The Braves have a deeper rotation than most, led by Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach, a revelation last season as a rookie. But when they activate Strider from the IL, provided the others stay healthy, it has the makings of an elite unit topped by arguably the best 1-2 combination in baseball — Sale and Strider, in either order.

Of course, there's also precedent for Strider's dominance in MLB. In his last full season before injury (2023), Strider was a force for the Braves, pitching to a 3.86 ERA over 32 starts, including a whopping 281 strikeouts over 186.2 innings, the most of any pitcher in baseball that year.

The Atlanta Braves didn't make many major upgrades this winter, much to the chagrin of a fanbase hungry for their first World Series since 2021. Injuries to Spe