ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves added a cloud of lingering concern to the upcoming season on Monday, thanks to one vague, but crucial announcement:
Ace pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, who has been dealing with elbow soreness for a short period, has officially been ruled out for Opening Day.
To be fair, the tone of Monday's declaration was more precautionary (in terms of Foltynewicz spending a few extra days training in Florida come April) than devastating (potential Tommy John surgery candidate).
As such, it doesn't make sense to jump to any wild conclusions about the Braves and their chances of repeating as National League East champs.
Here's why:
a) Atlanta has four off days in the first 24 dates of the season.
With this breathing room, the Braves could probably get by with a core rotation of Julio Teheran, Sean Newcomb, Kevin Gausman and Touki Toussaint during that span ... and then rely on a combination of Luiz Gohara, Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Max Fried or Bryse Wilson for the fifth-day role, when applicable.
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b) The Braves currently boast MLB's No. 2-ranked farm system; at the top, they're loaded with potential high-end starting pitchers – namely Mike Soroka (shoulder discomfort this spring), Kyle Wright, Ian Anderson and the aforementioned Toussaint (32 Ks in 29 MLB innings last year).
Translation: Provided the Foltynewicz injury isn't season-killing, Atlanta could benefit from a month-long, high-pressure-setting evaluation of their top pitching prospects.
c) Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 American League Cy Young winner, remains in the free-agent market ... even though Opening Day is merely 17 days away. Right now, the Braves rank 20th overall in payroll for 2019 ($109.55 million ... source: Spotrac.com).
d) The Braves could always go for the jugular and trade for Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
Covering the last six seasons, Bumgarner – arguably baseball's best postseason pitcher of this century – has enjoyed annual averages of 12 wins, 28 starts, 186 strikeouts, a 1.07 WHIP and 2.95 ERA.
Foltynewicz has logged 60 regular-season starts over the last two years. In 2018, he posted 13 wins, 202 strikeouts, two complete games, a 1.08 WHIP and 2.85 ERA.
