SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 22: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves looks on before the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on June 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
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The Atlanta Braves entered the season expecting their starting rotation to be a major strength, but injuries have forced the club to continually reassess its options.
While the team tried to reinforce its rotation at the trade deadline, that deadline passed without the frontline addition that many expected. However, the rotation has begun to look more stable.
“One week after being criticized for not adding a frontline starter before the trade deadline, the Braves are being asked whether there might soon be room for Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver in their starting rotation?” Mark Bowman noted for MLB.com. “It’s not that the Braves suddenly have an overabundance of options for their injury-depleted rotation. It’s just that this rotation that has been described as thin doesn’t currently have any glaring holes.”
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With a strong position going into the final playoff push, the Braves can be optimistic that their pitching depth at least won’t get any thinner.
But the front office did get close to landing five-time All-Star ace Jacob deGrom in a trade with the Texas Rangers.
“deGrom, 38, exercised the no-trade clause in his Rangers’ contract to put the kibosh on trade talks that would’ve sent him to Atlanta last week,” Gabriel Burns reported for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The talks were extensive enough that the Braves and Rangers had the structure of a deal in place, which is why Texas approached him for approval.”
For Atlanta, losing out on deGrom in a strong season so far was undoubtedly disappointing. And the Braves might have been surprised to hear that the pitcher declined because of his hope to “win” with the Rangers.
“It’s a little surprising at first,” Braves manager Walt Weiss told Burns. “But that’s a personal decision for a player.”
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The Braves now have to determine whether their existing pitching options can carry them through the remainder of the season.
Lopez and Smith-Shawver could become increasingly important if Atlanta continues to get healthy. Rather than immediately finding another established starter, the organization may have an opportunity to see whether its internal options can fill the gaps.
That does not erase the disappointment surrounding deGrom. A healthy deGrom would have represented a major addition to a rotation that has endured considerable uncertainty.
But as Weiss acknowledged, deGrom made a personal decision, and the Braves have to respect it. The more important question may be whether Atlanta can prove it did not need him as badly as it initially appeared.
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