The Braves are known for wheeling and dealing, and with the free agent market exploding, it makes all the sense in the world for Alex Anthopoulos to make his blockbuster acquisition via trade again this offseason.
Unfortunately, the Braves aren’t prospect-rich. They rank near the bottom of most farm system rankings, but that doesn’t mean the club doesn’t have the kind of prospect capital that would pique the interest of selling teams.
Drake Baldwin is a talented prospect at a premium position. With Sean Murphy locked up for the foreseeable future, it could make sense to dangle Baldwin on the trade block.
The Braves also have a couple of young arms that would be enough to get conversations started surrounding any star, one being Atlanta’s potential trade chip, A.J. Smith-Shawver, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Interestingly, while Smith-Shawver was Feinsand’s choice for the Braves, he added a tidbit that many teams have tried to land Hurston Waldrep.
“Many teams have unsuccessfully tried to land the club’s No. 3 prospect RHP Hurston Waldrep, who might fall into the untouchable category. No. 5 prospect C Drake Baldwin is Atlanta’s second-most-attractive trade piece, but following Travis d’Arnaud’s departure, the Braves might be hesitant to reduce depth at this premium position,” Feinsand writes. “But you have to give to get, so Smith-Shawver (the Braves’ No. 2 prospect and No. 97 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100) could be used as a trade chip, as Atlanta needs an outfielder, another veteran starter and a high-leverage reliever.”
While no prospect should be considered untouchable if the deal is right, Alex Anthopoulos has generally been money when it comes to knowing which prospects to trade and which to keep. The lone exception being William Contreras, but he wasn’t even a prospect when the Braves decided to include him in their trade for Sean Murphy.
If the Braves view Hurston Waldrep as untouchable, who am I to argue? He didn’t have much success in his first stint with the major league club, allowing 13 runs over seven innings in two starts. However, the former first-round pick is still young and had some success in Triple-A Gwinnett, throwing for a 3.38 ERA across eight starts and 40 innings.
But if the Braves are unwilling to move Waldrep in any kind of deal, that would severely limit their ability to land a star via trade.
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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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