With three weeks until the trade deadline, ESPN’s Jeff Passan gave his “best match” and “dream match” for the Atlanta Braves, addressing two entirely different needs.

Best Match For The Braves — Freddy Peralta

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Mets have underachieved this season. Despite limitless funds thanks to the backing of Steve Cohen, David Stearns hasn’t been able to find the right formula to build a sustainable winner, and they will almost certainly be selling at this year’s trade deadline — with a Freddy Peralta trade being among the most likely moves, given he’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

This was Peralta’s first season in Queens after starring in Milwaukee, and it hasn’t exactly gone to plan. His numbers are down across the board: a 4.68 ERA, 4.29 FIP, and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. That comes after a season in which he led baseball in wins, posted a 2.70 ERA with 10.4 strikeouts per nine, and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young race.

That kind of upside will attract plenty of suitors, especially desperate ones like the Braves, who should have interest in just about every starting pitcher available at the trade deadline.

“And even if certainty isn’t exactly what Freddy Peralta has provided for the Mets this season, there’s enough history there for Atlanta to treat him as the upgrade he would be,” Passan wrote. “Maybe it’s Peralta, and maybe it’s Michael Wacha, and maybe it’s one of a dozen other starting pitchers available. Whatever the Braves choose, their needs happen to align with the market’s clear strength, and there are fewer sure bets at this deadline than Atlanta getting a starting pitcher.”

There’s one small issue that can’t be overlooked, however: Freddy Peralta plays for the New York Mets. I know we live in a softer society these days, but rivalries do still exist — and the Mets and Braves are near the top of the list. If I were the general manager in New York, there’s not a prayer’s chance in hell I’d do anything to help the Braves. That would be a PR nightmare, and I can’t imagine Steve Cohen and company feel much differently.

Dream Match For The Braves — CJ Abrams

Shortstop has been a need in Atlanta for a half-decade, and this season has somehow magnified it even more — even after the club invested $20 million into the position by signing Ha-Seong Kim.

A Georgia product, Abrams has developed into one of the premier shortstops in the game, on pace for nearly 40 home runs and 120 RBIs this season. If the Nationals made him available, you’d imagine the Braves would be among the teams calling. There are three things, though, that make this trade hypothetical nothing more than fantasy.

The Nationals are an exciting young team that probably isn’t going to have much interest in moving their star shortstop, especially not to a division rival. And the asking price the Braves would have to meet would be absurd.

But let’s ignore that for a second and pretend the Nationals would be willing to deal Abrams. He’s still not the type of shortstop I see the Braves breaking the bank for. As outstanding as he is offensively, he’s atrocious defensively and would probably benefit from a position change down the line, especially as he ages. It’s a fun thought, but there’s no scenario where CJ Abrams is wearing a Braves uniform come August.

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(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire)