ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - February might not scream baseball, but spring training starts today!
Braves pitchers and catchers reported to the team’s complex in North Port, Florida on Tuesday.
The pitching staff is one of the biggest questions for the Braves in 2025.
Staff ace Spencer Strider could return in late April after sitting out 2024 with an elbow injury, but the Braves will be looking for pitchers to bridge the gap between Opening Day and Strider’s return.
That will be made harder after longtime starter Charlie Morton signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles this offseason and lefty Max Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees.
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The Braves have signed several pitchers to minor league deals, but they’ve otherwise been quiet on the free agency front. That could be a sign that young starters such as Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep will be bigger pieces of the rotation.
The team will also look for Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez to recapture last year’s form.
Sale won the Cy Young and the NL Pitching Triple Crown with a 2.38 ERA, 225 strikeouts and an 18-3 record. He also pitched 177.2 innings, more than he’d pitched in the previous five seasons combined.
He stayed off the injured list until late in the season and the Braves are certainly hoping he’s a reliable starter in 2025.
Lopez is looking to prove he’s more than a one-hit wonder. 2024 was the best season of his career, notching his best ERA and WHIP on his way to his first-ever All-Star appearance.
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The team carries two catchers, Sean Murphy and Chadwick Tromp, on the roster. Highly touted prospect Drake Baldwin will make an appearance at spring training, as well as veterans Curt Casali, Sandy León and Adam Zebrowski.
Baldwin looks to be a late-season callup, but he could be on the Opening Day roster if he impresses in Spring Training.
RELATED: Braves announce 16 spring training non-roster invitees
The Braves' marquee offseason pickup, outfielder Jurickson Profar, will report to spring training on Feb. 18.
Gray Media stations will simulcast 10 spring training games and 15 regular season games in 2025 alongside FanDuel Sports Network.
The games will broadcast over-the-air on Peachtree TV Atlanta’s CW (WPCH 17.1) and Peachtree Sports Network (PSN) in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast through Gray’s network of broadcast stations, including Palmetto Sports & Entertainment Network, the Tennessee Valley Sports & Entertainment Network, and portions of the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network. A select number of games will air on some of Gray’s ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and CW affiliates.
The regular season slate of games on Peachtree TV Atlanta’s CW will include the home opener on Apr. 4.
The Braves will begin the season on the road in San Diego on March 27.
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