It’s been an eerily quiet offseason for the Atlanta Braves, almost too quiet. For a team known for pulling off jaw-dropping trades, it’s fair to wonder if they’re gearing up for a big move behind the scenes.
After all, this is the franchise that snagged Chris Sale, last year’s Cy Young winner, and Sean Murphy, a standout catcher, in recent years.
With Murphy locked in through 2028, it raises an intriguing question: what happens to top prospect Drake Baldwin?
The Baldwin Conundrum: A Prospect Without a Clear Role
Baldwin, ranked fifth in the Braves farm system according to MLB.com, is showing all the signs of a player on the brink of the big leagues. Many think 2025 could be his time to shine.
The problem? There may not be much room for him behind the plate, with Murphy entrenched as the everyday starter. Sure, a Baldwin-Murphy platoon might work in theory, but would it really bring out the best in both players?
Or is Baldwin’s value better leveraged in a blockbuster trade to patch up Atlanta’s biggest weakness: starting pitching depth?
Why Pablo López Could Be the Braves Missing Piece
Enter Pablo López. Harrison Bruns of Just Baseball recently pitched an interesting scenario.
What if the Braves packaged Baldwin and a mid-tier prospect to bring the Minnesota Twins’ ace to Atlanta? It’s the kind of deal that could transform the Braves’ rotation overnight.
López, a proven workhorse with No. 1 starter upside, has logged a solid 3.83 ERA over the past three seasons, racking up 559 1/3 innings and 606 strikeouts.
He’s under contract at a reasonable $65 million through 2027, giving Atlanta cost certainty for years to come.
Imagine a rotation featuring Sale, Spencer Strider, and López. That’s a top three that could go toe-to-toe with any team in baseball.
It’d also give the Braves some much-needed breathing room at the back end of the rotation, where young arms like Bryce Elder and A.J. Smith-Shawver struggled with consistency last season.
López would all but guarantee 180-plus innings of stability—a dream scenario for any team hoping to contend deep into October.
Win Now or Build for the Future?
But is it worth sacrificing a high-upside prospect like Baldwin? That’s where things get tricky. Catching depth is a luxury that not many teams enjoy, and Baldwin could become a star in his own right.
The Braves are built to win now. Bolstering the rotation might be the move that separates them from the rest of the National League.
It’s a classic win-now-versus-future-potential dilemma that Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos will have to navigate with precision.
If history is any guide, don’t be surprised if Atlanta makes some noise before the offseason’s over. Stay tuned—this could get interesting.
