The Atlanta Braves have been oddly quiet this winter. And if you know president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulous, that likely means something is brewing.
After being bounced from the first round of the 2024 postseason, the Braves hope to have their full roster healthy for the 2025 campaign. If they hope to assert their dominance in a crowded National League, though, they could use one more quality starting pitcher.
According to a report last week from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Minnesota Twins, who are mired in an ownership change and loss of television revenue, have fielded trade calls for former All-Star starting pitcher Pablo López, their 2024 Opening Day starter.
“The Twins have listened on right-hander Pablo Lopez, and if free agent pitching prices remain stratospheric, perhaps they’ll go beyond the listening stage,” Passan said.
In 2024, López had a bit of a down year, but he still logged 185 1/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA, racking up 198 strikeouts. In 2023, he was an All-Star and finished third in Major League Baseball with a whopping 234 strikeouts.
López would be exactly what the Braves need–a fifth star to round out what could be one of the game’s most dominant rotations. He’s also proven his durability more than the rest of the current Braves rotation, which would represent a crucial insurance policy.
Here, then, is a possible trade package the Braves could offer Minnesota for López.
Braves receive: RHP Pablo López
Twins receive: RHP Hurston Waldrep (Braves No. 3 prospect), LHP Carter Holton (No. 12), C Nick Montgomery (No. 21).
Because the Braves would be eating all of López’s salary, they would only have to give up one top-10 prospect in return. Though Holton and Montgomery could still turn into quality big-leaguers, the Twins would be banking on Waldrep to become a star.
This is the sort of move that could put the Braves back in contention with the Los Angeles Dodgers for an NL pennant. With López in tow, the Braves could shut the opposition down night in, night out.
More MLB: Braves loosely linked to Red Sox $32 million four-time All-Star in free agency
