A recent tweet from Mark Bowman suggests that anything and everything is on the table for the Atlanta Braves.
Some teams have gotten the sense the Braves are willing to trade both Inciarte and Foltynewicz. Acuna's presence make Inciarte understandable. To move Folty, the Braves would likely need to fill multiple needs and/or have the confidence another deal would land a front-line SP
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 10, 2018
No, the Braves do not have the payroll to afford a star like Bryce Harper or Manny Machado- but outside of that- the trade market looks to be wide open for Atlanta. Bowman later shut down the Foltynewicz rumors, stating the Braves are not going to trade the closest thing they have to an ace. However, it doesn’t take away from the lengths Anthopoulos is willing to go to improve this ball club.
Alex Anthopoulos: "We’re talking about some things. I wouldn’t say we’re close. But we’ve definitely had some conversations about (trading) some players off the big league team."
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 10, 2018
In order to turn this team into a World Series contender, a major move or two is going to have to happen, which might mean some current major-league talent heading out the door. Inciarte is an obvious trade candidate. He’s under an affordable contract, coming off back-to-back years of solid production, including one All-Star campaign, and has increased value because of his defense. The man has become a fan favorite in Atlanta, but they have a capable center fielder in Ronald Acuña Jr., a potentially better defensive outfielder in Cristian Pache on the farm, and other glaring needs to field.
While Folty may be off the table, Sean Newcomb has to be an arm they would consider dealing for the right price. Newk showed a lot of potential, especially in the season’s first half, but his continuous control problems that have popped up throughout his career have held him back significantly. That’s something many pitchers can figure out in time, but with the emphasis on win-now in Atlanta, Newcomb could find himself included in a deal that lands the Braves a more polished player.
Another obvious area where the Braves can afford to move someone is on the left side of their infield. After signing Josh Donaldson, the plan is to move Johan Camargo into a “super-utility” role- a role that has become increasingly important in the era of analytics and matchup-based baseball that we live in. With that being said, both Camargo and Swanson could be the centerpiece to a blockbuster deal.
It’s not going to be music to the fans’ ears if the Braves part ways with any of these players. Each of them was an integral part of the Braves’ magical 2018 season. However, without a payroll like the Yankees or Red Sox, general managers are forced to get creative. We will see if Anthopoulos knows the right strings to pull and when to pull him.