Are the Braves done making moves this offseason?

Atlanta Braves fans have been begging for a splash all offseason, and they finally got their wish right before the new year when Alex Anthopoulos dealt Vaughn Grissom to the Red Sox for Chris Sale.

Sale has battled a slew of injuries over the last three years, which has limited him to just 31 starts since the start of the 2021 campaign. However, he’s healthy now, and the expectation is for him to slot right into the middle of the Braves rotation.

That solidifies a pitching staff that now looks like one of the best in baseball. A top four of Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Chris Sale is terrifying for opponents. The Braves also have plenty of options waiting in the wings, like Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, Ian Anderson, Huascar Ynoa, and Reynaldo Lopez.

That’s an incredible mix of aces, experience, upside, and depth. The Braves are poised to have one of the best rotations in baseball this year, and the same could be said for their bullpen.

Pierce Johnson and Joe Jimenez were brought back to kick off the offseason after their spending first seasons with the Braves. Alex Anthopoulos then acquired Aaron Bummer in a trade and signed the hard-throwing Reynaldo Lopez to a three-year contract. With Chris Sale now in the fold, it seems increasingly likely Lopez will be headed to the bullpen where he has been much more effective throughout his career. Combined with A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias, that’s a helluva a bullpen, and that doesn’t even include guys like Tyler Matzek, Dylan Lee, Daysbel Hernandez, and Ray Kerr.

The depth of the Braves pitching staff has been a problem for years. It was noticeable in each of the last two seasons, but even dating back to 2020, when Robbie Erlin and Tommy Milone were making starts, it’s been an issue. That’s no longer the case. This might be the deepest pitching staff in the entire league entering 2024.

As far as the Braves lineup is concerned, not nearly as many adjustments needed to be made this offseason. The only hole was in left field, which was filled by the acquisition of Jarred Kelenic. The Braves also had a need for a utility infielder, but it appears David Fletcher will take that spot over for Nicky Lopez.

There’s really only one other tweak that needs to be made before the start of the season. The Braves must add a fourth outfielder, a role that was filled by Kevin Pillar a year ago. That’s probably the last thing left on Alex Anthopolous’ to-do list, outside of other minor additions to the 40-man roster. But we’ve been surprised before, and as fans have come to find out, Anthopoulos never turns down a good bargain. Even when the roster appears to be in pristine shape.