Braves' Alex Anthopoulos blasted for letting $22M Cy Young arm go amid Spencer Schwellenbach injury

The Atlanta Braves are hoping for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2025 campaign. However, injuries are already beginning to pile up in the starting rotation, mirroring what plagued the team last year. The domino effect began when it was announced that starter Spencer Schwellenbach was injured.

“The Braves opened camp this morning with an unwelcome update on talented young righty Spencer Schwellenbach. He’s been placed on the 60-day injured list due to inflammation in his right elbow, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The team’s hope is that the 25-year-old is dealing with bone spurs and not something more nefarious,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams wrote.

Still, there were arms on the market for Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos to pursue. One notable option was Zac Gallen, but he ultimately re-signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“Zac Gallen returns to the Diamondbacks on a 1-year, $22.025 million contract with $14 million deferred after market craters,” Bob Nightengale wrote.

FanSided’s Zachary Rotman believes Atlanta letting Gallen walk is a major reason why the Braves can’t be taken seriously as a contender in 2026.

“The durability concerns with Atlanta's rotation are impossible to ignore, and while the team has some depth, it's clear the Braves need more than they have. Gallen was the last really interesting starter left on the free agency market. Perhaps the Braves will pivot to a guy like Lucas Giolito who won't cost as much money and won't require the forfiture of any draft capital, but until they actually add meaningful starting pitching depth, it's easy to criticize Alex Anthopoulos for not taking advantage of a suppressed Gallen market,” Rotman wrote.

Letting Gallen walk in free agency without putting up much of a fight doesn’t make a lot of sense when evaluating the Braves’ roster. Atlanta addressed most of its needs this winter — except starting pitching.

If the Braves get off to a slow start because of their rotation, it will be easy to point the finger at allowing a player like Gallen to leave. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to justify not aggressively pursuing a promising arm given the team’s current situation.

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