The Braves are heading into the second half with a 55-40 record, and they’re doing it with the trade deadline creeping closer by the day. Atlanta has stumbled some lately, but the club is still very much in the postseason mix - and general manager Alex Anthopoulos has already made it clear the front office expects to be in the thick of the market.
“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’s the kind of comment that sends the rumor mill spinning, and one of the loudest possibilities now involves Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa floated Atlanta as the team he thinks could land the left-hander in a major deadline swing.
“This bold prediction says that, despite their recent hot streak, the Tigers will indeed trade Skubal at the deadline. It won't be an easy choice for the front office and the fan base will be upset, but it is likely to be the ruthlessly correct baseball decision.
Where will Skubal wind up? My guess is with the Braves, though I hardly think that's a lock.
The bidding war will be intense,” Axisa wrote.
The idea of Skubal in Atlanta is eye-catching on its own, but it gets even more interesting when you look at how he’s being framed around the league. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that rival executives believe the market for the two-time Cy Young winner could narrow to four finalists: the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres.
“Now that it’s becoming inevitable that the free-falling Detroit Tigers may have no choice but to trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline, rival executives believe the bidding will come down to four finalists that not only can afford the remainder of his $32 million contract, but will also be willing to give up prized prospects: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote.
A move like that would instantly reshape Atlanta’s season. Pairing Skubal with Chris Sale would give the Braves a front-end rotation punch that changes the conversation from simply making the playoffs to chasing the Dodgers for the National League crown.
Of course, this kind of deal would not come cheap. Skubal’s contract and the prospect cost attached to him would force Atlanta to decide just how far it wants to go. But if the Braves were to pull it off, it would be one of the biggest trades of the year and a move with franchise-altering weight.
In Other News...
Red Sox Just Sent A Troubling Message About Catcher Depth
The Red Sox made a quiet but telling move this week by officially releasing Matt Thaiss, a catcher who had been stationed at Triple-A Worcester all season. Thaiss has been around the game long enough to know the churn of the back end of a roster, with major league stops already on his rsum with the Angels, White Sox and Rays.
For Boston, the decision also brings a little extra sting because Thaiss was once part of the organizations own pipeline, drafted by the club in 2013 before his path took him elsewhere and he reached the majors with Los Angeles in 2016. A roster opening helped force the issue, and while the move clears space, it also leaves the Red Sox with another reminder of how thin the catching picture can look when depth starts to get tested. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Already Have An Answer To Their Biggest Lineup Need
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Boston may not need to look far for a short-term answer, either. Jahmai Jones has already given the lineup a jolt of intrigue with the way he has hit at Fenway Park, even while his overall season line remains modest. If the Red Sox are weighing whether to spend prospect capital on a bigger trade, Jones has at least made the internal conversation a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Catching Prospect Suddenly Has Fans Asking If This Is Real
Ronald Rosarios bat is making noise at Double-A Portland, and it is coming at a time when the Red Sox are always paying close attention to anything that might deepen the catching picture. The 20-year-old prospect has shown a clear step forward in July, turning in a surge at the plate that stands out not just against his own earlier work this season, but against where his offensive game has been in recent years.
Rosarios development matters because catching prospects can change an organizations outlook fast if the hit tool starts to catch up with the defense. For Boston, that is the real intrigue here: a player who has long been viewed through the lens of projection is suddenly giving evaluators a reason to wonder whether the offensive progress is real, and whether it might be arriving sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]