It’s not anything new that the Atlanta Braves should be searching for starting pitching on the external market. After starting the season 3-2, which is solid, Atlanta still needs to be wary of its starting rotation, especially if more injuries pile up.
A recent piece by Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer named 10 potential trade chips for the 2026 season, and San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta found himself on the list, and the Braves were listed as a possible trade destination for the $55 million starter.
To no surprise, the Braves were listed as a possible landing spot for many of the starting pitchers (Luis Severino, Joe Ryan) named in the piece by BR.
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Braves-Padres Trade Pitch Lands Nick Pivetta in Atlanta
GettyNick Pivetta had a stellar first season with the San Diego Padres in 2025.
Piggybacking off Rymer floating Nick Pivetta’s name as a trade candidate, the Atlanta Braves should be seen as an ideal landing spot for the 10-year MLB veteran.
In this trade idea by Heavy on Sports, the Braves acquire Nick Pivetta from the San Diego Padres in return for Jonah Heim and infielder/utility Nacho Alvarez Jr.
“Pivetta would be a hot item on the trade market if he were made available. He had the best season of his career in 2025, posting a 2.87 ERA over 181.2 innings. Even before that, his stuff always rated well, suggesting such a breakout was inevitable,” Rymer wrote.
“Due to its backloaded salaries and complex structure, Pivetta’s contract wouldn’t make a trade easy to figure out. But for any team motivated to get a top-of-the-rotation starter, none of that would be a deal-breaker.”
Pivetta has made just one start in 2026, and he was touched up for six earned runs over three innings. However, over the course of his career, he’s been a decent starter with the ability to take the ball every fifth day.
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Braves Look to Win Series vs. Athletics
In other Braves news, as the season rolls along, Atlanta will be going for the series win against the Athletics on Wednesday afternoon.
The Braves are sending out ace Chris Sale, but the Atlanta lineup will also oppose the A’s ace, Luis Severino.
It may not have reared its head yet, but the Braves’ starting rotation is going to be an issue at some point this season.
There’s a world where Braves fans may think everything will be okay with Spencer Strider and Schwellenbach returning, and that could be true; everything might be okay, but to deal with so many injuries to the pitching staff before the season even started isn’t a great sign.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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