The Braves have been specifically linked to Chris Bassett and Lucas Giolito as targets for their starting pitching pursuits, and are clearly still active at this stage of the offseason. While these are by no means sexy options, they likely won’t require eye-watering contracts compared to Flamber Valdez or Zach Gallen and could preserve the Warriors’ 2026 draft capital. Bassett has been fairly durable and consistent over seven seasons, at about 2.5 fWAR per season (regular length), but has yet to peak higher than that and will hit 37 this season. Giolito had a higher peak than Bassett from 2019 to 2021, but hasn’t been the same pitcher since. That said, he had a solid back-end starting season in 2025, albeit with significantly fewer strikeouts. Both are solid depth options but don’t add much to the table beyond that, although Giolito is only 31, so perhaps his resurgence is still possible.
brave news
Even at this stage of the offseason, the Braves have reiterated their interest in adding starting pitching, with Jon Heyman naming Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito as potential options.
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MLB News
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