Atlanta, GA
Braves Predicted to Sign Rival Pitcher to $60 Million Deal
Unless both Max Fried and Charlie Morton return, the Atlanta Braves are going to add starting pitchers to their roster during MLB free agency. That’s pretty much a fact.
Who the Braves sign could depend on how much risky they are willing to take.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly likes the idea of the Braves being very risky with one free agent signing this winter. On Monday, Kelly predicted Atlanta to sign Los Angeles Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty.
Kelly projected Flaherty to receive a 3-year, $60 million contract from the Braves. The BR writer added there will be an opt-out in the contract after 2026.
“There will be a lot to consider with Flaherty as a free agent. Not only has he struggled to stay healthy consistently in his career, but prior to being traded to the Dodgers, a deal that would have sent him to the Yankees fell through over concerns about a back injury. There will be some teams who view him as too risky of an investment,” wrote Kelly.
“There’s the potential for signing Flaherty to blow up, but the ceiling is high enough that there will be plenty of teams willing to take that risk.”
Five years ago, Flaherty was a rising star for the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished fourth for the National League Cy Young award after posting a league-best 0.968 WHIP in 2019. He went 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA and 231 strikeouts that season too.
But, as Kelly detailed, Flaherty has dealt with multiple injuries over the past half a decade. This season, he was inconsistent, particularly in the playoffs.
He pitched 7 shutout innings in Game 1 of the NLCS and then allowed only 2 runs over 5.1 frames during the first game of the World Series. But he allowed 8 runs the second time he faced the New York Mets in the NLCS and then 4 runs versus the New York Yankees during his second World Series appearance.
During the regular season, Flaherty went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts with the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. He also had 192 strikeouts and a 1.068 WHIP in 162 innings.
Flaherty presents a lot of risk. Personally, too much for my taste. But if the Braves want to bet on their organization maximizing a pitcher’s talent and keeping him healthy with a six-man rotation as they did with Chris Sale in 2024, the reward could be tremendous.
Atlanta, GA
Where do the Atlanta Falcons pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The Atlanta Falcons do not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and they currently don’t have a general manager to make the selection. Team owner Arthur Blank dismissed both head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot following the team’s 8-9 finish.
While the Falcons didn’t make the playoffs this season, Fontenot’s bold draft day trade for James Pearce Jr. paid off in a big way. Pearce finished with 10.5 sacks, leading all rookies, and the Falcons went from having the NFL’s second-worst pass rush to having the No. 2 unit with 57 sacks in 2025.
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As for the pick that Atlanta sent to Los Angeles in the Pearce trade, it will officially land at 13th overall. But what about the team’s other picks? Check out the Falcons’ current selections in the 2026 NFL Draft below.
Atlanta Falcons: List of picks in 2026 NFL Draft
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Round 2 (Projected pick No. 48)
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Round 3 (Projected pick No. 79)
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Round 4 (Projected pick No. 114)
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Round 6 (Projected pick No. 197)
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Round 7 (Projected pick No. 231)
Not only did Pearce lead all rookies with 10.5 sacks, but former third-round pick Xavier Watts led the 2025 draft class with five interceptions. The Falcons will have to find some more mid-round gems in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Atlanta Falcons picks in each round
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta weather: Foggy Monday morning, warming trend ahead
Sunday evening forecast
Expect above-normal temperatures to start the week out. The FOX 5 Storm Team is tracking the arrival of the next cold front. Here’s the latest.
ATLANTA – Winter’s roller-coaster temperatures are climbing back up the hill this week, with another drop expected next week.
Patchy fog could affect the start of the workweek across parts of north and central Georgia, followed by a rapid warmup that may push temperatures close to record levels before a sharp cooldown by the weekend, according to the FOX 5 Storm Team.
How warm will it get this week?
By the numbers:
Monday is expected to look similar to Sunday, with filtered sunshine and mild temperatures. “Tomorrow looks very similar to today’s, mostly sunny, a bit mild,” FOX 5 Storm Team meteorologist Greg Majewski said, with highs generally in the low to mid-60s.
The warming trend strengthens as the week continues. Overnight lows will rise into the 40s and near 50, followed by daytime highs climbing into the upper 60s and low 70s by midweek. “The trend is going to be going upward here for the week,” Majewski said.
Several days in the 70s are possible, bringing temperatures close to record territory. “We’re hitting the 70s here three days in a row,” he said. “This is going to get awfully close to the record high.”
Rain chances remain limited early in the week, though Majewski said a weak boundary could bring “a couple of isolated showers” late Tuesday. More meaningful rain is expected later in the week as a stronger system approaches.
By Friday night into Saturday, showers and thunderstorms could move through the area, followed by a dramatic cooldown. “Here comes the rain coming in on Friday, kind of late,” Majewski said, adding that colder air will move in behind the system.
How cold will it get this weekend?
What’s next:
Temperatures are expected to fall sharply by Sunday. “Boom. 51, 37,” Majewski said. “Much colder Sunday.”
That cold snap could bring another return to winterlike mornings early next week. “That means that Monday morning we’ll probably see the twenties back in here yet again,” he said. “So the roller-coaster ride of our winter continues here across Georgia.”
The Source: This article contains an original forecast by the FOX 5 Storm Team. The National Weather Service contributed to this report.
Atlanta, GA
Braves News: NBP pieces falling into place, slow market, more
Well the NBP posted players all seem to be settled now, with Imai and Okamoto having signed with an MLB club and Takahashi returning to the NBP. Those players do not seem to have sparked movement in the overall market, either in free agency or in trades, at least so far, as this offseason continues to be glacial. Hopefully things pick up a bit as we get more separation from the holidays. The Braves still seem to be motivated to make a big addition, but this front office has shown that the right deal has to be there for them to pull the trigger.
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