The most glaring need for the Braves as the trade deadline approaches is starting pitching. Their current rotation is Chris Sale and hope for the best, with 35-year-old Martin Perez  their second most reliable starter. That is not going to cut it come October — and while some internal options offer a potential solution, betting on rookies and arms coming back from serious injuries is never a wise strategy.

The Braves will be calling on every starter that becomes available, including Tarik Skubal, no matter how unlikely that may seem. Anthopoulos has never been a general manager eager to get into bidding wars for marquee players. He’s always looking for value, and one of the more under-the-radar names to monitor is Angels lefty Reid Detmers, who is already generating interest around the league.

“Los Angeles Angels left-handed starter Reid Detmers is starting to pick up plenty of traction among teams seeking a starter at the trade deadline,” Bob Nightengale writes for USA Today Sports. “Detmers is 1-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his past four starts, yielding a 0.54 WHIP and .105 opposing batting average with 37 strikeouts in 26 innings. He also has two more years of control.”

Detmers’ 4.00 ERA across 14 starts this season isn’t exactly eye-popping, especially when discussing a potential number two starter behind Chris Sale for a playoff series. But the underlying metrics tell a more attractive story when you dig a little deeper.

—

• 2.87 FIP
• 2.87 xERA (88th percentile)
• .203 xBA (86th percentile)
• 29.3% K-Rate (90th percentile)
• 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings (leads league)

—

Detmers has the stuff of an elite starting pitcher, and he wouldn’t be the first guy to fail to live up to his potential while wearing an Angels uniform — an organization notorious for abysmal pitching development. As Nightengale mentions, he’s also peaking at the right time, and the two additional years of team control after this season is something Anthopoulos typically places significant value on this time of year.

When it comes to starting pitching at the trade deadline, there’s rarely such a thing as a bargain. The expanded playoffs have created more buyers than ever, which only drives up the price — the primary reason Anthopoulos hasn’t pulled the trigger in years past.

But at some point he’s going to have to choose between one of two paths. Accept the market for what it is and put this team in the best possible position to chase a championship, or risk watching another season slip away with this talented core because of an unwillingness to pay the going rate for starting pitching.

—

(Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire)