The offseason is here, and there will be no shortage of trade rumors. Some of them have already begun, and you can bet Alex Anthopoulos will be snooping around looking for a deal. After all, just look at what he was able to get done at the trade deadline… and that was without trading anyone of value. Just think what AA might be able to do if he actually parted ways with a top-ten prospect?
So today, I wanted to look at the organization’s most tradeable prospects, but in order to do that, we must define exactly what “tradeable” means, since I’m pretty sure it’s not even a word. In this sense, I’m defining “tradeable” as prospects that would bring the Braves back the most value in return that Alex Anthopoulos might actually be willing to part ways with. Of course, nobody should be completely off the table, but there are guys like Shea Langeliers and Michael Harris that just aren’t going anywhere, at least not this offseason.
The Braves were linked to All-Star centerfielder Bryan Reynolds at the trade deadline. That would have been an incredible blockbuster deal, and they might be in a similar market this offseason, considering the fact that Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, and Jorge Soler are all unrestricted free agents.
5. William Contreras
Ok, I’m kind of cheating because William Contreras has already lost his prospect status after being forced into action out of necessity way sooner than the Braves ever would have liked, but for all intents and purposes, he’s a prospect. I expect him to begin the year in AAA, and I almost consider him untradeable. The Braves only have two catchers in their farm system; however, the other — Shea Langeliers — just received the Minor League Player of the Year award from the organization. His bat is already way ahead of schedule, and defensively, he’s come as advertised. I still think it’s unlikely the Braves move Conteras, but for the right package, it’s possible. He would bring in a helluva player. Langeliers, on the other hand, is off limits.
4. Tucker Davidson
Davidson’s stock has skyrockets since 2019, and he’s now one of the top prospects in the system. He’s also already started a World Series game. Last year, the southpaw had a 1.17 ERA in four AAA starts before receiving the call, and he was just as a productive in the majors, posting a 3.60 ERA in four starts. Unfortunately, a forearm strain cut his season short, but the fact that he was able to return and start Game 5 of the World Series tells you all you need to know about what the Braves think of him. Still, given the depth of Atlanta’s pitching throughout the organization, he would be on the table in a potential blockbuster deal.
3. Kyle Muller
I would probably put Davidson and Muller in the same category. They’ve both been spectacular at AAA and played very well in their first stints in the majors. That is why I think one could be moved in a potential trade to bring back a superb talent.
2. Drew Waters
After winning the Southern League MVP award, Waters struggled (for his standards) in his first full season at AAA. He only hit .240 and continued to strike out way too much (142 times in just 103 games). However, his willingness to take more walks is encouraging, and there’s plenty of reason to believe he will develop into a player that can rack up extra-base hits and hit 20+ homers at the major-league level. His athleticism is also a plus, which can be seen by his 28 stolen bases. It would take a ton for the Braves to part ways with Waters, but there wealth of outfield prospects makes it possible in the right deal.
1. Cristian Pache
The same people who were ready to sell off Austin Riley for a laundry machine and a mediocre third baseman are the sample people already giving up on Cristian Pache. Sure, a .119 average in your first 67 at-bats is about as unsightly as it gets, but the second part of that is what’s important — 67 at-bats. Pache was forced to the majors way too early, and his bat has always been the concern. He remains arguably the best defensive prospect in all of baseball and has yet to even turn 23-years-old. This is still the best prospect in the Braves system; however, I would no longer view him as untradeable. It would have to take something incredible, but it’s not off the table like it may have been this time last year.
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