Braves Rumors: Spencer Strider struggles sounding some alarms
Spencer Strider's start to the 2023 season was the stuff of legends, the type of performance that you could put on par with the things that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz did for the Atlanta Braves. The young ace became the fastest pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts in a season while sporting a 1.80 ERA through the month of April and looking like a shoo-in for the NL Cy Young if he kept it up.
Unfortunately, he hasn't done that. Yes, he's still one of the best strikeout artists in baseball, but the numbers overall have taken a big hit.
Over his last six starts, Strider has an ERA of 6.47 with a 1.43 WHIP. His biggest issue has been giving up home runs, which has been problematic, giving up 10 of the 12 homers he's conceded all season over this span. His ERA is now at 4.12 for the season and there might be some cause for concern.
Having said that, Strider recognizes this, telling Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after his start in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Wednesday against the Tigers — a win for the Braves but another worrisome outing from the staff's ace — that he just "has to be better".
Being better, thankfully, might not take all of that much. One of the curious aspects of Strider's run of dominance as a rookie last season and in the 2023 campaign to start is that he really only relies on a two-pitch mix with his fastball and a slider. The latter, however, has seen its strike rate lower over this recent skid.
Because of his limited pitch repetoire, that forces Strider to then throw his fastball for strikes, allowing opposing hitters to then be expecting the heater and, more often than we've seen at any point in his young career, teeing off on it. But if he can start to get the slider under control and in the strike zone, the situation should start to improve.
On the whole, there shouldn't be any long-term concern for Spencer Strider. With some adjustments and work with his breaking pitch, he should be back to dominant form sooner rather than later, especially given that he clearly recognizes his current level of performance is a bit of an issue.
Braves Rumors: Jesse Chavez hits IL after taking comebacker to shin
In the game against the Tigers that Strider started, the biggest Braves pitching storyline actually involved reliever Jesse Chavez. The 39-year-old veteran threw just four pitches and faced one batter before Miguel Cabrera drilled a comebacker that struck Chavez in the shin. He had to be carried off of the field.
The initial reports after the game were that the X-rays were negative but that Chavez would then undergo further tests to determine the severity of the injury and any further action that needed to be taken.
On Thursday, we got an update on that situation, as the Braves placed Chavez on the 15-day IL with what the team is calling a "left shin contusion". With him moving off of the roster, Atlanta called up recent acquisition Ben Heller to the 26-man roster.
Overall, it's positive that the Braves only see this as a 15-day IL stint for Chavez with this injury given how vital he's been for the club out of the bullpen. The veteran has been rock-solid this season, posting a 1.55 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP in 31 appearances for the Braves this season. Losing that type of stabilizing relief presence would be detrimental, but it does seem like he won't be missing from the bullpen for long.
What's more, given that it doesn't seem like Chavez will be shelved for a substantial amount of time, it's unlikely the Braves will need to move quickly for a meaningful replacement in a trade. Obviously, the club and fans will watch his recovery closely, but the initial moves do indicate that Chavez and the Braves may have averted disaster after Wednesday's scary scene.
Braves Rumors: Adam Duvall trade could bring a familiar face back to Atlanta
Make no mistake, the Atlanta Braves are going to be buying at the MLB Trade Deadline. The question, however, is which players they plan to buy.
Pitching is the most obvious need for the NL East leaders as they could stand to shore up the back-end of the rotation. There could also be a call for more bullpen help, especially if the struggles of Raisel Iglesias continue in the closer role. But in terms of the offense, there remains a need for depth in the DH and in left field behind or in-tandem with the Marcell Ozuna-Eddie Rosario combo.
One potential trade idea to help address that could bring a familiar face for Braves fans back to Cobb County: Adam Duvall.
As suggested by Devin Csigi of Battery Power, the Braves could potentially look at the possibility of bringing back the hard-hitting outfielder if the Red Sox are willing to part with him, which they should be. Even if Boston doesn't outright sell at the deadline, they have a glutton of depth in the outfield and could stand to improve the bullpen or pitching staff by dealing Duvall.
Here's the trade that Csigi suggested:
That seems like a fair deal with the Braves filling their immediate need while giving up a 23-year-old pitcher who could be an asset to help the Red Sox address their biggest longstanding issue moving forward.
As for what Atlanta would be getting by bringing Duvall back, he was off to a torrid start in April, going 15-of-33 with four home runs, five doubles, one triple, 13 RBI and three walks over his first 36 plate appearances. But then he suffered a broken wrist that kept him on the shelf until recently. He's looked rusty since, going just 2-for-18 since returning with one double, two walks and eight strikeouts.
Even still, the Braves are more than familiar with the 34-year-old outfielder who has long been a good power bat to have in the lineup when healthy. And with some pitching depth in the farm system, that could be enough to get the Red Sox to bite on making such a trade.