MLB on Fox reporter, Ken Rosenthal, reported that the Braves were “quite open” to trading Julio Teheran according to two rival executives. Teheran is in the midst of a year in which he has struggled, especially with his control. He has struggled on the road and has seemed to have lost a little confidence in himself. Teheran is coming off an All-Star appearance in 2014, just his second full season in the MLB. At age 24, he is just in year two of a 6-year, $32.4 million dollar contract, but his recent troubles this season and at the end of last season has to have the Braves wondering whether Teheran has a future with the organization. The Braves have stockpiled starting pitching, and trading Teheran would definitely require some return. So will the Braves decide to move the bright young pitcher before the deadline?
Ken Rosenthal is usually very reliable when it comes to his reporting, so the Braves are most likely open to dealing him, and it is understandable why. The first half of last season, Teheran dominated and was deserving of his first All-Star appearance. However he did go 5-7 after the All-Star break and did not look like the ace he was in the first half. Teheran has been a mess this season. He has a 6-5 record with a 4.49 ERA, but the puzzling thing are his splits. He is 5-1 with 2.37 ERA at home but 1-4 with a 6.95 ERA on the road. It has not been pretty, and Teheran has not been anything close to the All-Star he was last season.
If Teheran was being traded around this time last season he would have required a gold mine in return. The problem is other major league ball clubs looking for a starting pitching are not giving up gold mines for a guy in the midst of a 6-5 year with a 4.49 ERA. He is not worthless by any means, but unless an MLB team really believes in Teheran’s future and is willing to give up key farm pieces, Hart will not be trading Teheran.
Teheran has been dominant at times and the Braves do not need to win now. He is still young at 24, has experience, and is under team control for 4 more seasons with a very friendly contract. He is coming of a brilliant start, in which he recorded a career high in strikeouts with 11. He has gotten behind in a lot of counts this season and walked batters more than usual. Control issues happen, but there is no reason to believe Teheran cannot work out the kinks. He looks like a guy who just needs to find the confidence in himself again. Teheran is a great talent and will be in a Braves uniform for years to come, unless an MLB team makes a big offer. The front office knows better than to sell low on this guy.