Spencer Schwellenbach was the most sought after Braves player at trade deadline, says Alex Anthopoulos

The Braves came out of the trade deadline with Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson in one of the more underwhelming hauls among contenders, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Alex Anthopoulos recently said that they explored the market for a frontline starter, eventually choosing not to pull the trigger on any other deal because the value and price didn’t make sense for Atlanta.

Another interesting note from the president of baseball operations for the Braves, Anthopoulos told Jeff Francoeur and Brandon Gaudin that Spencer Schwellenbach was the most asked about player in Atlanta’s organization, in regard to potential trades.

Anthopoulos is referring to significant trades because for Schwellenbach to be brought up in conversations has to be for an All-Star caliber player. The former two-way player at Nebraska is coming off the best outing of his young professional career against the Mets.

In a four-game series, the Braves were entering the weekend down two with the Wild Card slipping through their grasp. Schwellenbach stopped the bleeding by way of 11 strikeouts across seven innings of no-run ball.

Schwellenbach is emerging as a star for Atlanta. In four July outings, he’s posted an impressive 2.08 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 28:1 K:BB over 26 innings. He’s got a legit 5-pitch mix and has barely any experience as a starting pitcher in general, let alone in the majors.

Nobody is untouchable in the right trade, but Spencer Schwellenbach is about as untouchable as a prospect could get without being off-limits. The Braves have been among the best organizations in baseball at identifying their own talent.

The Braves were asked for Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Max Fried, Austin Riley, etc. in different trades over the years, and Anthopoulos always said no. Moreover, nearly all of the prospects the Braves have traded away over the years haven’t turned into anything worthwhile.

So, if Spencer Schwellenbach is off-limits, the Braves are very high on the young man. To further the hype around him, Dana Brown, who is credited with identifying talents like Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II, said that Schwellenbach is the most exciting player he’s ever scouted and drafted.

The Braves may just have an ace up their sleeve in Spencer Schwellenach.

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