The Atlanta Braves made a surprise move over the weekend, re-signing two pitchers who underwhelmed in the 2025 season. Both Darius Vines and Carlos Carrasco were signed to minor league deals that help bolster Atlanta's depth heading into the offseason. Neither are starters you want to be first options, but they will be solid rotation pieces for the Gwinnett Stripers and offer starting experience if injuries were to strike.
Carrasco started three games for the Braves in the 2025 season and finished his tenure with Atlanta with a 9.88 ERA. However, it was only in the 2022 season when the veteran pitched more than 150 innings and was a productive piece of the New York Mets rotation. While the years since have been a frustration, there is still a sliver of hope that the veteran can turn back the clock and become a bottom-of-the-rotation option.
For Vines, this is a solid chance to put his career back on track after failing to start a game for the Braves in the 2025 season. It makes sense for the franchise to re-sign the minor league arm as a secondary emergency option. It should be noted that neither player has a roster spot locked into place, with spring training determining how many spots are up for grabs.
Carrasco, Vines Re-Signings Not Enough to Solve Rotation Depth Issues
Atlanta fans have to hope that this is simply the tip of the iceberg of Atlanta's offseason moves in the rotation and not the defining rotation additions. Heading into the 2026 season, the expected rotation will be Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrop, and Reynaldo Lopez. Still, Lopez is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season, and the Braves are one injury away from having some major question marks.
It is easy to argue that the Braves should move Lopez back to the bullpen after the injuries and help stabilize that unit. This would open the door to add two arms to the bottom of the rotation as well as bring in insurance in case Atlanta has another injury-plagued season, as they did in 2025.
With this in mind, the latest moves aren't all that impactful but simply planning for the worst-case scenario or handing the Braves two potential reclamation projects. However, you choose to look at it, there isn't a strong likelihood that either starter is going to spend time in Atlanta's rotation.
Still, it is a solid signing that kicks off what is going to be an incredibly pivotal offseason. The Braves need to continually make impact moves and be willing to spend to improve positions of need in the next two months of the offseason.