The Atlanta Braves had the best record in all of baseball in 2023, winning 104 games and cruising to their sixth straight NL East division title.
However, they fell short in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, who eliminated their division rivals in four games. This means the Braves have a little bit of work to do this offseason in order to make a deeper run into October.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, former Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has shown interest in playing for the Braves. Ohtani's market will be quite competitive, and the former MVP has also made it clear that he wants to play for a contending ballclub, which the Braves certainly are.
However, it will be tough to court him, and the Braves may need to look elsewhere.
Here are three superstars other than Ohtani the Braves can sign for 2024.
3. Sonny Gray
In a separate report, Morosi noted that both Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola are strong possibilities for the Braves as they look to improve their rotation. We'll discuss Gray first.
Gray had a 2.79 ERA and will likely finish second in the Cy Young race for the American League. The Minnesota Twins are already preparing for life without their Cy Young candidate in 2024.
But should the Braves add him, they would be bringing in somebody who has experience as an ace and a veteran presence to go next to guys like Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Bryce Elder. Atlanta would also have certainty in their rotation, which they will need in order to bounce back from their NLDS loss.
Gray averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings this year with the Twins and also kept his walk rate down. His market will be competitive, but Atlanta has the resources to get a deal done.
2. Aaron Nola
Now we'll focus on Nola.
The veteran right-hander may ultimately stay with the Phillies rather than sign with the Braves, but that doesn't mean the Braves aren't going to pursue him.
Nola also possesses upside, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The main issue he ran into this year was the home run ball, which inflated his ERA to 4.46. However, he returned to his ace form in the postseason and helped guide the Phillies back to the NLCS, where they would fall short against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Nola has proven himself to be a big-game pitcher and can come through in key spots. It's also important to note that Ohtani will not be able to pitch in 2024, meaning that the Braves would only get the offensive side of him.
They need starting pitching to bolster their chances of winning the NL East again. Adding Nola would also be a good way to stick it to the Phillies and possibly regain the upper hand in their heated NL East rivalry.
Other teams, such as the St. Louis Cardinals, are also showing early interest in Nola, per Morosi.
1. Blake Snell
At the moment, there is no indication that the Braves are showing any interest in Blake Snell.
However, the likely NL Cy Young Award winner will be highly sought after following a tremendous season. Snell won 14 games and posted a 2.25 ERA with the San Diego Padres. That was the lowest ERA in all of baseball.
Like Nola and Gray, Snell is a strikeout machine, having punched out 234 batters over 180 innings of work. The main issue with Snell is that he tends to struggle with walks and doesn't often go deep into ball games.
But his track record speaks for itself. He is a proven postseason pitcher who would give the Braves a chance to win games in October and return to the World Series.
He certainly won't come cheap, but if the Braves are looking into both Nola and Gray, it would not be too much of a stretch to see them potentially pursue Snell as well.
More pitching can never hurt, especially when it's top-level pitching.
The veteran left-hander was healthy all year and has proven himself to be one of the game's top starters through the first eight years of his career.
