The Atlanta Braves have an urgent need to add a starting pitcher this offseason. While they had a strong rotation at the top in 2024, injuries exposed their lack of depth, particularly in the fourth and fifth starter spots. Now, with Max Fried and Charlie Morton departing for other teams, the Braves must find reinforcements.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently predicted that Atlanta could sign Texas Rangers free-agent pitcher Andrew Heaney to help fill the void left by Fried and Morton.
“So, who has the greatest 11th-hour need for a starting pitcher? Probably the Atlanta Braves, right?” Miller wrote. “They lost Max Fried. They lost Morton. We still don’t know when Spencer Strider will be back. And as things stand, even once Strider returns, they’ll have either Ian Anderson or Grant Holmes penciled in as the fifth starter.
“Throw in the fact that they’re banking on both Chris Sale and Reynaldo López staying reasonably healthy, and it’s alarming that they have done nothing about their pitching staff this winter. But if they swoop in for Heaney on something like a 2-year, $19 million deal, problem solved—without exceeding the luxury-tax threshold.”
Though Heaney isn’t at Fried’s level, he would still be an upgrade over Atlanta’s current options. The 33-year-old lefty made 31 starts last season, posting a 4.28 ERA, with a 4.04 FIP and a 1.25 WHIP—numbers that suggest he performed slightly better than his ERA indicates. If signed, he could provide much-needed stability to the Braves’ rotation in 2025.
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