The Braves are heading into the trade deadline with a clear problem, and it sits right in the middle of their rotation.
Atlanta reached the All-Star break at 55-40 and still holds a two-game edge over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East, but the recent slide has taken some shine off the strong start. June exposed the issue most clearly: outside of Chris Sale, the Braves have not gotten steady production from their starters.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos made it sound like the front office is ready to act.
“I fully expect and hope that we will be engaged in trades come July. I'm not trying to overly excite anybody or promise anything. But if we're playing the way we are right now, we're going to be in there,” Anthopoulos said.
That urgency lines up with how the rotation has looked. As HTHB’s Steven Teal put it, “The Atlanta Braves find themselves in desperate need of stability in their starting rotation.
What started as a strength has quickly devolved into a glaring weakness. GM Alex Anthopoulos has some serious work to do at the trade deadline to get things back on track.
Chris Sale is the only truly dependable arm in the rotation at the moment. Everyone else has been average at best,” HTHB’s Steven Teal wrote.
One name that has surfaced as a possible fit is New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta. ESPN’s Jeff Passan pointed to Atlanta as a team that could be in the mix for him, along with other available starters.
“And even if certainty isn't exactly what Freddy Peralta has provided for the Mets this season, there's enough history there for Atlanta to treat him as the upgrade he would be. Maybe it's Peralta, and maybe it's Michael Wacha, and maybe it's one of a dozen other starting pitchers available. Whatever the Braves choose, their needs happen to align with the market's clear strength, and there are fewer sure bets at this deadline than Atlanta getting a starting pitcher,” Passan wrote.
A deal with the Mets would be a surprise, but Peralta would give Atlanta the kind of rotation help it badly needs. His season has been uneven, and the Mets have had their own share of inconsistency across the roster.
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