Braves Named Trade Landing Spot for Starting Pitchers as Ian Anderson Struggles

The Atlanta Braves were again proposed to be a potential trade suitor for a pair of starting pitchers the same weekend Ian Anderson struggled in his Spring Training debut.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is clearly comfortable trusting the team's young starting pitchers to begin the 2025 campaign. But how long that trusts lasts if the organization's youngsters underperform early in the season remains to be seen.

In the team's second game of the spring on Feb. 23, starter Ian Anderson failed to complete his second inning. Anderson, who was making his first appearance in a Braves uniform in two years, allowed one hit and three walks in 1.2 innings.

As three walks in under two frames would indicate, Anderson struggled with his command. He threw only 17 strikes on 37 pitches.

The MLB trade rumor mill never stops. So, even if Anderson had pitched well, pundits would still be floating the Braves as a potential landing spot for a new starting pitcher.

But the timing of Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer's latest Braves trade speculation is intriguing. Rymer named the Braves a possible landing spot for both San Diego Padres starters Michael King and Dylan Cease.

Could a poor early Spring Training pitching performance from Anderson increase the urgency the Braves might have to make a starting pitcher addition? If not, then how many poor outings would it take?

It's important not to overreact to one Spring Training appearance. But Rymer's latest Braves trade speculation nearly coinciding with Anderson's early spring struggles proposes these questions.

How long do the Braves trust their young starters?

The Braves are counting on some kind of combination of Anderson, Grant Holmes, AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder to fulfill two spots in the rotation until Spencer Strider returns. Atlanta could then still need two of those four unproven commodities to make regular starts in 2025 if the team utilizes a six-man rotation as it did last year.

The Braves should also be prepared for injuries. It wouldn't be surprising if Anderson, Holmes, Smith-Shawver and Elder all play a role in the Atlanta rotation at some point in 2025.

How long can the Braves stay with that plan, though, if Anderson continues to struggle with his command?

Anthopoulos suggested to reporters on Jan. 23 that any pitcher they add before the 2025 regular season has to be clearly better than Holmes and Anderson.

King and Cease would clearly be better than Anderson was in his spring debut. Cease has been an NL Cy Young finalist in two of the past three years. King posted a 2.95 ERA in his first full year as a starter last year.

The Braves may not want to make an addition. But they will have to if the team's young starters experience more outings like Anderson's first spring appearance.

It may have been just two innings in February. But if Atlanta's Spring Training is about seeing what the current rotation has to offer, the early returns from Anderson are not good.