Pittsburgh Pirates acquire starter Marco Gonzales from the Atlanta Braves 

Just days after reports suggested that the Atlanta Braves would part ways with starter Marco Gonzales, it has now been reported that the ace has been acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates. After a disappointing, injury-riddled season for the Seattle Mariners, Gonzales is set to make his second move of the winter in less than a week. In just days after the update from Atlanta, the Pirates have made a swoop for the starter, in exchange for cash and a player to be named later.

Marco Gonzales was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut for them the following year in 2014. While he had an impressive rookie season with the Cardinals, he struggled with injuries over the next two years and ended up being traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2017. Gonzales revived his career in Seattle, putting in multiple consistent seasons for them before getting injured once again this year.

Gonzales made ten starts for the Mariners this season before an injury to his left forearm forced him out of action. Soon after, it was revealed that the starter would have to undergo a season-ending surgery to decompress a nerve on his forearm. Since then, he has been out of action and was traded to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. However, the Atlanta side were only interested in using him to move their pieces and have now offloaded him to Pirates for cash and another player to be named later:

Who will be the Braves' fifth starting arm for 2024 if not Marco Gonzales?

Having solved their problem in left field, the Atlanta Braves will now look to add a fifth starter to their bullpen to bolster their starting rotation. They already have four of the spots filled with Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder, but will now look for a fifth arm, not just for the 2024 MLB season, but for the future as well.

While Marco Gonzales' move to the Pittsburgh Pirates has made it clear that he will not fill that role, some of the biggest possible names include Rangers' Jordan Montgomery, Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and free agent Eduardo Rodriguez. It remains to be seen who will finally be the one they acquire.