With the trade deadline creeping closer, Braves fans have every reason to keep one eye on Atlanta’s front office and the other on the rest of the National League. The Braves need help, no question about it - a starting pitcher, a reliever, and at least one bat are all on the shopping list.
But the real headache is that the teams standing in their way aren’t just random bidders. Some of them are the kind of rivals that would make any Atlanta fan groan if they landed the right player.
The nightmare scenario starts with Tarik Skubal. He’s the biggest name floating around right now, and plenty of contenders are expected to ask about him.
Atlanta has been mentioned as a possible fit, and that makes sense given the kind of arm the Braves could use. But the Dodgers are also rumored to be in the mix, and that’s the sort of team that always seems to come out of these things with exactly what it wants.
Reports say Los Angeles may not even need to add a starter, but that won’t stop them from checking in. The Brewers are another club to watch here, and that would be rough for Atlanta too.
Milwaukee is headed for the playoffs, and adding a lefty ace like Skubal would only make them more dangerous. If the Braves want him, they may have to outbid two of the teams they least want to see improve.
Then there’s Byron Buxton, and the Phillies. Philadelphia has hit a rough patch, which has helped Atlanta push its division lead back to six games, but that can change fast at the deadline.
Buxton has reportedly been willing to waive his no-trade clause if the Phillies work out a deal, and that’s exactly the kind of move that would sting in Atlanta. The Braves could use a right-handed outfielder, and Buxton fits that need cleanly.
He also brings big production, with 25 homers so far this season. Of course, there’s the obvious catch: he has a habit of getting hurt, and that would be a very Phillies outcome if they traded for him only to see him wind up on the injured list soon after.
The last name on the list is CJ Abrams, and the team Braves fans would least like to see him join is the Yankees. Shortstop has been a problem spot for Atlanta offensively for a few years now, and Abrams would go a long way toward fixing that.
He’s got a couple of years of control left, which makes him even more valuable, and his season has been strong enough to drive up the price. Several teams are said to be interested, but New York would be the worst landing spot from an Atlanta perspective.
It would make sense for the Yankees, sure. That doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.
In Other News...
Braves Face A Painful Decision On Three Familiar Names
The Braves have reached the part of the season where even familiar names can land in trade conversations, and Sean Murphy is one of the more intriguing cases. His defense still gives Atlanta real value behind the plate, and while his contract makes him a logical name to monitor, the club also has little incentive to move him when his market value is not exactly at its peak. Murphy is also getting closer to a return, which only adds to the sense that this is less about a clean break and more about a difficult balancing act.
Ha-Seong Kim and Spencer Strider make the picture even messier, though in very different ways. Kims situation is tied to his rehab work and the roster crunch that comes with it, while any deal involving him would likely be about clearing money more than bringing back a meaningful return. Strider, meanwhile, sits in a far more complicated spot because of his contract and injury uncertainty, which makes him a tough player to move unless Atlanta is willing to absorb a painful amount of the cost. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Be Near A Tough Austin Riley Decision
Austin Rileys recent stretch has only sharpened the questions around how much the Braves can keep leaning on him as the season wears on. The offense has been quiet enough to notice, with multiple hitless games and a pile of strikeouts, and the Orioles series offered little relief when the underlying numbers landed well below his usual standard. For a player whose bat has long been the carrying tool, that kind of dip naturally puts a spotlight on every other part of his game.
The defense at third base has not done him many favors in the bigger picture, either, with his career work there grading out as marginal or worse by Statcasts OAA-based measure outside of a tiny debut-year sample. So even as Atlanta weighs what comes next, the discussion is no longer just about whether Riley will snap out of it at the plate. It is also about how the Braves balance patience, production and the realities of a long season with a player whose value has become harder to define in the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Finally Found The Rotation Arm Fans Wanted
The Braves are still working through a rotation picture complicated by injuries, and the trade deadline is giving them a chance to look beyond internal fixes. One name that has surfaced in that search is a Mets right-hander who is coming off a rehab appearance and drawing attention as New York leans toward selling, which naturally puts Atlanta in the market for a starter who can help right away.
For the Braves, the appeal is obvious: they need innings, stability and another arm they can trust in a stretched rotation. There are other pitching possibilities in the mix, but this one stands out because the timing lines up with where both clubs are headed, and the contract situation only adds to the sense that a move could come together before the deadline if the price and fit make sense. [Read more 🡒]