Atlanta Braves trade targets are easy to find from likely sellers at the deadline, but who could be possible targets from other contenders looking to swap?
Things are definitely humming right now for the Atlanta Braves, but the NL East leaders aren't still without needs that could be addressed at the MLB Trade Deadline. Most notably, they need starting pitching and bullpen depth while also possibly looking for an upgrade in left field.
It's easy to look at teams shaping up to be sellers at the deadline, clubs such as the Cardinals, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies, Royals and Cubs, among others, as the first spots that the Braves should look when eyeing trade targets. That, however, is not always how the deadline works, and that could especially be the case in 2023.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) noted in an early trade deadline preview that we could see more contender-to-contender trades than otherwise this season. The key when it comes to two buyers making a trade, though, is that they have to be able to help fill needs for one another while also not creating another need.
So for the Braves, what does that mean for the players and teams that should be on their radar as targets for trades? There are three clear options that make sense for Atlanta, but one aggressive trade option shouldn't be in the mix. Let's take a look.
Braves Rumors: 3 trade targets from playoff contenders, 1 team to avoid
3. Guardians SP Cal Quantrill could offer Braves what they need in rotation
Calling the Cleveland Guardians a contender in the general sense might be more than a bit of a stretch. They enter June 17 five games under .500 (32-37). If we're talking about teams with a legitimate chance of making the playoffs, then a team that's only 2.5 games out of first in the dismal AL Central has to qualify.
Obviously, the talk of the trade deadline for the Guardians is Shane Bieber, who has 1.5 years remaining on his contract, which is the range when Cleveland's front office has made a living offf of selling high-end assets before having to pay them a lucrative contract. We've seen it numerous times.
The Braves could very well be in on Bieber, but what if there were another pitcher who fit the bill — someone like Cal Quantrill.
While Quantrill has an extra year of club control on his contract than Bieber, he's still in that range where Cleveland could be looking to offload him. More importantly for the Braves, he doesn't have a Cy Young track record that would drive up the trade price.
Now, it's undoubtedly important to note that Quantrill has been on the 15-day IL since the start of June with shoulder inflammation on his throwing arm. That's concerning, especially with him sporting a 5.61 ERA and 1.42 WHIP on the season.
If there is word of a clean bill of health, though, this is a 28-year-old who posted a 1.21 ERA in 2022 and 1.18 ERA the yeear prior to that. Point being, Quantrill clearly has the goods when healthy and could massively upgrade the Braves rotation.
Even better, if the Braves are able to find outfield depth in another trade or want to dangle a player like Travis d'Arnaud out there, they can answer a big need for Cleveland in trading them a power bat who can play multiple roles. This could work to address big needs if both teams find an overall deal that works value-wise.
2. Braves should work with Orioles to find an Austin Hays or Anthony Santander trade
The future is now for the Baltimore Orioles. We saw flashes of it a season ago, but they have fully arrived as they have the second-best record in the American League as of this writing — though that still has them in second in the AL East thanks to the work the Rays have done in the 2023 season.
In a recent column highlighting the biggest trade needs for all 30 MLB teams, The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required) identified two key things. Firstly, they need pitching depth both in the rotation and bullpen. Secondly, top prospect Colten Cowser appears ready to make the jump from Triple-A to the majors, which could motivate the Orioles to try and move one of Austin Hays or Anthony Santander.
Either Hays or Santander would give the Braves a massive boost with their .853 and .796 OPS, repsectively, on the year and with Atlanta looking for depth options beyond Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario in left field and in the DH role.
Now, you're probably thinking that Atlanta isn't a great dance partner for Baltimore given their own need for pitching. While that's true on the surface, the return of Kyle Wright and Max Fried will boost the rotation a great deal and will give Alex Anthopoulos more flexibility to move young arms like Jared Shuster, Dylan Dodd and others if they have the right deal on the table.
Particularly if the Braves are able to make other moves to address the need for pitching, the Orioles could take one of those young guys with some MLB experience and middling success on as the heart of a package for the much-desired upgrade in the outfield for the Braves.
1. Braves could swap Travis d'Arnaud for Marco Gonzales (or another pitcher) with the Mariners
The Mariners haven't necessarily gotten off to the start that many fans and the club itself expected in the 2023 season. As of June 17, they were a mediocre 34-34 on the season and 7.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. Having said that, all the signs are there that this team could get back to the form that we saw from them a season ago.
In Bowden's piece highlighting the biggest trade deadline need for Seattle, though, he noted that the M's need to find more pop for their lineup in the form of a designated hitter. Much like the Guardians, Bowden did mention an outfielder specifically as the most ideal target to help give Jared Kelenic and Teoscar Hernandez days off on defense to fill the DH role.
Having said that, the Braves emerge as a potential option as they could potentially, in tandem with other moves, look to deal the likes of Travis d'Arnaud or Eddie Rosario in a move that could either give that outfield and DH role more depth or, give Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh some depth behind him as well.
Meanwhile, the Mariners have an enticing pitching staff that could help the Braves fill out the rotation in the way they are reportedly trying to at the deadline. Marco Gonzales is nearing a return from the IL and, while he sports a 5.22 ERA for the year to this point, he was looking back to form at the end of May with two starts lasting 11.2 innings with only three earned runs allowed.
Of course, if Atlanta is giving up an asset like d'Arnaud, they may set their sights on bigger-name targets than Gonzales, which might be the right move. But based on what the Mariners and Braves need and the way each club could help the other fill those roles, it's definitely a situation that Atlanta needs to monitor.
Braves Rumors: Astros aren't a trade deadline buyer who matches with Atlanta
The Houston Astros figure to be one of the biggest players at the trade deadline and, with the club's reluctance to move away from Martin Maldonado and/or call up Korey Lee to the bigs, there is at least an idea that the Braves could look to the reigning World Series champs to see what they could get in return for Travis d'Arnaud.
Having said that, if the Braves are going to trade away their depth behind Sean Murphy and at the DH with d'Arnaud, they have to be getting something substantial to fill their biggest needs. And therein lies the biggest reason why the Astros just don't make sense as a trade deadline dance partner for Atlanta.
Houston is perhaps the only team in baseball who has exprienced worse pitching injuries than the Braves this season. Luis Garcia is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John, Luis Urquidy has missed substantial time, and it was recently announced that Lance McCullers Jr. is out for the rest of the 2023 season as well.
Admittedly, the Astros deserve credit for getting it done still with guys like Hunter Brown, J.P. France and others. At the same time, though, these injuries put Houston in position where they don't have pitching depth that they can really afford to be bargaining with at the trade deadline this year. In fact, they are far more likely to go after a pitcher in a trade than to trade one away.
Subsequently, it's more likely that Houston actually ends up shopping in the same pools as the Braves are wading in at the deadline than for the two franchises to make a deal with one another. Based on the assets and needs for each club, though, that makes all the sense in the world.