There aren’t many things that can be guaranteed in this world, but in about 10 days, the Braves will have a reshaped organization of some sort. That much is for certain. Atlanta has a boatload of areas they need to upgrade, a roster good enough to compete for a championship, and the prospect capital to make a lot of noise ahead of the trade deadline.
It should be expected that several prospects will be headed out the door, but what about current major-leaguers? The Athletic just did a piece on one player from each team likely to be moved between now and August 3rd — with the Braves’ being JR Ritchie.
“Ritchie made his MLB debut this season, and has shuttled between Triple A and the majors through the year,” Jesus Cano writes. “He has a six-pitch mix, with his curveball leading the way, but has struggled with command, as he’s walked batters 14 percent of the time. He is just 22, and the right organization could help him elevate his game.”
Ritchie is a name that’s going to be thrown around a lot, and it’s for two reasons. He’s somewhat expendable given the logjam of young pitchers the Braves have at their disposal who are ready for the major-league level, and he still carries a lot of value around the league. He was the Braves’ #2 ranked prospect coming into the season, someone who should carve out a lengthy major-league career as a starting pitcher, and his results this year have done nothing to drop that value.
Ritchie’s had some struggles at the major-league level, mostly with his control, but that’s to be expected with any young pitcher. Control hasn’t been a problem for him throughout his minor-league career, so the pieces could come together at any moment, whether it’s for the Braves or another club.
That said, I don’t see Alex Anthopoulos parting with Ritchie for just anybody. He’s only likely out the door for a significant upgrade to the rotation, with Ken Rosenthal recently suggesting he could be the centerpiece in a trade for two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
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(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)