The Atlanta Braves are still trying to find answers for the rotation and the trade market could heat up with superstars and budget options both available.
It's frankly somewhat remarkable that the Atlanta Braves have been as dominant in the 2023 season given the issues they've had with pitching, specifically the rotation as the bullpen has started to round into form.
Injuries to Max Fried, Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson have put them behind the 8-ball and manager Brian Snitker has left no stone unturned trying to find replacements to help them through this time. But Michael Soroka was optioned back to Triple-A after two up-and-down starts, Dylan Dodd has been inconsistent as well, and the bullpen games yielded unkind results.
With Fried being moved to the 60-day IL, a lack of faith in Soroka after his first two starts, and a potential reluctance to elevate 20-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver into a starting role so soon after he started the season in Single-A, it might be time for Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves to finally get active on the trade market.
But in that light, do the Atlanta Braves target superstars in a trade to possibly fix the issue long term, or rather look to more budget-friendly options that can be helpful to get through this season? Let's take a look at both with three stars and two budget options the Braves could trade for.
Braves trade rumors: 3 superstars to fix pitching issues, 2 budget options
5. Shane Bieber would be a Cy Young-caliber fix for the Braves long term
Bubbling under the surface in Cleveland has been the possibility that the Guardians would move former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber at the MLB Trade Deadline. He's in the next to last year of club control before he'll be a free agent and extension talks have not been particularly fruitful.
If the Guardians are going to trade Bieber, though, that's a market that the Atlanta Braves would be completely foolish to not sniff around in.
Bieber hasn't been as dominant this season as in some year's past, but he's still been a high-end starting pitcher. Through 12 starts, the 28-year-old has posted a 3.72 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP. A minor issue early on has been a decline in his K/BB ration to 2.5, well below his career-worst of 4.1 for a season. But that has started to rebound.
You also simply can't forget how unhittable he's been at times, most notably in the shortened 2020 season when he won the AL Cy Young in which he posted an absurd 1.63 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 12 starts with Cleveland.
Anthopoulous and the Braves have made their bones about trading for guys at the end of club control and then locking them up on extensions. If that's the route that they choose to go to address the issues with the rotation, Bieber is about as good of an option as you could imagine.
4. Michael Lorenzen could be a cheap-ish rental for the Braves to fix the rotation
For a while, it appeared as if the Detroit Tigers, though struggling, might be one of the richest teams for contenders to possibly pilfer through at the trade deadline. But with injuries to Eduardo Rodriguez and Riley Greene, the Tigers are sure to sell still, but the offerings could be far more limited than expected.
If Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves take a good look at the roster in the Motor City, though, there is one phenomenal option for them to target.
Michael Lorenzen signed a one-year deal with the Tigers this offseason after a fine but unspectacular season with the Angels. In this half-season with Detroit, though, the 31-year-old right-hander has started to look much more like the possible star the Reds thought they had in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Though he has only a 2-2 record over nine starts, Lorenzen already has a 1.1 WAR on the season, posting an impressive 3.21 ERA and 0.99 WHIP for the year. His 3.4 K/BB ratio is the second-best of his career and he's been racking up quality starts, notching five in his last six starts.
Because he's only under contract through this season, Lorenzen could be an instance of Detroit looking to sell high and get something in a year where they are out of contention (again) in hopes of getting something promising instead of seeing the righty just walk for nothing in free agency this offseason. If the Braves want to stay on a budget, that's an avenue well worth exploring.
3. Marcus Stroman may not want to leave Cubs, but Braves are a better spot
Back on the superstar market, that's exactly what Marcus Stroman has been for the Chicago Cubs this season. In the final year of his contract before he has a player option, one he's expected to decline given his performance in the 2023 season, Stroman has been one of the leading NL Cy Young candidates this season for a Cubs team that continues to fall further out of contention.
Through 13 starts, Stroman has posted a 2.39 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and, somehow, he seems to only be getting better. In his last four starts that all came against perceived contenders in the Phillies, Mets, Rays and Padres, Stroman has gone at least 6.0 innings in each, hasn't allowed more than four hits or two earned runs in any of those outings, and has led the Cubs to a win in each of them as well, including a 1-0 complete game shutout for the veteran.
Stroman is 32 years old, so it's expected that he'll look to cash in big one last time this offseason. That might not be the Braves' cup of tea, to be sure, given the way that the front office has operated. Having said that, if they want to pay up for a rental, it'd be hard to not love Stroman.
The veteran right-hander has not only been dominant overall this season, but he's proved it against the best competition in baseball, at least in terms of talent. That's something that the Braves are going to need if they plan on getting to and winning another World Series and, even if they don't want to re-sign him after this year, you'd have a hard time finding a better three-man run in a rotation than Fried, Spencer Strider and Stroman would be.
2. Alex Cobb is the sneakiest stud the Braves could trade for
The San Francisco Giants are currently in a proverbial no-man's-land in terms of whether or not they are going to buy or sell at the trade deadline. On one hand, the club is 29-30 as of June 6. On the other, they are only 5.5 games out in the NL West and well within striking distance for a wild card spot.
At the same time, though, the underlying metrics indicate that the Giants could fall off and that could lead to them selling. And one of the most intriguing pieces that they could deal at the deadline would be veteran 35-year-old right-hander Alex Cobb.
Cobb is currently in the last guaranteed year of his contract with a $10 million club option for the 2023 season. And thus far in the year, he's been fantastic. Over 12 starts, he has a 2.71 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP. This isn't a flash in the pan, though, as he's been solid with an ERA of 3.76 or lower in each of the last three years now and a WHIP below 1.35 over that span too.
There is likely to be a hefty market for Cobb at the trade deadline because of how he's performed, but his age and contract dictate that he likely won't be too costly. Given that the Braves would also retain the flexibility to either exercise the club option or not next season, he could be a budget-friendly trade option sitting there that would fit seamlessly into the rotation and improve the club's positioning for that World Series run.
1. Corbin Burnes is the Braves' white whale of the trade deadline
Corbin Burnes is, bar none, the most interesting potential option to me this side of Shohei Ohtani leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline.
Burnes and the Milwaukee Brewers are still in the NL Central mix, sitting just 0.5 games back of the division lead coming into play on June 6. At the same time, that division is a mess and there's the potential that, with the way things shake out, that every team could end up as a seller at the deadline. Even if that's not the case, though, Burnes is still at least a possibility to be moved.
This offseason, arbitration got ugly between the Brewers and Burnes as the club won their case, but seemingly damaged their relationship with the Cy Young-winning pitcher. Now with just two years of club control remaining on his deal, 2023 included, it feels unlikely that an extension will get reached, especially since there's seemingly been no movement on that front.
If that's the case, the Brewers could be inclined to trade him to avoid losing a superstar for nothing, which is an opportunity the Braves couldn't possibly pass up.
Burnes has been one of the more dominant pitchers in all of baseball over the past few years and is just now entering his prime in terms of age at just 28 years old. Pairing him and Strider — and hopefully Fried, if the Braves can work out their own deal — for the future as cornerstones of the rotation would be special.
Not to mention, having that type of talent added to the rotation to fix their current problems would only further solidify their status as contenders.