Is it possible the Braves trade one of their All-Stars?

Due to a slew of injuries to key pieces and an offense that refuses to hit, the MLB trade deadline has now become the topic of discussion surrounding the Braves. They must add offensively if they want to contend this season, and they could use another starter to round out the rotation.

A nine game deficit in the NL East may seem insurmountable right now, but things can change in this sport on a dime, and as we’ve seen over the last two seasons, Wild Card teams have had more success than ever since the playoffs have expanded.

The story of the Braves 2024 has yet to be written. This is the same organization that was sitting below .500 heading into August a few years back and went on to win the World Series, thanks to some key additions, and they’ll have to have a similarly successful trade deadline this year if they want any chance come October.

I won’t even address the possibility of selling. There is no way that happens unless things go awfully wrong over the next seven weeks. The Braves still sit comfortably ahead of the rest of the National League Wild Card as of today, and I don’t see any way they fall out of the race before August. If they have a chance, Alex Anthopoulos is going to make the most of it, as one GM put it, “Alex is always a buyer.” 

However, a conversation that can be had is whether the Braves may desire to shake things up with their core group, and there could be a couple of reasons for that.

First and foremost, this isn’t the same group that won the World Series in 2021. Most of the leaders of that team have moved on, and this new core has fallen flat on its face in each of the last two postseasons. It could be dumb luck working against them, or there could be something more to it. However, doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is the definition of insanity. The Braves tried that while winning 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005 and only won one World Series. If you don’t pay attention to history and adjust accordingly, it has a tendency to repeat itself.

Secondly, the Braves don’t have many prospects on the farm that will attract the top targets available at the trade deadline, and they might not be interested in moving the few that they have. If they want to make a big move over the next couple of months, it could be a lot easier to part ways with talent on the major-league roster.

Most likely, Alex Anthopoulos will operate similarly to the way he did in 2021. He recognizes this year won’t be the Braves best chance to win with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider out for the year, so he’s not going to go all-in on a short-term solution while risking the future.

However, there has to be some thought to the direction this organization is heading ever since they won the World Series. If things don’t improve by the trade deadline, it might be time for a major shakeup.

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