Atlanta Braves
Stroman and the Braves are an interesting fit because if Atlanta did what everyone thought they should’ve done this past winter, they wouldn’t be in this position. Even after signing Dallas Keuchel, this mostly young rotation hasn’t performed particularly well as a unit.
Among the five Atlanta starters with at least 50 innings pitched, they have as many pitchers with an ERA above 6.00 (Kevin Gausman and Mike Foltynewicz) as they do below 4.00 (Mike Soroka and Julio Teheran). Keuchel was a necessary veteran addition, but he’s only guaranteed to be around until the end of this year.
With the kind of young core they have in place, Atlanta’s window for contention is longer than that. Locking in a veteran starter with postseason experience and a love for the spotlight is something they could totally use.
They do have a comfortable lead in the NL East, but the aforementioned Nationals have been charging ahead over the last two months, and who knows what the Phillies are capable of prior to the deadline. The extra wrinkle in this situation is general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who was in charge of the Blue Jays at the start of Stroman’s professional career.
He’s already played into this connection once by signing Josh Donaldson to a one-year deal via free agency. There’s always a chance he could do it again.
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