most notable players that the Braves re-signed are Ha-Seong Kim and Raisel Iglesias.
Yet, when looking at the Braves’ roster, it is fair to argue that they should not be done yet. One of their biggest needs is another impactful starting pitcher, as it is clear that their rotation could use a boost. Because of this, the Braves are now being linked to one of the top free agent starting pitchers still on the market.
Braves Predicted to Sign Starting Pitcher Zack Littell
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter predicted each MLB team’s Opening Day starting rotation. The Braves were one of the most interesting teams in Reuter’s predictions. This is because Reuter predicted that the Braves would make a last-minute move and sign free agent pitcher Zach Littell ahead of the season.
“With Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both recovering from February elbow procedures, the Braves’ rotation is stretched thin, especially with Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and Reynaldo López all coming off injury-shortened seasons. That makes them a logical landing spot for Zack Littell or Lucas Giolito, who are the two notable rotation-caliber arms still looking for work, and Littell offers the more durable profile of the two,” Reuter wrote.
With the Braves in need of another pitcher, it would make a lot of sense for them to sign Littell before the season starts. He would give the bottom half of their rotation a nice boost and would provide them with another starter who has a good amount of MLB experience.
Littell is also coming off a solid 2025 season. In 32 games split between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds, the 6-foot-4 righty had a 10-8 record, a 3.81 ERA, and 130 strikeouts. With this, he would be a good pickup for the Braves and is set to add to his $15.6 million career earnings nicely.
Braves Will Have Competition to Land Littell
With Littell being one of baseball’s top free agent starting pitchers, the Braves will have competition for his services if they elect to target him. Two other teams that could make sense as landing spots for him include the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
Nevertheless, it will be intriguing to see if the Braves can end up being the team that lands Littell from here.
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