Atlanta Braves waiting on Julio Teheran to become an ace

Every baseball team has a No. 1 pitcher. It’s the one who starts on Opening Day, the pitcher they hope is set to start an important game. We all rank rotations, and every team has a number one on the staff.

To assume a team’s No. 1 starter is automatically an ace is dangerous. Yes, many are aces, but there may be only 15 true ace pitchers in the game. Those are the pitchers just about any team could acquire and automatically place at the top of a rotation. Those are the pitchers usually in the Cy Young Award discussion.

Some teams have a No. 2 pitcher who is an ace. The Braves had three aces for a full decade, and those three pitchers are now in Cooperstown. So, there’s a difference between a No. 1 and an ace.

Julio Teheran is Atlanta’s No. 1 pitcher. He has started the past four years on Opening Day. Teheran is only 26, and he has put up good numbers in his four-plus seasons with the Braves. He has averaged 199 innings per year, with a 3.33 ERA.

But Teheran has proven time and time again that he is no ace.

The Braves keep waiting. Teheran is the classic example of being good but not great. You can’t say Teheran has not been good the past few years, but everyone likely would hesitate in calling Teheran an ace pitcher. That’s what every team wishes for to lead their rotation.

You just keep waiting for Teheran to consistently dominate. His stuff is there, and it’s very good. There’s just always something that seems to keep him from being great.

This year, Teheran has been awful at Sun Trust Park, with a 7.05 ERA in 10 starts. On the road, Teheran’s ERA is 2.84. Can the Braves afford to keep a pitcher who cannot do well in their home park?

Also, Teheran has allowed 23 home runs already this season. He has averaged giving up 23 home runs in his first four seasons. He probably has at least 10 starts remaining, so Teheran will blow past his average.

There’s just always something to keep Teheran from being great.

Teheran is owed a guaranteed $19 million during the next two seasons. The Braves have a $12 million option on his contract for 2020. All of this will be before Teheran turns 30 years old. So, he’s very affordable, and the contract also gives him value.

That value is something the Braves are likely debating this week, as we move closer to the July 31 trade deadline. If Teheran is not going to be special, if he’s just going to be a No. 3 starter on a great staff (at best), should the Braves take advantage of his value (with his age and contract) and trade him?

The problem is every other team knows what the Braves know. Teams know Teheran is good but not great. The Braves need to get good value for Teheran if he is traded, or else they could just keep him.

With all the pitching coming through Atlanta’s farm system, it would be great to get a really good position player prospect for Teheran. And wouldn’t a team in contention think it was worth giving up a good bat for someone who would start in the playoffs for them?

Teheran could do that. He just couldn’t start game one.

The Braves don’t have to trade Teheran. They can be patient and see if Teheran can one day become an ace. Chances are they’ll take advantage of the value he has and send him on his way. Perhaps it’s simply time to see if someone else can become Atlanta’s ace.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Atlanta Braves waiting on Julio Teheran to become an ace."