Alex Anthopoulos’ decision to let Spencer Strider replace Max Fried isn’t looking great

Coming into the offseason, the Braves had rotation concerns with Max Fried and Charlie Morton leaving in free agency as well as Spencer Strider returning from InternalBrace surgery.

Alex Anthopoulos elected not to bolster the unit in any way, even refusing to tender Griffin Canning a $5 million contract, who, by the way, owns a 3.23 ERA for the Mets. Instead, Atlanta’s GM elected to have Ian Anderson battle for a spot in Spring Training, with Strider and Grant Holmes essentially replacing Fried and Morton.

“We’ve lost free agents, no doubt about it, but we have some people we are going to give opportunities to,” Anthopoulos sai6d. “Strider and Fried are not the same, but we lost Strider for last year, and we had the best ERA in the game, and we lost Fried now but Strider comes back. We lose Charlie Morton, can Grant Holmes take that opportunity and be that guy? We think he’s certainly got a chance to do that.”

It couldn’t have worked out worse, even if the rotation has been a strength for the Braves. Anderson never even made it out of camp, with A.J. Smith-Shawver getting the nod on the Opening Day roster, but it was more about Anderson’s struggles than Smith-Shawver’s emergence.

However, the rookie hurler did get over the proverbial hump and established himself as a budding star before tragedy struck, as Smith-Shawver tore his UCL. Obviously, there’s nothing Anthopoulos can do about that, but depth would’ve been nice for a rotation that has constantly battled injuries.

Speaking of injuries, Reynaldo Lopez started one game before a shoulder injury sidelined him, which was much more predictable than AJSS considering the veteran’s multiple stints on the IL last year with fatigue issues. Anthopoulos probably deserves more blame for that.

Now, we get to Holmes and Strider replacing Morton and Fried, respectively. One looks brilliant; one certainly doesn’t. Uncle Chuck signed a one-year deal with the Orioles, and it couldn’t be going worse. He owns a 6.20 ERA for Baltimore, and Holmes owns a 3.78 ERA, which is 7% higher than league average and more than enough for a team’s 4th or 5th starter.

Where Anthopoulos missed was expecting Strider to replace Fried’s production. The new Yankees ace is thriving in pinstripes atop the Cy Young conversation with a 1.92 ERA. Granted, Fried wasn’t pitching like this in 2024 for the Braves. He finished with an uncharacteristically high 3.25 ERA; however, it’s still far better than what Strider is giving Atlanta.

Spencer Strider came into last night’s contest against the Diamondbacks sporting a 4.50 ERA, and it only got worse. He went 5.0 innings but surrendered five earned runs, three of which came on home runs. It raised his season ERA to 5.68, but even more concerning is the stuff.

Strider sat around 95 mph on his heater, and he still lacked control. Now, he might regain his form eventually, but it looks increasingly possible that it might not happen in 2025. Fried’s contract is also eight years long, so making sweeping statements would be a bit overzealous.

However, it’s a gross oversight on Alex Anthopoulos’ part to assume that Spencer Strider, coming off InternalBrace surgery, could just step in and replace Max Fried. A decision that could end up costing the Braves a spot in the postseason.