Cobb Reporter

Braves starting pitchers Charlie Morton, Max Fried and Ian Anderson will all be returning for the 2022 season after playing significant roles in the Braves World Series championship run. 

Morton, Fried and Anderson made 11 out of the 15 possible postseason starts during the Braves' championship run.

“You feel good about the Braves’ chance to win whenever Morton, Fried or Anderson are on the mound that evening," team officials said. 

The Braves re-signed Morton to a one-year contract worth $20 million after his quality 2021 season. Anderson is 23 years old and holds a career ERA of 3.25 in his 30 major league starts. Getting these players locked down was key heading into the Major League Baseball work stoppage, according to a report from talkingchop.com. 

While Morton's curve ball is still strong, he is 38 years old and will be coming off of an off-season surgery next season, making him a bit of a question mark for next year, according to a report from talkingchop.com. Meanwhile, Fried is 28 years old and viewed as a contender for the Cy Young award next season. Anderson is anticipated to be the No. 3 pitcher for the Braves next season and to continue to rack up high numbers of strikeouts. 

It is unclear what pitchers will be starting in the four and five slots next season for the Braves, according to a report from talkingchop.com, causing some concern heading into next season. Signing an additional name through free agency is one solution as is adding a new pitcher to the roster from Atlanta's minor league farm system. It is unclear if Atlanta's farm pitchers are strong enough yet to handle the grind of a full major league season. While the Braves have a good chance to win with any of their top three pitchers on the mound, they need to figure out the bottom of the rotation.