Braves named most likely trade landing spot for White Sox pitcher

The Braves will finish out the first half of the season with a set against the Padres, then it will be a sprint to the MLB Trade deadline, where Alex Anthopoulos is expected to be a busy man.

At this juncture, it’s not even a debate when discussing the Braves’ top roster needs — outfield and shortstop. Now, is it likely that Anthopoulos is able to find a replacement for Orlando Arcia? No, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a glaring need.

Outfield, on the other hand, will be easier to acquire, and the Braves should come away with multiple, similar to the 2021 deadline that propelled them to the World Series.

Even though most Braves fans can agree on those two roster needs, all I see from MLB pundits is pitching. Granted, you can never have enough of it in this league, but Atlanta’s rotation is a strength.

Max Fried, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez can go toe to toe with any 1-2-3 in baseball. All three have been named All-Stars, while two of Charlie Morton, Spencer Schwellenbach, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson, and AJ Smith-Shawver round out the starting rotation.

A lot can change over the next few weeks, but the Braves don’t need a starter right now unless it’s a deal that Anthopoulos can’t pass up or a player that fills the void that Max Fried and Charlie Morton may create by leaving Atlanta in 2025.

Still, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes the Braves will be in the market for a starter, naming them one of three of the most likely landing spots for Erick Fedde.

“It appears veteran starter Erick Fedde is the White Sox player most likely to be traded, with the Cardinals, Orioles and Braves as the most likely landing spots.”

The 31-year-old is amid a fantastic year, owning a sub-3.00 ERA across 111.1 innings and coming off an outing where he tossed five scoreless frames. His journey back to the majors is nothing short of a Disney movie.

He spent time overseas across the last six seasons, compiling an atrocious 5.41 ERA, but he reinvented himself in Korea in 2023, adding a sweeper and removing his curveball.

Having a surplus of good pitchers is never a bad thing. So, if an opportunity presents itself to acquire Fedde, the Braves should be expected to pounce. I subscribe to the notion that teams should simply stockpile good players and figure it out later.

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