The Atlanta Braves are going to be buying at the MLB Trade Deadline, but what are their options for a dream trade, a smarter trade and a non-starter?
Even with a pedestrian month of May, the Atlanta Braves are still very much in the driver's seat of the NL East and, by some calculations, the National League as a whole. So with the MLB Trade Deadline now just a couple of months away, Alex Anthopoulos has to be looking as to where the club could make some trades to improve the roster and, as such, their World Series chances.
As things currently stand, addressing the pitching staff feels like the most likely option. Michael Soroka's return and the emergence of Jared Shuster have seemingly stabilized the rotation for now, but it's still an area where the club to look to upgrade. The bullpen, meanwhile, has been a bit erratic with AJ Minter and Raisel Iglesias on the back end, so that could be the other top priority area to target.
The good news for the Braves is that they should have plenty of options. But the key to the trade deadline is always making the right moves. So let's break down three Braves trade options, one that would be a dream, one that is a more realistic but savvy move, and one that should be avoided in the best interest of the team.
Braves Rumors: Corbin Burnes would be a dream trade target for Atlanta
Though the Milwaukee Brewers are currently in the top spot in the NL Central, the expectation is that won't be the case for too much longer. The Brew Crew holds the worst run differential in the division (-24) and their success in terms of wins doesn't seem like it's sustainable, especially with the Cardinals appearing to turn it around.
As such, what the Brewers do at the trade deadline is going to be interesting. But they wouldn't actually trade the ace of their pitching staff, Corbin Burnes, right?
Well, it's not completely out of the question if they do choose to sell. Even if Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past four years, his arbitration with Milwaukee got ugly and there was buzz that it could've permanently damaged the relationship. Now, with him set for free agency in 2024, the Brewers might be hamstrung in trying to trade their ace in order to avoid losing him for nothing — and doing so this year instead of in a contract year would bring back more value.
That's where the Braves could swoop in. With their two biggest recent trades for Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, Atlanta has been able to get ascending players — though not on Burnes' level — still under club control, trade for them, and then subsequently lock them into an extension. It's obviously worked well and, with Max Fried's long-term future not settled, adding Burnes as an option in that regard while giving them perhaps the best three-man start of a rotation in MLB would be a phenomenal move.
Of course, if the Brewers are at all inclined to trade Burnes, it's going to cost an arm and a leg. The Braves don't have the richest of farm systems and perhaps one of their best assets, Travis d'Arnaud, wouldn't be of much interest for Milwaukee given that Atlanta sent William Contreras there in the Murphy deal.
But if we're dreaming and there's a way to make it work, it wouldn't get much better than Corbin Burnes for the Braves at the trade deadline.
Braves Rumors: Lucas Giolito is a savvy, realistic trade target
More in the ballpark of what the Atlanta Braves are likely to do at the trade deadline, you have to look at the Chicago White Sox and the potential options they offer. All reports indicate that the Southsiders could be heading toward a total fire sale this season given their struggles and seemingly no way to climb out of the hole but to hit the reset button.
Dylan Cease would probably qualify as another dream option for the Braves or any buyer at the deadline, the AL Cy Young runner-up a season ago who still has years of club control remaining as well.
Having said that, with Fried — once he returns from injury — and Spencer Strider, a Cy Young candidate in his own right, the Braves aren't necessarily looking for another ace to bolster the rotation this season. That's why a savvier target for Atlanta would be 28-year-old hurler Lucas Giolito if they want to take advantage of the White Sox selling the team for scrap.
Giolito came into this year after one of the worst seasons in his career in 2022 but has bounced back extremely well. Through 12 starts, the veteran has posted a 4.08 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP, posting a Quality Start in six of those outings to this point.
Slotting Giolito, a former first-round pick by the Nationals back in 2012, into the rotation behind Fried and Strider would still give Atlanta an elite 1-2-3 punch for a deep postseason run. More importantly, though, the cost should be friendly to the Braves. Not only is Chicago looking to sell off pieces, but Giolito will hit free agency after this season, meaning that it's a trade him before losing him for nothing situation.
That's a market that Alex Anthopoulos can work magic in and Giolito would be a phenomenal option to help the cause.
Braves Rumors: Aroldis Chapman just isn't worth the price in a trade
There's no player I've wrestled with more in terms of a potential trade option, especially in regard to the Braves, than Aroldis Chapman.
With his stock lower than perhaps it's ever been before this offseason, Chapman landed on the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal for 2023. Things have been quite ugly for the team as a whole, sitting even below the White Sox in the AL Central, but the 35-year-old reliever has drawn rave reviews.
In 22 appearances, Chapman has two saves and six holds with a 3.10 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. That has made him one of the buzziest trade targets on the market as the surely out-of-contention Royals could look to capitalize on a team looking for a high-end rental option to bolster their bullpen. As such, Chapman is likely going to have a heated market, meaning a trade for him would be expensive.
That should be strike one for the Braves in terms of considering a pursuit. What's more important, though, is that Chapman is starting to cool off quite a bit after a dominant start. After allowing just two earned runs and nine total base runners in 10.1 innings for April, the veteran gave up five earned runs and 20 total base runners in 10 May innings.
Given that we saw Chapman battle immense inconsistency with the Yankees last season, the fact that he's displaying that again month-to-month is not comforting. And it's something that the Braves should be extremely wary of, especially since trading to upgrade the bullpen would be to alleviate some of the inconsistency they've seen from Minter and Iglesias already on the roster.
When you factor in the potential trade cost with his recent dip in performance, staying away from Chapman is probably the best option for the Braves overall.