Breaking down the Braves' top trade candidates

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- The Braves need a proven starting pitcher, at least one outfielder and at least one reliever who could be used in high-leverage situations. It seems unlikely that they will address all of these needs via free agency. But who could they deal if attempting to rebuild the roster via trades?

Last week a source said a bunch of teams have inquired about right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep (Braves' No. 3 prospect) and learned the Braves aren’t interested in moving him. I’m not sure I’d put him in an untouchable category, but let’s take the 2023 first-round Draft pick out of the discussion for now.

We can do the same for last summer’s first-round pick Cam Caminiti, an 18-year-old southpaw who already ranks as MLB’s No. 92 prospect. Let’s just put Caminiti and Waldrep in the "highly unlikely to be moved" category for now.

So who might president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos use to fill some key roster spots? Remember, Ronald Acuña Jr. will likely miss at least six weeks while recovering from knee surgery, and Spencer Strider will likely miss at least four weeks while recovering from elbow surgery. And top setup man Joe Jiménez will miss most or all of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

So Anthopoulos will be looking for more than just a stop-gap when attempting to fortify his outfield, bullpen and rotation. If the season started today, the starting outfield might be Michael Harris II, Jarred Kelenic and Eli White. That’s not going to work.

If debating which big leaguers the Braves could trade, you would have to at least think about Kelenic. But would the return be significant enough to give up on the $17 million investment made when Kelenic was acquired from the Mariners last year? Is there another team that believes he’ll eventually reach expectations and perform better than a fourth outfielder?

There would also be reason to debate moving Ozzie Albies, the three-time All-Star second baseman whose contract includes a $7 million salary for 2025 and $7 million options for 2026 and ’27. That’s a good value if he remains healthy enough to bid for another 30-homer season. He’s also a strong clubhouse presence. But his arm strength has weakened his defensive value and to get a strong return you sometimes must part ways with something significant.

If I had to guess, Albies and Kelenic will be back with the Braves next year. So which prospects could be moved?

With Caminiti and Waldrep in the unlikely to be moved category, AJ Smith-Shawver (Braves' No. 2 and MLB No. 97) might be the pitching prospect who is most attractive to other teams. Smith-Shawver just turned 22 on Nov. 20 and he is still learning the art of pitching. He still has a very high ceiling, but with a couple other top-tier starting pitching prospects, the Braves could be dealing from an area of strength.

Drake Baldwin (Braves' No. 5) might actually be the second-most coveted Braves prospect. Plenty of teams would love to have the 23-year-old catcher. But with Travis d’Arnaud’s departure, there might be a greater need to keep Baldwin.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. (Braves' No. 4) still has upside. But his trade value will be hard to gauge until he proves he can hit at the big league level and provides a better feel for where he could fit defensively.

Anthopoulos has always shown some creativity in the trade market. The William Contreras trade that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta feels like a big miss. But some pitchers didn’t want to throw to Contreras and Murphy still has time to prove he can be the catcher the Braves envisioned.

But for the most part, Anthopoulos has profited greatly from in-season Trade Deadline deals and he committed larceny last winter when he got the Red Sox to send $17 million and Chris Sale to Atlanta for utility infielder Vaughn Grissom.

So while it’s not clear exactly what the Braves will do, Anthopoulos’ track record creates reason to be optimistic about his ability to again successfully navigate the trade market.