Well barring a last minute blockbuster trade, it really seems like the Opening Day rotation will look like Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, and the winner of the competition between Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and perhaps some other options, if they can all make it there healthy. You will note that Sale has had an extensive injury history, Strider is still looking to fully recover from his UCL internal brace surgery, Lopez missed most of last season, and Holmes rehabbed a partial UCL tear this offseason. Projecting productivity and health for those four to last until at least mid-season until we could perhaps see returns from young arms like Schwellenbach, Waldrep, and AJ Smith-Shawver is a risky proposition, though perhaps some farmhands can also play a role, such as top prospects Didier Fuentes, JR Ritchie, Owen Murphy, and others. It is really not good to be this deep into your starting pitching depth in mid-February.
Braves News
We got injury updates that did not sound very optimistic on Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, as they both required surgery.
The Braves are seemingly sticking with internal options to fill out their rotation, even with Schwellenbach and Waldrep unavailable for a while. That is a risky proposition.
Fangraphs released a WAR-based OOPSY projection system top 100 prospect list, featuring Braves’ Didier Fuentes and John Gil.
MLB News
MLBPA elected a new interim executive director, Bruce Meyer, who had been the deputy executive director and will lead the new CBA negotiation.
Brusdar Graterol will not be ready to start the season for the Dodgers, as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan charted what the direction needs to be for the MLBPA post-Tony Clark.
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