Atlanta Braves Add Southpaw Pitcher From Division Rival

With the offseason now underway, the Atlanta Braves have already gotten themselves busy by adding another southpaw arm to their active roster.

On Monday, the Braves announced they have claimed left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker off waivers from their division rival, the Washington Nationals. 

Parker, a 27-year-old, has three major league seasons under his belt and has spent each one with Washington. He made his big league debut in 2024 and was an important piece of their starting rotation, as he posted a 4.29 ERA in 29 starts, in which he recorded 151 innings pitched. 

After his solid rookie season, his results on the mound began to worsen the following season in 2025. He still gave the Nationals a hefty amount of innings as a starter, as he made 30 starts and pitched a career-high 164 ⅔ innings, but his struggles overshadowed the positives.

In that second season, his ERA plunged to a 5.68 total and his command took a significant dip. His strikeout percentage dropped from 20.6% in 2024 to 14.2% in 2025, while his walk rate increased to an 8.0% total. He also allowed a total of 25 homers and gave up a fair amount of barrels to opposing hitters that season. 

2026 brought new challenges for Parker. After two seasons as a starter in the first two years of his career, the Nationals moved Parker to the bullpen, where he made 22 appearances in relief and no starts. However, the struggles worsened for the left-hander. In 39 ⅔ innings pitched, Parker posted a 6.58 ERA and allowed nine homers. 

Parker was placed on the injured list in late-June with elbow inflammation, which turned into something worse shortly after. He had torn his ulnar collateral ligament, in which he underwent an internal brace procedure. He missed the remainder of the 2026 season and is likely to miss around half of the 2027 season.

As he now joins the Braves, one of the Nationals’ division rivals, Parker presents himself as a wild card candidate to be an impact left-handed arm. Upon his return to the major leagues, his role is unknown but it is likely that he would return out of the bullpen. 

This past season, Atlanta had a solid mix of left-handed relievers that were productive in a very good bullpen. Parker could join the mix with a change of scenery of being in a new organization.

However, Parker is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is likely to make around $1 million. If Atlanta were to hold onto him, he would have four years of control.