The Atlanta Braves have received bad news time after time this offseason in terms of missing out on top free agent options that they have reportedly either targeted or talked to at some point. The Braves still have a big need at starter, and at least the bright side is that they continue to be linked to all the top names. The most recent being Japanese star Tatsuya Imai, who announced his free agency decision on Thursday

Tatsuya Imai’s posting window was set to close on Friday, so his decision comes right before the deadline. According to multiple Braves sources, Atlanta has been linked to Imai and had made a semi-aggressive pursuit for the highly-touted overseas pitcher.

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Braves Still Pursuing Starting Pitching

Despite missing out on Tatsuya Imai, who decided to sign with the Houston Astros on a three-year contract with an AAV of $17 million. The deal is worth $54 million, but has escalators that can bring it just north of $60 million, and there’s an opt-out after each year in the deal.

In other news across MLB, free agent Tyler Mahle signed with the San Francisco Giants, as Mahle was a low-cost name that the Braves could have also added, which would make an impact in their starting rotation.

Tatsuya Imai in Japan threads Getty

Imai is a great addition for the Astros, who now likely won’t be able to retain Valdez, which might actually be good news for the Braves, as they continue to pursue a starting pitcher. Would GM Alex Anthopoulos break out the checkbook for Valdez? A potential deal would likely put the Braves in the luxury tax, so that seems unlikely, but there’s still a lot of value on the open market.

Atlanta doesn’t necessarily need an ace, as their frontline rotation options in Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach will be the aces of the staff, but rather the Braves should target an innings-eater.

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What Starters Should the Braves Target?

As noted, there is still a lot of value out on the free agent market for the Atlanta Braves to consider signing. Tatsuya Imai is just 28, and the Braves aren’t going to find youth like that on the market, but there are still tenured, consistent, and durable veterans.

Some of the starters across MLB that the Braves should target include Chris Bassitt, Zac Gallen, Zack Littell, Justin Verlander, and Patrick Corbin.

Most of these arms are past their prime, but again, as noted, the Braves need arms that can take the ball every fifth day, and every one of the names listed above can provide that.

Bassitt or Gallen is likely the most expensive from that list of names, but their contract demands certainly would be much less than either Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez.

It will be interesting to see, though, how Imai’s decision shakes up the starting pitcher market, as he was handed a $17 million AAV deal without pitching in MLB before. It worked out for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers, but Tatsuya Imai will have to prove himself like Yamamoto did before fans and those who cover MLB can assess Imai’s deal.

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