Assessing Braves' needs before Trade Deadline

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Acquiring an outfielder should be the Braves’ top priority before the July 30 Trade Deadline. That’s at least what I thought until Sunday morning, when I learned Max Fried is going to miss at least a couple of weeks while recovering from a left forearm ailment.

You can never have enough arms. But even if Fried returns around the middle of August, you still need to create insurance for the other rotation members, right? That seemed like sound thinking until late Sunday afternoon, when Ozzie Albies broke his left wrist and learned he’ll miss approximately two months.

The Braves have been without Ronald Acuña Jr. since he tore his left ACL on May 26. Michael Harris II has missed more than a month with a strained left hamstring and seems to be still at least another week away from returning.

When Harris returns, he would join Jarred Kelenic, Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario as the Braves' top outfield options.

Kelenic found early comfort in the leadoff spot after Harris was injured on June 14 and went on the 10-day IL the next day. But Kelenic has slashed .159/.221/.317 in 16 games in July. That’s a .538 OPS. 2-2-1 is a good way to finish a round of miniature golf. It’s not the on-base percentage you want for your leadoff hitter.

Duvall had a pair of three-hit games in the first seven days of July. But he has just a .669 OPS in 15 games this month.

As for Rosario, he’ll run into a few homers, like he did when he hit two in Saturday’s doubleheader split against the Cardinals. But he’s going to have to show a lot over the next week to give the Braves reason to believe he can be a consistent contributor over the season’s final two months.

I’m not sure where I was going with all of that. But I think these past three paragraphs brought me back to the opinion that acquiring an outfielder should be the Braves’ top priority.

Why not get both an outfielder and a starting pitcher?

If you don’t think they will try, then you are unfamiliar with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. His work ethic is off the charts. Another team exec recently talked about the incredible devotion Anthopoulos provided preparing for last week’s MLB Draft.

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Now the focus is on the Trade Deadline, which is something Anthopoulos has successfully handled better than any of his peers going back to 2018, his first season with Atlanta.

With eight days until the Deadline, teams still don’t know exactly who will be available. Just two of the National League’s 15 teams (Rockies and Marlins) are more than four games out of a playoff spot. You could also argue all but four AL teams are still legit postseason contenders.

Some teams might decide to sell based on what happens over the next week. But the buyers will still outweigh the sellers. And as you know, the cost of doing business rises whenever demand exceeds supply.

When looking for a starting pitcher, the Braves know they may need to fill some voids this winter. Fried will be a free agent and Charlie Morton might opt to retire. Spencer Strider could be ready to return early next year after he underwent season-ending right elbow surgery in April. But it’s too early to know exactly when he’ll be ready and how effective he might be.

When looking for an outfielder, the Braves have to account for the fact that Kelenic, Harris and Acuña are all under contract beyond next season. Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna will also likely have his 2025 club option exercised. So the pursuit of a bat will likely focus on players with expiring contracts.

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Who might the Braves land?

Maybe it’s better to first question which players could be used as trade capital. The Braves have a pitching-heavy prospect crop. Two of their top position player prospects are shortstop Nacho Alvarez Jr. (No. 5) and catcher Drake Baldwin (No. 10).

Alvarez, whom the Braves called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday in the wake of Albies' injury, might end up being Atlanta’s second baseman for the next two months. Baldwin’s rise from both an offensive and defensive perspective creates reason to believe he won’t be going anywhere without a significant return.

But never doubt Anthopoulos’ creativity. His calculated gambles on Rosario and Jorge Soler in 2021 made him a legend. So, too, did the desire to quickly land Joc Pederson after Acuña tore his right ACL that July and was lost for that season. And Anthopoulos basically asked the Marlins for Duvall until they relented and Atlanta acquired him for Alex Jackson.

Rumors will start swirling over the next week. And Anthopoulos will likely surprise by landing someone nobody had even been talking about.