The Braves are scratching and clawing each night for a win, and somehow remain 1.5 games ahead of the Mets in the NL Wild Card race, despite trotting out a lineup each night that looks like a club that should be tanking for the #1 overall pick in the draft. Nearly all of Atlanta’s success this season is due to the pitching, which has been arguably the best in baseball.
However, if this team wants any chance of earning one of the final playoff spots and making some noise in October, one would think they have to improve offensively in some form or fashion. Reinforcements should be coming by way of players returning from injury. Jorge Soler looks close to being a part of the everyday lineup again, Ozzie Albies is slated to return at some point over the next few weeks, and Austin Riley even has a chance to come back if the Braves make it to October.
If all of those things happen, the Braves will have enough offensive power to make things interesting, but the next week could also provide an opportunity for them to add a bat or two. Despite being well past the trade deadline, last year showed us there’s a glitch in the system. Clubs that might be ready to waive the white flag now that weren’t ready to do so at the trade deadline can waive players to cut costs, especially if they are trying to avoid luxury tax penalties.
The Angels were the prime example of this a year ago. Instead of selling at the trade deadline, they went for it in hopes of convincing Shohei Ohtani to stay in free agency, acquiring several big names. It backfired as they fell well out of the race, and on August 29th, they placed a slew of impact players on waivers, like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Matt Moore, Hunter Renfroe, and Randal Grichuk.
Frankly, this is something that pissed me off last year, mostly because the Braves had the best record in baseball and couldn’t take advantage as they were last in line to make a potential claim. All of these guys were scooped up by other clubs in the same situation the Braves find themselves in this season, fighting for their playoff lives.
It’s obviously something that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. Teams fighting for postseason spots shouldn’t be given the opportunity to pick up potential impact players like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Hunter Renfroe for nothing so late in the season. In that same breath, the Angels shouldn’t be allowed to mindlessly cut salary to avoid penalties caused by their own incompetence. It’s ridiculous on both ends, but as long as it’s allowed, the Braves may be able to take advantage this year, given their current place in the standings.
Now, there’s no guarantee a club will have a full blown fire sale like we saw with the Angels. In fact, I would bet against it because the Angels might be the most dysfunctional organization in all of sports, but I would expect at least a few guys to become available, and the Braves can use all the help they can get offensively.
Any player the Braves add before August 31st is eligible for the postseason and could end up being the catalyst for an unexpected run in October.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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