Three remaining starting pitching trade targets for the Braves

It’s pretty clear the Braves were willing to enter the 2026 campaign with what they had on the starting pitching front, even if Alex Anthopoulos spoke all offseason about adding a “playoff-caliber” starter.

If he were serious about that, it would have already happened. But following yet another injury to a core piece of Atlanta’s rotation plans — with Hurston Waldrep discovering loose bodies in his elbow — the situation has never been more dire for the Braves, which could finally force Anthopoulos to get out of his comfort zone or face the reality of another lost season.

The problem is time and available options. Opening Day is just over a month away, and most teams — even rebuilding ones — aren’t eager to subtract from their roster this close to the regular season unless the return is something they simply cannot ignore. The other thing that must be considered is the Braves’ situation. Teams around the league are well aware of their desperation, which further limits their leverage in negotiations.

That’s why it’s better to take care of these things from November to January, but the Braves rolled the dice and now they are paying the price. The only question now is whether they will pay the necessary price to improve their situation before the start of the season.

Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara has been the subject of trade rumors for a long time now, and the Marlins are clearly open for business after dealing Edward Cabrera earlier in the offseason. However, they are not just going to sell low on Alcantara, especially after he ended last season strong, pitching to a 3.33 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in the second half.

Given he’s under contract through 2027, it makes the most sense for the Marlins to hang onto the hard-throwing righty so he can prove the second half of last season was no fluke. If that happens, Miami will be able to demand a king’s ransom at the trade deadline.

Obviously, that’s a bit of a gamble by the Marlins. There’s a chance Alcantara could struggle and they’d get pennies on the dollar in July, but to this point it’s evident that’s a roll of the dice they are willing to take if their demands are not met, which appear to be significant.

Pablo López and Joe Ryan

The Twins were expected by many to undergo a fire sale this offseason after gutting much of their roster at last year’s trade deadline. But surprisingly, they haven’t seemed too interested in parting ways with their remaining star players, two of whom could really help solve the Braves’ rotation concerns.

At 29 years old, Joe Ryan is coming off a career year in which he recorded a 3.42 ERA over 170 innings on his way to being an All-Star for the first time. He’s set to make $6.2 million in 2026 and has a $13 million mutual option for 2027, which he’ll almost certainly opt out of unless he suffers a significant injury.

The Twins holding onto Joe Ryan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They have next to zero chance of competing for a championship in 2026, and it’s unlikely they pony up the money to retain him next offseason. But to this point, they’ve held strong on their stance of not trading Byron Buxton, Ryan, or Pablo López.

Braves fans should be very familiar with Pablo López from his days with the Marlins, where he spent the first five seasons of his MLB career. He might not be a frontline starter, but he certainly falls into the category of arms that can start a playoff game, having appeared in three over his career and recording a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 innings.

López is owed a total of $43.5 million over the next two seasons.