The question has been asked many times over the past few weeks as the Braves added Jaime Garcia, Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey to the rotation: where are Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair going to pitch?
After all, both pitchers were top-100 prospects at some point in the last two years. It's a valid question.
This is what John Coppolella told the AJC about the state of the crowded rotation. He didn't pull any punches:
"As far as the way our pitchers feel, this may not be (politically correct), but if you don't like it, get better," he said. "There's been a lot of opportunities handed out here. There's been a lot of pitchers pitching where, frankly, I'm - I don't want to way embarrassed for the Braves franchise, but where a gold-standard franchise like the Braves should be a lot better....
"If you feel like you've been slighted, or you have gotten a chance, or you're mad that we brought somebody better, pitch better. Get better. We don't owe anybody anything. The best pitchers are going to pitch for us, and if you don't like it, get better."
This is some tough love from the Braves' GM, and it's more than fair. Wisler and Blair were terrible in 2016, with the latter posting a 7.59 ERA during his first 15 big league starts. They need to be better.
It's worth noting that Coppy didn't directly mention Wisler or Blair in his quote, but let's be real here. He's not talking about Williams Perez.
We certainly shouldn't give up on either of the young righties moving forward. There is plenty of time for them to make adjustments and become long-term members of the starting rotation. Hopefully this winter's additions will serve as a wake up call for the future.