The Braves are coming off an impressive series win over the Phillies, cutting their deficit in the NL East to 8.0 games.
With the trade deadline a few weeks away, Atlanta is expected to be among the most aggressive teams in baseball. According to Bob Nightengale, the Braves, along with the Dodgers, Yankees, Mariners, Phillies, and Padres are who GMs and other executives have pegged as the biggest potential buyers leading into August.
These have been the usual suspects for many trade deadlines before this year. The Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees, and Braves have been buyers in every season in recent memory. However, with more buyers, there will be less to go around. The Braves will surely be in the market for at least one outfielder and probably more, but there will be no shortage of suitors for that kind of player this trade deadline.
Names like Tommy Pham, Luis Robert Jr. Gavin Sheets, Brent Rookier, Jazz Chisholm, Kevin Pillar, and Taylor Ward will be floated as potential trade targets for the Braves while guys like Lane Thomas, Jesse Winker, Harrison Bader, and Mark Canha could join them sooner than later.
As of right now, there are only about five or so teams that are out of playoff contention and will be sellers. With the expanded playoffs, this has become the norm in baseball, so the Braves will have stiff competition among buyers at the trade deadline.
A couple of outfielders could do the trick, but I would expect Anthopoulos to upgrade any facet of this team if a situation presents itself. Whether it’s the pitching staff or at shortstop with Orlando Arcia performing terribly, Atlanta’s GM will leave no stone unturned.
—
David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.