The Braves had a rather quiet trade deadline, which is somewhat puzzling given the number of holes on the current roster. A case could have been made for Alex Anthopoulos to target at least two outfielders, if not three, along with another middle infielder to help the offense. More pitching never hurts, either.
Instead, the Braves made only one trade, acquiring familiar faces from the Giants in Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson. Both were members of the 2021 World Series team, with Soler taking home MVP honors against the Astros. The addition of the slugging outfielder will add some much-needed pop to a lineup that has been painfully inconsistent for more than three months. However, he alone cannot fix Atlanta’s offensive woes.
Star players busting out of funks is paramount for the Braves to make the playoffs and go on a deep run. Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, in particular, have been dreadful all season. If they can turn things around, this team won’t even look the same.
Just as important, getting guys healthy really might determine the entire season. The Braves are optimistic that both Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez will return to the mound over the next couple of weeks, while Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies may not be too far behind.
Harris was recently moved to the 60-day IL. He’s eligible to return in the middle of August, and as of now, that seems like a reasonable timeline. Ozzie Albies may also be back before most expected. After breaking his wrist a couple of weeks ago, the expectation was for him to miss eight weeks, which suggested a middle of September return at the earliest. However, when addressing the media following the trade deadline, Alex Anthopoulos hinted it could be sooner than that.
“We think Ozzie (Albies) is trending early September to be back.” – Alex Anthopoulos
— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) July 30, 2024
Getting all of these guys back with a few weeks left in the season is critical. As we’ve seen all year, it takes some time to find a groove, so having a month to get going before the postseason could make a massive difference.
The Braves haven’t been anywhere close to healthy all season, and that will be the same for the remainder of the year. With that being said, if all the stars align, there’s a path for them to play their best baseball at the end of the season, which is what October is all about.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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