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The Braves are being urged to sign free agent pitcher Lucas Giolito.
The Atlanta Braves are entering the 2026 season with the goal of bouncing back in a big way. This past season was undoubtedly disappointing for the Braves, as they finished the campaign with an underwhelming 76-86 record and fourth in the National League East standings. With this, the Braves missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
In response to their disappointing 2025 campaign, the Braves had a busy offseason that saw them bring in multiple new players. Among the players who the Braves brought in during the offseason include Robert Suarez, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubon, Jorge Mateo, and Jonah Heim.
However, while the Braves have the potential to bounce back this season, they have also been hit with some bad injury news regarding starting pitcher Spencer Strider. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman shared that Strider will miss the start of the season on the IL due to an oblique strain. With this, he is just the latest Braves starter to be sidelined with injury.
Now, in response to this Strider news, the Braves are being urged to sign the best starting pitcher who is still available in free agency.
MLB Insider Urges Braves to Sign Top Free Agent Pitcher Lucas Giolito
With Strider now being out for the start of the season, MLB insider Jon Heyman has urged the Braves to go out and sign top free agent starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.
“Braves absolutely need to sign Lucas Giolito now. Spencer Strider is the latest loss, hitting the IL with an oblique. Other recent hits: (Schwellenbach, Waldrep, Wentz, Profar). And since they are owned by a public company, we know they make a huge profit,” Heyman posted on X.
With the Braves continuing to deal with injury trouble, it makes a lot of sense that Heyman sees Giolito as a potential solution for them. There is no question that the Braves could use another starting pitcher right now, and Giolito would give them a former All-Star who is coming off a strong 2025 season.
In 26 games this past season with the Boston Red Sox, Giolito had a 10-4 record, a 3.41 ERA, and 131 strikeouts. With numbers like these, Giolito would have the potential to be a very solid addition to a Braves club that needs pitching help right now.
Braves Are Due for a Move Right Now
Whether it is Giolito or another pitcher, it is clear that the Braves should be looking to add to their pitching depth with the season just about here. They are simply dealing with too many injuries to do nothing, and they should not be afraid to make a move to bolster their pitching rotation because of it.
However, out of all the free agent options still available for the taking, Giolito would have the potential to make the biggest impact. Because of this, it makes sense that Heyman is urging the Braves to sign the 6-foot-6 righty. It will be interesting to see if they end up doing just that from here.
Michael DeRosa Michael covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has professionally covered the NHL since 2017 and has written for other publications like The Hockey News, BetMGM, Athlon Sports, and The Hockey Writers. More about Michael DeRosa
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