With the August 1st trade deadline looming it’s almost a guarantee the Atlanta Braves will bring in relievers to bolster an injured bullpen, but with the Braves recently announcing that Kolby Allard is headed to the 60-day injured list, Atlanta could now be in the market for another starting pitcher.
Now, with Max Fried set to return to the big league club sooner rather than later, the Braves could just roll with Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder, and Michael Soroka as their five man starting rotation, and use the trade deadline to solely focus on improving the bullpen.
However, if the Braves do bring in another starting pitcher before the deadline, Play-by-Play voice for the Braves, Brandon Gaudin, told The Morning Shift earlier today there is a “legitimate possibility” that Michael Soroka could be moved to the bullpen for the rest of the season.
“If you make a move for a starter at the trade deadline then I think Michael Soroka in the bullpen becomes a legitimate possibility.” Gaudin said.
Brandon also said “If you can’t get Kyle Wright back, if you get Fried back okay then you got Fried, Morton, Strider, and Elder that’s four starters you still need a fifth starter, so if they move for somebody at the All-Star break to get a fifth starter, then I definitely think that Soroka is a strong bullpen candidate, and then what you saw the other day against Chicago you can start to read a little bit more into that.”
Gaudin finished his thought by saying “When I saw him in the pen I immediately thought okay if the Braves make a move for another starter at the deadline this could be an interesting solution for them in the last couple of months of the season.”
If Soroka is moved to the bullpen, it is probably safe to assume that the move would just last until the end of the season, and Soroka will find himself back in the starting rotation in 2024, but Soroka could end up being a very valuable long or short relief pitcher coming out of the Braves bullpen for the rest of the 2023 season.