As the MLB trade deadline creeps closer, Alex Anthopoulos has a pretty clear job in front of him: find help for the Braves, and find it fast once the market finally starts moving. Atlanta has some obvious sellers to monitor, but with the deadline pushed back, the real action may not begin for at least another week.
When it does, the Braves GM has a few old familiar trade partners he can lean on. That matters in deadline season. Familiarity can grease the skids when the clock starts ticking and every conversation gets tighter.
The Los Angeles Angels are one of the cleanest fits.
Atlanta and Anaheim have done business plenty of times over the last few years, though Perry Minasian was the man Anthopoulos had been dealing with before the Angels dismissed him from his GM job in June and replaced him with former Cardinals GM John Mozeliak. Even with a new voice in the front office, the Angels still have players who line up with what Atlanta needs.
Reid Detmers is the obvious one. The controllable left-hander has posted a 3.27 xERA, 3.72 xFIP, and 3.0 fWAR in the 2026 season, which puts him squarely in the “playoff-caliber starters” category Anthopoulos has been chasing.
On the position-player side, Jo Adell also makes sense. The 27-year-old right-handed outfielder has crushed lefties this season, hitting .299/.336/.542 against them, and he could give Walt Weiss a useful matchup bat off the bench.
He’d also fit as a platoon partner with Mike Yastrzemski.
Kansas City is another team worth watching.
It has been a while since the Braves and Royals lined up on a deal, but the ones they have made were memorable. The 2021 trade that sent Jorge Soler to Atlanta stands out, with Kasey Kalich going back to Kansas City.
And in 2022, Atlanta landed the 35th overall pick in that year’s draft - a competitive-balance selection - in exchange for Drew Waters, Andrew Hoffmann, and CJ Alexander. The Braves used that pick on JR Ritchie.
The current Royals roster has a similar kind of appeal to the Angels’ group: one rotation arm and one bat who can help in a platoon role. Michael Wacha won’t light up Braves fans, but he would be a clear upgrade over what Atlanta has right now. Lane Thomas fits the same mold as Adell, giving Weiss another veteran option who can be deployed in matchups.
The other two old trade partners probably aren’t worth the call.
Colorado has been a useful source for Atlanta before. The Braves have already gotten mileage out of the Rockies by turning Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley into better versions of themselves once they left Coors Field.
But this year’s Colorado group doesn’t look like it has the same kind of hidden value. Mickey Moniak had a hot start and could have been a DH possibility, but that run has cooled off.
And in the bullpen, there isn’t an arm that stands out as the kind of reclamation project Anthopoulos usually targets.
Houston is a trickier fit for a different reason. The Braves have dealt with the Astros in consecutive years, bringing in Rafael Montero in 2025 and Mauricio Dubon in November.
Atlanta still needs pitching, but Houston’s rotation has been the worst in baseball by the numbers, with its starters combining for 1.8 fWAR and a 5.23 ERA that ranks highest among teams not named the Rockies. Yordan Alvarez would be the dream, but that is extremely unlikely.
Outside of that kind of impossible deal, the Astros don’t appear to have much that lines up with Atlanta’s needs.
In Other News...
Mike Yastrzemskis Return Just Forced A Tough Braves Decision
Mike Yastrzemski is back after a short stint on the injured list, and the Braves had to clear a spot to get him onto the active roster. He had missed six games with elbow inflammation, so the return is a welcome one for a club trying to keep its outfield mix moving as the season grinds on.
Kyle Farmer was the odd man out in the shuffle, a reminder of how little margin there is on a roster this time of year. Farmer had barely gotten on the field, and after recently working his way back from a forearm injury, his brief stay with Atlanta ended with the Braves choosing to prioritize Yastrzemskis return. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Anthopoulos Just Raised The Stakes For One Braves Prospect
Alex Anthopoulos did not close the door on anything when he talked trade deadline strategy, which is exactly why the Braves prospect situation suddenly feels a little more interesting. The longtime front office boss made clear that no minor leaguer is completely off limits in the right deal, but he also acknowledged there is one young player the club would have a hard time moving, a comment that lands differently for an organization trying to stay in the race without thinning out its next wave of talent.
For Atlanta, that is the real balancing act over the next few weeks. The Braves are expected to be active, and they have enough young names to make rival clubs ask questions, from Eric Hartman to Tate Southisene to Cam Caminiti, with Didier Fuentes also part of the broader conversation after his quick rise. Anthopoulos left the identity of that one especially valued piece unsaid, which only adds to the intrigue as the Braves weigh present needs against the cost of protecting a young core. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Make Painful Call On Beloved Clubhouse Presence Amid Roster Crunch
The Braves made a roster move Wednesday that underscored how tight things can get this time of year, releasing Kyle Farmer and bringing Mike Yastrzemski back from the injured list before facing the Padres. Farmer had appeared in 12 games and was never just about the box score for Atlanta, while Yastrzemski returns after missing six games with an elbow injury, giving the club another healthy option as it tries to keep pace through a crowded stretch.
The timing leaves Atlanta with one more question to sort out before first pitch, too, because the starting assignment for the game had not yet been officially settled. Martin Perez was the likely choice, with the Braves still holding off on a final announcement as they line up the rest of the pitching plan around him. [Read more 🡒]