With the trade deadline just around the corner, it’s time to dissect what the Braves really need.
It seems rather obvious what the club’s two weakest areas have been and should be addressed. Even with Adam Duvall heating up and Michael Harris II‘s looming return to Atlanta, the outfield has to be a focus for Alex Anthopoulos.
Outfielders are generally cheap at the deadline, so there’s no reason not to come away with multiple. That way, down the stretch, Brian Snitker can just play the hot hand, similar to what the club did in 2021 en route to a World Series.
The biggest single weakness on the team this season has been shortstop, but it will be much more challenging to trade for one than an outfielder. Orlando Arcia has been unplayable for much of the season, especially as of late. Unfortunately, the supply may not enable Anthopoulos to make a deal.
Those have to be 1a and 1b on AA’s to-do list this trade deadline, but the pitching staff could use some love too. The bullpen has been phenomenal for much of the season, and it’s loaded with talent. So much so that Daysbel Hernandez and his 0.00 ERA over 9.2 innings currently reside in Triple-A Gwinnett because there’s no room in Atlanta.
Of course, the Braves could acquire another reliever because of how cheap they can be at the deadline, but it’s certainly not a pressing need, and the rotation should be considered in the same vein.
Max Fried, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez are as formidable as any 1-2-3 in baseball, and they’re followed by a wide range of arms filling out the back of the rotation — Charlie Morton, Spencer Schwellenbach, Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson, and AJ Smith-Shawver. At this juncture, most would consider a starter to be overkill, but there are several reasons why Anthopoulos may yet still acquire one at the deadline.
First and foremost, injuries to starting pitchers are more frequent than ever, and this club knows as well as any how they can decimate a rotation. The Braves have been shorthanded more often than not going into October, so it’s possible Anthopoulos finds it necessary to fill a void before it’s even created.
Secondly, the future of the rotation is unclear at best. Max Fried’s free agency and Charlie Morton’s retirement are looming, while Spencer Strider is coming off a major injury. As of right now without any external additions, the 2025 rotation on Opening Day would consist of Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and some combination of Spencer Schwellenbach, Ian Anderson, AJ Snith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, and Bryce Elder. That’s not a lot of proven commodities for a team with World Series aspirations.
So, I only see a couple of scenarios in which the Braves acquire a starter of any kind at this trade deadline. The first would be about value, potentially an expiring contract of a back-of-the-rotation starter who is a buy-low candidate that gives Atlanta more depth for the second half of the season.
The second would be a starter with multiple years of control to kill two birds with one stone, bolstering the rotation for the stretch run while filling a void in the rotation for next year. That kind of player would be more expensive than the first scenario, but there will be several options available.
You can never have enough pitching in this league, so I would expect Anthopoulos to be looking at some starters at the trade deadline.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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