With the Braves 12 games under .500 and 10 games out of the final Wild Card spot, the talk of the town in Atlanta surrounds the trade deadline.
As of right now, it doesn’t make sense to be buyers, though I did conjure up one scenario in which Alex Anthopoulos could warrant acquiring a player or two. If the club’s President of Baseball Operations finds a deal that improves the team in 2026 and beyond, it would make a lot of sense.
There are plenty of holes that need to be filled, and the Braves aren’t going to completely rebuild. They’ll retool this offseason and try to compete for a World Series. That means they could be buyers and sellers, but what on earth could they even sell?
Perhaps the most valuable trade chip is Sean Murphy. A top 10 catcher in baseball under team control through the 2029 season at just $15 million. While some Braves fans would have you believe that he’s not a good catcher, there would be a line out the door if Anthopoulos put Murphy on the trade block.
Of course, you have to weigh the possibility that Drake Baldwin‘s half-season worth of production isn’t enough to warrant trading a proven All-Star, but the Braves would be foolish not to at least listen. Sean Murphy as a trade chip isn’t a new conversation, but Grant Holmes is one I haven’t seen.
If the entire season wasn’t so disappointing, we’d be talking about Grant Holmes as one of the unsung heroes of this team. With Spencer Schwellenbach, Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, and A.J. Smith-Shawver healthy, Holmes would be far and away the best 5th starter in the league. Hell, he’d even have a case as the best 4th starter in the league.
Instead, the Braves are relying on him as their No. 2, and Holmes has actually delivered. He’s posted a 2.36 ERA over his past six starts, but the offense has left him hanging. The team has been shut out in two of his past three starts, and if it weren’t for Sean Murphy’s ninth-inning homer on Sunday, it would be three straight.
On the season, Holmes owns a 3.44 ERA across 19 starts with over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. That’s good for an ERA+ that is 20% north of the league average. He’s someone that every team in baseball will be interested in if the Braves make him available.
Holmes is pre-arb eligible for the next two seasons, making him dirt cheap and ultra valuable. The Braves could cash in on a breakout campaign that might prove to be unsustainable. There’s an argument to be made that his value will never be higher than it is right now. Injuries are inevitable for pitchers, as Braves fans know.
Grant Holmes has currently thrown 102 innings, which is the fourth most across his career. The other three — 148.1, 134, and 103.1 innings — were when Holmes was 21, 20, and 19 years old, respectively. Now, at 29 years old, it’s fair to wonder if this is the best it’ll get for Grant Holmes.
The Braves must make some difficult decisions, and trading a cost-controllable starting pitcher might be a tough but necessary pill to swallow.
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
