Mariners could facilitate a trade that fills Braves’ need

The Braves have a need for a starting pitcher, and there are a few enticing options that have been made available for one reason or another.

The headliners are Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease. The latter has multiple years of control and will certainly cost an arm and a leg. The former will test free agency next cycle and is in line to garner an absolutely monster contract. Both are Scott Boras’ clients, which certainly complicates things.

There are other options like Tyler Glasnow and Shane Bieber but each comes with issues. Glasnow has dealt with injuries, and durability should be Alex Anthopoulos’ top priority when targeting a starter, which is why I believe he went hard after Aaron Nola. Glasnow is risky, but when healthy, he’s an ace. Bieber, on the other hand, has fallen from ace status after a 2021 shoulder injury. His acquisition also comes with risk.

One team that could prove to be an adequate trade partner is the Mariners, who have been churning out quality starters and have a need for offense. Seattle has a surplus of arms that should interest the Braves.

A guy like George Kirby is probably a pipe dream for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Braves likely don’t have enough without a third team to even interest the Mariners, which is the second point. The Mariners are probably not even interested in moving Kirby, who is one of the best young pitchers in the game and is under team control for the foreseeable future.

Logan Gilbert could be a trade candidate, though. He posted a combined sub-3.50 ERA across the last two seasons, accumulating 185.2 innings in 2022 and 190.2 innings last year. Trading for Gilbert would cost an arm and a leg, but the Mariners have enough pitching depth to potentially make a move.

Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo are waiting in the wings but could also interest Alex Anthopoulos. The first was acquired about 18 months ago and quickly signed a contract extension two months after the trade. Castillo is owed $22.75 million over the next four seasons and would garner significantly more if he hit the free agent market right now. I find it highly unlikely the Mariners would be willing to deal him, but who knows?

Miller and Woo are less proven commodities but come with multiple years of team control. They’re somewhat similar assets for Seattle; each throws blistering fastballs without much experience

Gilbert and Castillo are the two pitchers that are most appealing in my eyes, but that’s not to say Miller and Woo won’t intrigue Atlanta’s front office, who has a knack for finding talent before it blossoms into superstardom.

However, what holds any hypothetical trade up is compensation. The Mariners need offensive help that can slot into their lineup immediately. The Braves have some in the form of Vaughn Grissom and Marcell Ozuna, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to get any deal done. On top of that, the Braves’ young arms (A.J. Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep) won’t interest a Seattle team that already has an abundance of arms.

A three-team trade could potentially work out where the Braves and another club send major league ready bats to the Emerald City, and a third team receives pitching prospects. 

It’s a long shot, but it’s possible. It would be an absolute masterclass by Alex Anthopoulos, who has swung blockbuster trades for Sean Murphy and Matt Olson in back-to-back offseasons.

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