The Atlanta Braves Should Consider A Reunion With A Familiar Starter

If there were one area of the Atlanta Braves’ roster to point at in terms of weakness in the 2026 postseason, that area would easily be the team’s starting rotation at the most crucial point of the season.

The uncertainty of how efficient the rotation could be after the tandem of Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle clouded the Braves’ concerns heading into the postseason, and turned out to hurt the team in their NLDS loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

As the regular season wound down, the Braves’ rotation depth appeared to gradually decline. Atlanta had lost veteran Martín Pérez just ahead of the postseason with a lower back injury. Bryce Elder, who struggled after a dominant start to the year, missed most of September and the Braves’ postseason run. Grant Holmes pitched in an integral bulk role, but did not earn enough trust to make a start.

It was evident that the Braves needed more starting pitching. With a crucial offseason lying ahead and the team in the midst of one of the league’s most promising contention windows, starting pitching should be a priority over the offseason. 

On the starting pitcher market, there are various avenues the Braves can take. However, one familiar starter stands out as an intriguing player to return to Atlanta. 

Mike Soroka, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Braves and is set to become a free agent this offseason, fits the mold of a starting pitcher Atlanta should look into adding to their rotation.

Soroka is coming off a promising campaign after signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who gave him a long-awaited runway to be a starter. The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.41 ERA in 22 games, 21 of which were starts.

While Soroka impressed in Arizona’s rotation, his workload took a notable leap in comparison to his recent years. In fact, his 116 innings pitched marked the first time he reached 100 innings since he tossed 174 ⅔ frames in 2019.

That same season was the same year Soroka came onto the scene in the major leagues. Soroka had posted a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts that year — which would end up being the last time he pitched in double-digit games until 2024.

In his career, Soroka has dealt with an unfortunate case of injuries. Soroka tore his right Achilles when covering first base in a game in August 2020, then re-tore the same Achilles tendon in June 2021. The injuries caused him to miss nearly three full seasons, as he missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Soroka had struggled in his return to the mound in 2023 with the Braves. Pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 2024, he struggled. Those struggles continued in 2025 with the Washington Nationals, though he found a slight stride when he was traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline and moved over to the bullpen. That confidence carried over to 2026, when he had a nice bounce back year.

A reunion between Soroka and the Braves would bring the team a starter that proved to be consistent last year in a near-full season in the rotation. The Braves could use that heading forward into 2027.