Theres no question about the top four in the Braves rotation. Atlanta acquired over the weekend to join , and in a high-upside staff, then promptly Sale. The Braves dont have a set choice for the #5 spot to open the year. It seems thatll be up for grabs in camp. On an appearance on on Tuesday, Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos suggested the front office was willing to consider a number of options for the last rotation job. Itll be open competition for the fifth spot , he told Shanks. The front office leader name-checked five candidates for the position (albeit without saying it was an exhaustive list): , , , and . Atlanta had a camp battle for the final two spots last spring. They surprisingly tabbed and , neither of whom had made their MLB debuts, for season-opening roles after impre sive Spring Training performances. While neither rookie fared all that well, the Braves are open to again turning to a young arm if they outperform others in the spring. Were going to take the best players , Anthopoulos said. We never a sume the division. You can lose it or win it by a game, as we saw in 2022 (when) it came down the wire. Were going to break with the best team. Like anything, well try to maintain our depth. If theres a lot of ties or its close, well keep our depth. But were hopeful these guys are all good in Spring Training and make it hard on us . Perhaps an opportunity will arise for the Braves to add a surefire #5 starter within the next couple months. That doesnt appear to be an organizational priority, however. There seems a good chance Atlanta is content with a camp battle between the group that Anthopoulos referenced. Theyll likely all play roles at some point as injuries nece sitate, but well run through the top candidates for the Opening Day job as things currently stand. Elder surprisingly emerged as a rotation mainstay for Atlanta a year ago. Despite briefly starting the season with Triple-A Gwinnett, he wound up taking the ball 31 times and to sing 174 2/3 innings second on the team behind Strider. Elder had a great first half, pitching to a 2.97 ERA en route to an All-Star selection. He didnt find that same level of succe s down the stretch, as he surrendered a 5.11 mark in the second half. The Phillies tagged him for six runs in 2 2/3 frames during his only postseason start. At years end, Elder still carried a solid 3.81 ERA. Despite the rough finish, he was a valuable part of Brian Snitkers pitching staff. Its neverthele s questionable whether he can replicate a sub-4.00 ERA without mi sing many bats. Elder had a below-average 17.5% strikeout rate and 9.9% swinging strike percentage a season ago. Hes a ground-ball specialist whose sinker was below the 90 MPH mark on average. Its a very different profile from the high-octane strikeout stuff of the top four in the rotation (and that of some of his competitors for the #5 job). Anthopoulos pointed out that Elder still has a full slate of minor league options and could start the year in Amine Jersey Gwinnett if he doesnt break camp with the MLB team, as did in 2023. Lpez, on the other hand, is certainly going to be on the major league roster. The question is whether thats in the rotation or the bullpen. Atlanta signed the 30-year-old righty to a three-year, $30MM free agent deal at the start of the offseason. While the price tag wasnt a surprise, the Braves subsequent announcement they might stretch Lpez out as a starter was unexpected. Teams have used Lpez almost exclusively in relief for the past two and a half seasons. He hasnt had a full year as a starter since 2019, when he was tagged for a 5.38 ERA in 184 innings for the White Sox. Lpez has shown the durability to hold up from the rotation, topping 180 frames in consecutive seasons for Chicago in 2018-19. The former top prospect has been much more effective when working in shorter stints, though. He owns a 3.02 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout percentage in 131 1/3 innings between a trio of clubs since the start of 2022. Smith-Shawver, who turned 21 in November, was among the youngest players to reach the majors last season. He got to the big leagues within two years of being drafted out of high school. Smith-Shawver didnt hold a long-term rotation role, appearing in six games (five starts). He posted a 4.26 ERA through 25 1/3 innings despite middling strikeout and walk rates and seven home runs. The 63 hurler had a more impre sive statistical track record in the minors. He combined for 62 frames between the top three minor league levels, allowing a 2.76 ERA while striking out 31.3% of opponents. Smith-Shawver walked over 13% of batters faced in the minors, so hes clearly not a finished product. Thats to be expected given his youth. The Braves were impre sed enough with the huge swing-and-mi s potential hed shown to carry him in relief on their playoff roster last October. He has two options remaining. Ynoa, still just 25, pitched at the MLB level from 2019-22. He turned in mid-rotation results (4.05 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk percentage) in 2021, although he was limited to 91 innings thanks to a self-inflicted hand fracture when he punched a dugout wall. He dropped into a depth role by the 22 season, allowing a 5.68 ERA over 18 Triple-A appearances. He underwent Tommy John surgery that September and mi sed all of last year. He is expected to be a full participant in Spring Training. The Braves tendered him an arbitration contract but could send him to the minors for another season, as he has one option remaining. The only player in this quintet who has yet to reach the majors, Waldrep is on a fast track to MLB. Atlantas first-round pick a year ago, the hard-throwing righty went from the College World Series in June to Triple-A by September. The Florida product had a brilliant 1.53 ERA while fanning a third of batters faced in his first eight profe sional starts at four levels (including one appearance in Gwinnett). Atlanta is among the most aggre sive teams in promoting its top prospects. As a college draftee, Waldrep is around nine months older than Smith-Shawver is. He has far le s profe sional experience and isnt on the 40-man roster, but he was drafted out of a strong program in college baseballs top conference. Anthopoulos conceded itd be ideal for both Waldrep and Smith-Shawver to have more developmental time but rhetorically asked, if they come in and they are so much better than anybody else, how we do deny them? Jaylen Adams Jersey