The Athletics are fielding calls on some of their outfielders, and that opens a lane for the Braves to address two needs at once.
Jon Morosi reported that Oakland is listening on outfielders with the idea of getting young starting pitching back in return. That’s exactly the kind of market Atlanta can work with, because the Braves have more young arms than they can realistically keep in the rotation long term.
AJ Smith-Shawver, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, JR Ritchie, Didier Fuentes, Owen Murphy, Spencer Strider, and Bryce Elder all fit the bill: MLB experience, 27 or younger, and under team control for multiple seasons. Add in older options like Reynaldo Lopez, Chris Sale, and Grant Holmes, plus the prospects still coming, and the math gets tight fast.
Some of those pitchers are going to become trade chips.
That’s where the Athletics come in. A small-market club with a limited payroll can make sense as a partner, especially if Atlanta is willing to deal from that surplus. In return, the Braves could look to improve a lineup that could use help in the outfield and at DH.
Two names stand out.
Lawrence Butler was trending toward stardom after a 2024 season that included 22 home runs and 18 steals in 125 games. But this year has gone the other direction in a hurry.
He’s hitting just .193 with -1.4 WAR in 91 games, which makes him more of a bet on upside than a sure thing. Still, there’s a reason to think Atlanta would at least kick the tires.
Butler is an Atlanta native, and he’s a childhood friend of Michael Harris II. A return home could be the kind of change of scenery that gets him going again.
Tyler Soderstrom is the cleaner fit on production. He broke out last season with 25 home runs, an .820 OPS, and 3.8 WAR, and he’s taken another step forward this year.
Through 87 games, he has 2.5 WAR and is tracking toward about 30 home runs. The split numbers are the one caution flag: at home, he’s sitting on a near-1.000 OPS, while on the road that mark falls to .673.
Even so, he’d clearly be an upgrade over Dominic Smith and Mike Yastrzemski. The Braves would probably prefer a right-handed bat, but Soderstrom’s bat would still make plenty of sense.
In Other News...
Phillies Zeroing In On Two Giants Bats Before The Deadline
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The appeal is obvious for a Phillies team trying to stay nimble. One target brings left-handed thump and enough bat-to-ball ability to keep evaluators interested, even if the glove leaves some questions about where he best fits. The other offers infield versatility and power in a package that can help a roster in more than one way, which is exactly the kind of profile front offices tend to circle as the deadline pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Made Another Right Field Bet Before The Deadline
The Phillies are taking another swing at solving right field, and this one comes with a familiar deadline feel: a short-term fix that could buy time while the front office keeps hunting for a more permanent answer. Bryan De La Cruz is set to get a look because Philadelphia wants another right-handed bat in the mix, especially with a run of left-handed starters coming up and the position still unsettled after Adolis Garcias injury.
De La Cruz has at least shown he can handle lefties well enough to make the idea worth testing, which is more than can be said for some of the other stopgap options the Phillies have cycled through. The bigger question is whether this is just a brief audition or the start of something longer, because the club still has a deadline decision to make and right field remains one of the spots most likely to change again before the month is over. [Read more 🡒]
ESPNs New Phillies Top 10 Brings A Brutal Reality Check
ESPNs latest look at the Phillies farm system offered a pretty sobering snapshot of where the organization stands beneath the big-league roster. Kiley McDaniels updated top 10 goes prospect by prospect through the current crop, weighing performance and development, and the overall read is clear enough: there is talent in the system, but not a lot of immediate help waiting in the wings.
For a club that has spent years trying to balance contention now with a pipeline that can sustain it later, that matters. The Phillies are still hoping at least one of their top five prospects can force his way into the picture soon, but the broader message from the rankings is that most of the list is still a long way from being part of a meaningful 2027 conversation. [Read more 🡒]