Intriguing: Latest MLB rotation power rankings have Braves fans rubbing it in Dodgers’ face

For as much as some Atlanta Braves fans continue to worry about the team’s rotation, it sure does look strong on paper heading into the 2024 season. Spencer Strider and Max Fried at the top of the rotation matches up with any team in baseball while Charlie Morton and Chris Sale are older arms with some injury issues, but who also have long track records of success and who still know how to miss bats. The #5 spot is still up for grabs down at camp and will probably rotate this season, but the Braves have no shortage of young pitching prospects to choose from if needed there.

Still, it was pretty wild to see how much CBS Sports liked the Braves’ rotation when they released their MLB rotation power rankings earlier this week and put the Braves at the top spot.

CBS Sports ranks the Braves’ 2024 rotation as the best in baseball

Let’s get one thing out of the way right now: these sorts of power rankings mean exceedingly little. While it is nice to get some recognition from a national media outlet, it is still very early in spring training and proclaiming any team as having the best anything this season is merely trying to spark discussion and little else.

Still, once you take a step back, CBS may actually be on to something here. The number of teams that have two legitimate Cy Young contenders like Strider and Fried plus strong depth behind them is pretty small. The Phillies are certainly in the conversation with Wheeler and Nola and the Astros have a case as well if one is particularly bullish on Justin Verlander in 2024. Seattle has a really good young crop of pitchers as well with Luis Castillo leading the way for them.

What is particularly funny here is that the Dodgers only rank fifth in CBS Sports’ rankings. Sure, adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a huge win for LA, but CBS does have point regarding their starting pitching depth. Shohei Ohtani is not pitching this year, Tyler Glasnow’s history of staying on the mound is spotty at best, and the rest of their pitching depth chart is full of unproven young guys and vets with injury histories. If everything breaks their way, LA could be in great shape. However, it is rare for that to happen with pitching staffs in the modern era of baseball.

In short, while the Braves’ pitching staff isn’t perfect, every team’s rotation is the same way to some degree. Heading into the 2024 season, Atlanta is in great shape in their rotation assuming, of course, that all of their main guys can make it through spring training healthy unlike last season.